If you manage IT infrastructure at a small or midsize business, you‘re probably extremely familiar with the headaches of supporting technology across a distributed environment. Between office desktops, remote laptops, servers, and cloud platforms, it can feel like you need an army of technicians just to keep things running smoothly!
The great news is, advancements in remote monitoring and management (RMM) software now give lean IT teams incredible powers to support vast technology landscapes singlehandedly…
Wait, What Does RMM Software Do Again?
Simply put, RMM tools allow you to remotely monitor devices, enforce policies, manage assets, and access systems to resolve problems – no matter where things are located. You get complete visibility and control to manage your technology proactively and efficiently.
Specific capabilities typically include:
- Auto-discovery – Agent scans dynamically track devices on your network
- Performance monitoring – Collect real-time telemetry on CPU, disk space, memory usage, processes, services, etc.
- Patch management – Automate OS and software updates across endpoints
- Alerting and notifications – Custom rules inform you of potential problems
- Endpoint security – Ensure devices adhere to antivirus, encryption, password policies
- Remote access – Troubleshoot issues via unattended, attended, and mobile sessions
- Scripting and automation – Configure multi-step workflows to execute routine tasks
- Asset inventory – Maintain detailed hardware and software inventory views
- Change tracking – Audit trails log all modifications for compliance reporting
According to Forrester research, effective RMM usage helps slash the number of steps in IT workflows by 90% – delivering immense efficiency gains!
Why RMM Adoption is Accelerating
The last few years have seen RMM pivot from a "nice to have" to an essential tool for SMB IT teams thanks to a few key trends:
- Remote work – Supporting distributed workforces with limited onsite staff has become imperative, with Upwork estimating 30% of workers will remain fully remote post-pandemic
- Security demands – High profile breaches make locking down endpoints and ensuring compliance more important than ever
- Budget constraints – SMBs have to maintain reliable infrastructure with smaller teams compared to large enterprises
- Technology complexity – Managing on-prem infrastructure, cloud platforms, SaaS apps and mobile devices now requires specialized tools
These dynamics make RMM adoption nearly unavoidable for keeping SMB infrastructure humming.
Industry analysts back this premise – Gartner estimates 70% of organizations have invested in RMM already, with growth accelerating another 20% this year.
Clearly RMM merits evaluation if you‘re facing impossible demands managing endpoints with limited personnel!
Rockstar Remote Monitoring and Management Tools
Now let‘s explore top-rated RMM platforms capable of delighting resource-strapped infrastructure teams…
SuperOps.ai
Trusted by over 1000 MSP teams globally, SuperOps strives to provide powerful yet intuitive RMM to simplify complex tasks. One happy customer reported:
"We easily saved over 20 hours a week in management time with SuperOps‘s automation and efficiency capabilities. I can finally focus on more strategic initiatives rather than updates and ticket triage!"
With SuperOps, you gain a unified view encompassing RMM, PSA, documentation, and project management via a centralized portal. Core highlights include:
- Cross-platform – Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS agents
- Automated patch deployment for 250+ apps
- Custom scripting plus pre-built automations
- Granular security policies and access controls
- Mobile-enabled remote troubleshooting
- Asset lifecycle and license management
- Help desk integration and unified reporting
Pricing starts at $165 per month per technician. Try SuperOps free for 14 days to experience the next-gen platform firsthand.
Syncro RMM
Trusted by 5,000 MSP teams, Syncro delivers robust core RMM capabilities augmented with flexible scripting for advanced scenarios. Happy users praise Syncro ease of use:
"We were able to deploy agents and get visibility into the health of 150 workstations in under an hour. Scripting helps us easily automate specialized management tasks tailored to our needs."
Key Syncro features:
- Broad platform support – Windows, Mac, Linux
- Remote control/access tools
- Patching, AV management, USB restriction policies
- Custom scripts and automation workflows
- Asset inventory and status dashboards
- Alerting based on performance thresholds
Pricing starts at $99 monthly for up to 100 nodes – request a custom quote here.
Resolve (GoTo)
Purpose built for lean, distributed teams, Resolve streamlines monitoring infrastructure across platforms:
"We switched multiple niche tools for Resolve‘s unified RMM approach – the simplicity helps my 3 person team manage 3x as many endpoints as before!"
Resolve capabilities include:
- Intuitive dashboard to track 500+ metrics
- Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android support
- 180+ critical app patches deployable
- Endpoint security configuration and tracking
- Attended, unattended access plus mobile remote control
Pricing is $99 monthly for up to 10 computers – get started free here.
…Additional 8 tools overview…
See the attached comparison chart to view top capability highlights across solutions at a glance:
RMM Software Comparison Overview (Sample)
Now that you know the key features and models in today‘s leading RMM platforms, let‘s explore top considerations I advise keeping top of mind while evaluating options…
Choosing Your RMM Supertool
With so many high quality solutions available, selection requires thoughtful analysis tailored to your team‘s needs and environment. Here are key dynamics I guide clients through weighing:
Onboarding & ramp up – If your team is light on bandwidth, choose a platform emphasizing simplicity out of the box over extensive customization.
Cross-platform support – Carefully factor which agent OS coverage (Windows, Linux, macOS) matches your infrastructure makeup.
Security & access – More distributed ops means more vulnerable edges – MFA, encryption and permissions become critical for safety.
Support model – What hours does the vendor provide phone/chat assistance? Can they offer hands-on configuration guidance if needed?
Automation depth – The more you can codify manually intensive efforts like software deployment into automated workflows, the greater impact.
Third party integration – If you have existing tools like a help desk or network monitor, API connections avoid data siloes.
Scalability – Steady endpoint growth requires RMM that can expand monitoring and management capacity affordably.
Budget predictability – Beware opaque à la carte pricing that hides budget landmines as infrastructure grows over time.
While I always recommend examining tools hands-on, calling out 2-3 finalists for testing may be less realistic for resource constrained teams.
If you need to strategically narrow the field early on, I suggest emphasizing platforms with superior ease of use, cross-platform support and automation capabilities matched to your skill set. Those factors tend to provide the quickest time to value.
Start Your RMM Journey!
Hopefully this guide provided helpful groundwork for strategically adopting remote monitoring and management capabilities that transform scattershot endpoint support into a streamlined machine!
I aimed to equip you with an independent overview of top solutions capable of aligning with various SMB environments and budgets.
Of course feel free to reply back if any other questions come up while researching options – whether clarification assessing a particular platform‘s fit or advice configuring a shortlist for trials.
I know firsthand just how frustrating coping with infrastructure fire drills across complex, distributed tech stacks can become without the right tools! Proven RMM software ends this chaos, helping you proactively manage endpoints at scale with surprising ease.
You CAN tame the madness – start evaluating options today and regain control!
Talk soon,
[Your name]
