RMM Software for Small Business [Tools, Benefits, Overview]

Small businesses today rely heavily on technology to run their operations. Hardware and software devices, including mobile devices and IoT, play a big role in their day-to-day functioning.

As a company grows, so does the number of hardware resources and network devices used. You have to manage and secure remote access to these devices, but managed service providers can make this easier with the help of RMM tools.

An RMM software for small businesses provides a one-stop shop for registration, monitoring, alerting, project management, and general insights into the business ecosystem. 

This allows companies to understand better how their technology is being used and impacting their business.

What is Remote Monitoring and Management Software?

The benefits of remote monitoring and management software for IT cannot be overstated. It lets you remotely monitor and efficiently manage devices and systems.

IT professionals can keep critical systems running smoothly, identify potential issues, and address them on time. This can help to avoid costly outages or system failures and can help boost overall system performance.

Additionally, remote monitoring and management software can help improve organizational efficiency. This allows IT professionals to manage and monitor multiple systems from a single location.

Who Uses RMM Software?

Generally based on the management tools of managed IT services, small and medium-sized businesses can benefit from using RMM software.

However, if SMB teams have RMM capabilities, they are distributed and isolated over multiple provider platforms. This makes the use of tools difficult.

IT professionals within SMBs commonly have to toggle between different tools and platforms to fully benefit from the functionality.

Key Features of RMM For Managed Service Providers

A remote monitoring and management system comprises tools that help you identify, report, and remedy problems coming from your endpoints.

You install the RMM agent onto every company endpoint, including servers, desktops, laptops, tablets, and sometimes mobile devices. Once the agent is installed, the endpoint can be managed through your RMM provider.

The specific features of the RMM software depend on the type you are using, but the overall capabilities of every RMM software include:

Remote Access Capabilities

Remote control access allows your IT staff to manage your systems even when they are not on site.

Remote support can help resolve problems that occur outside of normal business hours or for managing updates and changes to your systems.

If a problem occurs at night, they receive an alert and can immediately take care of the endpoint remotely. With remote access, monitoring and management functions can go on as usual.

Moreover, these remote access capabilities are necessary for small businesses that may not always have a large IT staff on-site.

This feature allows managed service providers to manage multiple clients from a central console. It makes sure that all systems are up-to-date and secure.

Remote access improves the flexibility of IT operations. It lets IT professionals provide timely support and maintenance regardless of location. This level of accessibility means you can maintain smooth and uninterrupted business operations.

Real-Time Monitoring and Alerting

RMM solutions uses remote management to monitor the health and performance of every endpoint your company manages. Since RMMs are continually at work, they can create alerts about potential issues so IT can take action before problems happen.

Additionally, RMM solutions automate workflows to improve the remediation process, generate reports, and provide visibility into your environment.

This way, it becomes easier to handle compliance, asset inventory, and the direct value of IT support.

Real-time monitoring and alerting can also improve your long-term strategic planning. RMM solutions help businesses identify patterns and trends in their IT operations using this data.

It also enables more informed decision-making regarding hardware upgrades, software deployments, and resource allocation. Moreover, real-time insights can highlight areas where efficiency can be improved.

Background Management of Endpoints

One of the benefits of using RMM software is that you can manage endpoints in the background without having to control them remotely.

This is a faster and more efficient way to manage them and doesn't disrupt the end user. You can manage processes and services and drop directly into a terminal session.

Background management also supports compliance efforts by automatically enforcing security policies and updates.

It is used to lessen the risk of human error and improve system security. This method helps maintain high levels of employee productivity and system reliability.

Patch Management

Patch Management is one of the key features of endpoint security and device management. It enables managed service providers to deploy patches regularly to their endpoints, which can help protect against vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.

Your RMM provider should automate patching for all your Windows, macOS devices, and Linux endpoints.

Patch management should allow technicians and admins to schedule update hours to avoid disrupting the end-users smoothly. Additionally, many RMMs can update third-party applications too.

Automating Routine IT Management

With RMM software, your business is better positioned to have a faster workflow and automate various IT tasks. These include running scripts, installing patches, and creating and responding to tickets based on predetermined policies and actions.

Automation reduces the workload on IT staff and maintains consistency and accuracy in task execution. With automated routine tasks, businesses can lower the risk of human error and improve the speed of IT operations.

This leads to faster resolution of issues on individual devices and more efficient use of resources.

Report and Data Visualization

The ability to customize dashboards and reports is a valuable feature of RMM solutions. It allows you to focus on the metrics most important to your business.

It has data visualization tools that change your data into easy-to-understand visuals. This makes facilitations quicker and helps you avoid malicious actors.

You can also use this to analyze data-driven insights to make plans for your business hardware. It is useful if you want to decide where to invest your time and resources.

For example, are all of your devices patched and secure? Do any endpoints require additional hardware resources? Are any of them out of warranty?

Customizable dashboards provide a centralized view of all IT operations and enable businesses to track performance over time.

This helps you identify trends and potential issues before they become major. You can always see your security vulnerabilities and resolve these issues.

Detailed reports can even be generated from each end user. This makes it a great solution for IT teams to have the information they need to make informed management decisions.

Ease of Setup

How easy it is to implement your RMM software depends on the specific solution.

For example, some RMMs need considerable expertise to deploy. On the other hand, some solutions are intuitive and significantly reduce costs and the time it takes to install.

Choosing an RMM solution with a user-friendly setup process can reduce the initial learning curve and implementation time. Solutions that offer guided installation, comprehensive documentation, and responsive customer support can help businesses get up and running quickly.

An easy setup process also means less disruption to ongoing operations and a faster return on investment. This is especially beneficial for enabling MSPs that may not have extensive IT resources and need a solution that can be implemented smoothly.

Integrate with Tools and Applications

In addition to all these functions, the RMM software you choose should easily integrate with other tools you commonly use in your business.

RMM software should be useful when managing backup solutions and endpoint security products. With all these functionalities, it's no wonder that RMM is an important application for small businesses.

Integration with other business tools improves the overall functionality of RMM solutions. You have multiple tools like project management software, helpdesk systems, and third-party applications.

This feature allows for better data consistency across platforms. Effective integration also means that IT systems work well together.

This reduces the need for manual data entry and minimizes your errors. Furthermore, integrating various software solutions makes scaling and adapting the RMM system easier.

5 Benefits of RMM Software for Small Businesses

Under the right conditions and proper management, RMM software can help small businesses transform their operations.

In the long run, they experience increased efficiency, which leads to greater profitability. Here are some of the benefits of using an RMM:

1. Centralized View of Endpoints

It's important to monitor your endpoints to improve their security constantly. Today's businesses are mobile, with more employees choosing to work remotely, which increases the number of vulnerable endpoints.

Threats to your business information security come in many forms today because hackers constantly upgrade their attack methods.

Endpoints are particularly vulnerable to malware botnets like spyware and ransomware. While spyware collects passwords to allow the hacker to access your network, ransomware holds your systems hostage until you pay a ransom.

As the business world shifts to remote work, organizations must take the necessary steps to protect their endpoints now more than ever.

With remote monitoring, RMM management solutions enable you to collect detailed information about your business endpoints. Depending on the insights you get, you can better block threats and secure your endpoints.

The RMM Solution Should Provide Managed Service Providers with:

• Cross-platform support for Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Detailed and up-to-date information about every endpoint
• Seamless remote control
• Monitoring and alerting capabilities
• Background management of endpoints to avoid disrupting end-users
• Automated patch management with granular scheduling
• Bulk endpoint management with scripting
• Endpoints secured behind two-factor authentication (2FA)
• Ability to restrict access to endpoints to select IP addresses

You can improve endpoint security through encryption and application control. 

Encryption improves data protection in communication, while application control prevents users from using endpoints in a manner that exposes them to security risks.

With RMM software, you have a one-click remote control from the browser, and your IT team can offer immediate IT assistance to users. Further, patch management of endpoints is important for routine maintenance.

2. IT Automation and Scripting

Maintaining and updating your endpoints and software can take much time. As a result, it can be tempting to overlook these functions and concentrate on more important tasks. However, doing so only puts your business at a higher risk of attack.

RMM comes in handy to monitor your business-owned devices and automate tasks. Moreover, it makes sure that important updates are installed at the right time. Consequently, your IT team has more time for other functions without worrying about device and software updates.

Automation also lets you execute complex scripts across multiple devices simultaneously. You can schedule tasks and automate routine maintenance which reduces the need for manual intervention.

This level of IT automation supports maintenance strategies that allow IT professionals to address potential issues before they escalate. This improves the overall stability and security of the IT infrastructure.

Additionally, with the automation of repetitive tasks, businesses can have major cost savings and improve the productivity of their IT teams.

3. Running Scripts Across Multiple Endpoints

RMM solutions have a unique function of creating and running scripts across multiple devices with live output. These include data, code bundles, and applications you can execute across various endpoints.

Typically, a component contains a script written in one of the many available languages. It may also include an executable to run or a program to install. The functionality is necessary, giving administrators complete control over their technology.

4. Secure Peer-To-Peer Network Connection

Remote access and monitoring are becoming increasingly important as distributed workforces grow globally. This is already the case for most companies, as the number of devices they own far outstrips the ability of technicians to interact with each device physically.

However, existing software for remote access presents security concerns, slow technician experience, and often inaccurate data.

Peer-to-peer connections can help with many of the concerns around existing solutions. They remove the middleman security concern with modern protocols for establishing connections. Moreover, the direct connection also reduces data latency.

Peer-to-peer remote access is safer, faster, and more accurate. This makes it the clear choice for modern IT teams.

5. Limit User Access

A reliable remote monitoring and management system can help determine who can access what and when.

For example, sensitive information and some business applications require special permission to access. The software allows you to invite team members and assign them access permissions as you deem fit.

Limiting access to parts of your business network makes it difficult for malicious actors and intruders to compromise valuable information. While they may circumvent the system, they still need the admin's permission to access sensitive data.

Simplify Your IT Management with Level

Level allows you to use modernized remote access, enhanced automation, and a suite of tools to elevate your service capabilities.

Whether you're looking to improve efficiency, strengthen security, or expand your service offerings, Level provides the technology to make it happen.

Book a demo or try Level free for 14 days right now!

FAQs About RMM Software for Small Business

What is RMM?

Remote Monitoring and Management is a system that provides remote access and control over a computer network. This application is designed for Managed Service Providers and is intended to manage their clients' computer systems.

Can a small business use RMM Software without a dedicated IT team?

Yes, RMM software is designed to be user-friendly. It can be used by small businesses even if they don't have a dedicated IT team. Many RMM tools offer easy-to-use dashboards and automation features requiring minimal technical expertise.

Should a small business work with an MSP to use RMM software?

Working with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can be useful for small businesses without the resources or expertise to manage their IT systems independently. MSPs use RMM software to monitor and manage your IT environment on your behalf. This provides expert support and keeps your systems always up-to-date and secure.

‍