Let’s face it: Some resellers and VARs (value-added resellers) are never (repeat: NEVER) going to make a complete move to managed services and a recurring revenue model. Still, N-able wants to give those traditional solutions providers a taste of remote management with a new tool and hosted service called N-supportPro. Here are some early details.
I first heard rumblings about N-supportPro at N-able‘s 2008 partner summit. At the time N-able insiders mentioned a clear gap in the market: While successful MSPs were proactively managing customer networks from afar, many traditional resellers (A) needed remote management tools but (B) weren’t really ready to become full-blown MSPs.
That’s where N-supportPro enters the picture. According to a an N-able press release issued today:
Developed in conjunction with alliance partner NTR Global, N-able’s hosted N-supportPro software uses a secured Internet connection to enable service desk technicians to connect to remote devices in seconds and resolve customers’ IT issues with greater efficiency. IT service providers and managed service providers (MSPs) can purchase N-supportPro on its own or as an enhancement to N-able’s award-winning N-central® network and systems management software. There is no upfront investment, installation or ongoing maintenance required for deploying N-supportPro, which means the service is up and running quickly.
Still, launching a remote management tool for the masses can be a tricky effort. If N-able positioned the tool as an “entry level” offering, some folks might think it’s a stripped-down offering with limited capabilities. (Anybody else remember botched ‘entry-level’ IT products like NetWare Lite?)
In order to pump up N-supportPro, N-able claims:
The hosted service works with virtually any connection including T3 and dial-up, and offers business integration with CRM technology, professional services automation (PSA) tools, billing software and other systems. Service providers and MSPs can use N-supportPro to remotely support desktops, notebooks, servers and mobile devices such as Windows Mobile smartphones.
Does N-supportPro work as advertised? Will traditional resellers and VARs embrace the tool? I’ll leave that for readers to decide. But I am interested to know if readers think there’s a market for this tool.
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Posted In: Platforms | Software as a Service and Hardware as a Service
Tags: Managed Service Provider | Managed Services | MSP | N-able | N-supportPro
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Joe – just to build on what you noted. We introduced N-supportPro to offer a more flexible market alternative that 1) offers a concurrent license model that can be shared between techs (more value which is back to the do more with less) and 2) can be used to introduce the remote service model (drive more profit from your helpdesk).
Remote service tools are going mainstream this year – no doubt about it!
It seems like with so many remote control options out there (GoToAssist, LogMeIn, Bomgar, RDP, Dameware, etc..) that N-able resellers would be better served by creating integration with N-Central to these applications?
I am a big proponent of using best in breed tools and have found that the one tool does all aproach never seems to live up to expectations.
That’s a great point… I probably should have mentioned that before. N-able has always been compatible with major remote control vendors, including LogMeIn, Bomgar, Numara (we even ship with VNC built-in), but it became clear in ’08 that partners not only wanted compatibility with major vendors (in an ecosystem approach), but also wanted a fully integrated solution accessible from the dashboard. Our goal is to give partners the choice to integrate with their preferred vendor, while also giving them a simple, powerful and affordable choice right out of the box.
Derik