5 min
We’re not talking about going green either — although automated performance monitoring can help with that too. If you’re a Managed Service Provider (MSP), automation can help you survive in a challenging market. Here’s how.
In this blog post, we’ll share as follows:
Why Automation Is a Must for MSPs?
There are plenty of good reasons to automate critical processes. But is automation a true necessity or just a “nice to have?”
MSP automation and your success go hand-in-hand. And there are many good examples:
The modern workplace is rife with hazards.
If you’re switching to remote-first or hybrid work, you’ve got to deal with way more devices, touchpoints, and user roles. These broader attack surfaces complicate security governance, overwhelming many service providers. Automating security checks is one way to fight back and implement consistent network monitoring practices.
Growth is a double-edged sword.
Expanding is good for business — until you lose control. The more you succeed, the more you’ll have to work. Automation tools can handle the basics, such as onboarding and routine status monitoring, while you focus on the big decisions.
Mundane tasks reduce workplace quality of life.
Doing the same thing repeatedly can turn a dream job into a nightmare. This is a huge issue for MSPs. Even though you want to attract top talent, your team will get bored with the same old work. Automating things like ticket routing and applying routine software patches helps you improve employee outlooks.
What Benefits Does MSP Automation Deliver?
There are plenty of good reasons to automate critical and nonessential processes. We’ve covered a few already, but the following big-ticket themes are just as important.
Enhanced Efficiency
Automating tasks is a fantastic way to conserve resources – both human and material. Your team will be able to spend more time working on the toughest issues. Since automated tools can monitor systems nonstop, you’ll gain access to far more performance data. These insights will raise your odds of identifying cost reductions and eliminating waste.
Improved Reliability
Even the smartest humans forget things. Automation doesn’t miss a beat, alerting you when emergencies need intervention and notifying you to complete tasks. Automated workflows can also handle complex jobs like provisioning containers, delivering more consistent results.
Better Visibility
Automating network monitoring makes it easier to collect data at scale. Where you once struggled to gather and sanitize information, AI and other tools do so effortlessly. They broaden the scope of valuable feedback without drowning you in the noise.
Five Steps to MSP Automation Excellence
- Identify Automation Opportunities
- Prepare Your Workforce
- Enhance Customer Experience
- Build an MSP Automation Culture
- Perform Continuous Monitoring
1) Identify Automation Opportunities
Finding the right opportunities for automation is not easy. Automation won’t always breed consistency. Only some viable automation use cases will be productive. In other words, avoid jumping on the hype train just because it’s trending, and choose your investments with care. You may consider targeting high-volume tasks, simplifying complex workflows, and integrating software platforms.
Here are some worthwhile areas to consider automating:
2) Prepare Your Workforce
To prepare your workforce for automation:
- Communication: Clearly communicate the automation plan and its objectives to employees. Put yourself in their shoes and ask them directly what they want.
- Training: Provide relevant training and upskilling opportunities to help employees adapt to new technologies. Choose automated training systems that go beyond simple skills management tools. Ensure yours are relevant to your current processes. For instance, you might feed past breach data into a simulation that teaches your engineers how to fight attacks. There are plenty of tools that you can use to build your customized automated security.
- Change Management: Implement change management strategies to address concerns and resistance. Engage stakeholders, too. Involve the entire team in your automation decisions.
- Empowerment: Encourage employees to contribute ideas for automation and involve them in the process. Consistently communicate results to team members to motivate them and build a better company culture.
- Continuous Learning: Foster a continuous learning and adaptation culture to support automation integration.
3) Enhance Customer Experience
Billing, support handling, and omnichannel communication offer great opportunities for MSP automation. Some MSPs even go as far as generating quotes and contracts or guiding clients through onboarding. These tasks are necessities but drain time, making them ideal candidates for improvement. Check out the MSP onboarding template checklist we wrote to learn about all the actions you need to complete and consider when automating the onboarding process.
4) Build an MSP Automation Culture
Scaling automation is an ongoing journey that requires adaptability and a commitment to delivering value to clients through efficient and innovative solutions. Automating your scaling processes can make growth more achievable. But you need to do your homework first.
Build a network monitoring foundation that clarifies resource use under different conditions. Then, use those learnings to inform your future project planning. Focus on developing a long-term automation strategy that aligns with your MSP’s growth goals and evolving client demands. Build a culture of automation across your entire company.
You can start with checking some recourses here.
Continuous monitoring is the pinnacle step in your compliance automation journey. You can leverage integrations to pull data and information into your program continuously.
While continuous monitoring is a journey, it allows teams to uplevel their compliance program, realize cost savings, and stay ahead of security risks. Don’t forget to set realistic expectations about implementation and, most of all, choose the right automation tools.
Want to make your automation project more fruitful? Learn from those who’ve gone before you. Consider upgrading your MSP stack with the tools that suits your business.
Consider partnerships with technology vendors and automation experts to access additional resources and expertise for scaling.
- Process Automation Tools: Nowadays, you can automate almost any business process. These tools are essential for exploring new revenue streams in an organized way without dropping the ball on existing work.
- RMM: Remote monitoring and management solutions connect MSPs to client endpoints and servers. If you want to earn a reputation for fast, streamlined troubleshooting, you’ll invest in RMM automation.
- PSA: Professional services automation software keeps you on track with goals and deadlines. It’s integral to cost-effective top-down project management.
- IT service management: Why let tasks like OS monitoring and provisioning get ahead of you? Automating IT service management boosts your ability to deliver great products.
- Documenting Tools: You shouldn’t have to look up best practices when you’re under fire. Integrate and automate your documenting tools in advance so they’re ready at crunch time.
- Security Automation Tools: Security automation comes in many flavors. Should you automate virus scans? Will you focus on source code CVEs? It can be hard to decide, but there’s a clear answer. Choose an automated security option that integrates seamlessly with your existing systems.
- Network Management Tools: Tools like Domotz simplify network management. They inform your outlook on mission-critical resources, so you’re never caught off guard.
Unlock the Potential of Your MSP Automation with Domotz
If you run an MSP business, automation is crucial, not only to enhance operational efficiency but also to allow you to offer more responsive and cost-effective services to clients.
When you rely on a network monitoring system you can automate more by setting up alerts and triggers based on predefined conditions. When anomalies occur, it can automatically execute corrective actions or notify IT teams, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency. Additionally, it can generate reports and insights to inform proactive decision-making, optimize network performance, and reduce manual intervention.
Elevate your MSP operations to new heights with Domotz. Our cutting-edge automation solutions empower you to streamline tasks, enhance client experiences, and scale efficiently.
We offer a comprehensive suite of tools for remote monitoring, ready-to-use custom scripts, pre-defined SNMP templates, and device discovery, enabling you to deliver unparalleled service quality.
We have thousands of software and hardware integrations with tools that can simplify your business.
Unleash the full potential of your MSP with Domotz and stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of technology services.
Remember, automation is an extremely powerful tool for MSPs. But you must implement it intelligently. Avoid the pitfalls by talking to a Domotz expert.
Further reading: