In today's fast-paced business world, it's important to keep up with technology, no matter what industry you're in. 

RMM solutions help business leaders improve efficiency, customer experience, and revenue. The question many business owners grapple with is whether it's too early to invest in RMM software. We will look at the advantages, important factors, and signs that show investing in RMM software is good for your business.

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Understanding Remote Monitoring and Management Software

Before delving into the timing of investment, it's crucial to grasp what RMM software entails. RMM software is a comprehensive solution designed to remotely monitor, manage, and maintain an organization's deployed technology infrastructure and device solutions.

You can deploy RMM software across simple and complex devices, such as:

• Servers or controllers 
• Self-service kiosks
• Security solutions
• Point-of-sale technology 
• Smart lockers 
• Mobile devices

By leveraging real-time monitoring capabilities, remote resolve functionality, and automation, RMM software empowers businesses to proactively address issues, minimize downtime, and streamline IT or operational technology (“OT”) operations. Let’s go a bit deeper on the benefits of leveraging a RMM platform in your business:

• Real-time Health Monitoring: One of the advantages of robust RMM software is its ability to ingest data from a variety of devices at the edge and cloud-based device systems.
  
  The RMM platform can then demonstrate the health of devices in real-time and present it in a manner that is efficient to digest for a large deployment of devices. By providing a single source of truth for your device data and uptime status, the RMM enables your team to always be up to date on the health of your deployment.

• Proactive Issue Resolution: Another advantage of RMM software is its ability to detect and address issues before they escalate. Early adoption enables your business to be proactive in identifying uptime challenges, proactively resolving system downtime, and minimizing the impact on productivity or operations.

• Time and Cost Efficiency: RMM software can automate routine device management tasks and should provide the flexibility to automate complex device management issues as well. This reduces the burden on your remote service and network operation center (“NOC”) teams. This not only saves time but also reduces operational costs. As your business grows and your device count scales, the efficiency gains become increasingly valuable and reduce the need to hire additional staffing resources.

• Revenue Enablement: For solution operators or manage service providers (MSPs), the right RMM platform creates the opportunity to offer a remotely managed service business line to your end customers. There are countless examples of managed service revenue streams built on the back of a robust RMM platform. Simply put, operators or end customers are willing to pay for the outsourced management of their key connected devices that keep operations and the consumer experience running seamlessly.

• Enhanced Security: With cyber threats on the rise, investing in security measures is paramount. RMM software often includes embedded or integrated security features, such as antivirus, patch management, and intrusion detection, fortifying your business against potential cyberattacks or providing a “watchdog of the watchdog” model to ensure your security applications are healthy just like your device solutions.

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Considerations Before Investing: Signs It Might Be Too Early!

Now let’s look at a few signs that it may be too early for your business to justify investing in an RMM platform.

• ‍Stage of Your Business: Smaller businesses with limited infrastructure and a single type of device deployment might not immediately benefit from the full suite of features offered by a robust RMM software. If your business is in its infancy and/or the complexity of your device solution and device management needs are minimal, it might be premature to invest in a robust RMM platform. We often recommend utilizing a remote desktop tool or other off-the-shelf type RMM products for this stage of your device management journey.

• ‍Device Deployment Size: Similar to the Stage of Your Business, if your device deployment size is below 100 units and you are not projecting meaningful scale in your deployment in the coming months or year, it is likely not the right time to invest in a robust RMM platform. A remote desktop / remote access tool or an off-the-shelf, more limited RMM tool is typically sufficient to handle this level of device scale.
• ‍Budget Constraints: While the long-term cost savings are significant, the initial investment in RMM software and related infrastructure might be a strain on a tight budget. Evaluate your financial situation and consider whether the long-term benefits outweigh the upfront costs. Additionally, work with your RMM software vendor to outline the return on investment that balances the upfront and ongoing investment against the cost savings, managed services revenue potential, and enhanced customer experience.

• ‍Internal NOC and IT Skill Set: If your internal NOC or IT team lacks the expertise to fully leverage RMM software, it might be prudent to invest in training or additional personnel first. The effectiveness of RMM software is closely tied to how well it is implemented and, equally as important, how capable the team is of utilizing it.

Indicators It’s the Right Time to Invest!

We’ve reviewed the signals indicating it is likely too early for your business to invest in RMM software, now let’s dive into common signs that it’s the right time for you to move forward with a robust RMM platform.

• ‍Growing Device Deployment: As your business and the number of unattended device solutions expands, so too does the burden on your remote management infrastructure. If the ability to manage your fleet of devices or locations is overwhelming your support team and you are being forced to hire more support personnel, enterprise-grade RMM software becomes a valuable asset in optimizing operations and ensuring you’re maximizing device uptime while not over-investing in fixed costs.

• ‍Increased Device Complexity: As your solution becomes more complex, offering a range of functionality or services at the edge, the ability to maximize uptime via legacy tools or manual processes becomes unreliable. With increased functionality, peripheral devices, and/or growing complexity in your solution, remote service teams experience a greater need for oversight capabilities. A robust RMM platform can handle the intricacies of managing and maintaining advanced device functionalities, ensuring optimal performance and your complex device ecosystem maximizes its uptime.

• ‍Overreliance on Field Service / Onsite Visits: With increased scale and complexity, there is often a disproportionate rise in the number of field service visits to support those solutions. These increased truck rolls not only result in a significant cost impact on your bottom line but also a constant disruption to your day-to-day operations and consumer experience. The right RMM platform can help reduce on-site visits by allowing for remote resolutions and self-healing automation. This can lead to significant cost savings with time and resources.

• ‍Customer Experience is Suffering: The ultimate failure when servicing technology remotely is receiving calls from your customers or end users that the device solution is offline. Not only does this damage your brand equity but it also creates missed revenue or transaction opportunities. Through real-time monitoring and intelligent alerting, the RMM software can minimize negative customer experiences and improve your end-user satisfaction.

• ‍Lack of Data and Understanding of Downtime Root Cause: Without the appropriate RMM platform, remote service teams and operators struggle to decipher what is causing downtime. For more information on what might be causing downtime, download our Unlocking Uptime whitepaper. 
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  Additionally, as your deployment scales, there is a growing need for data analytics and reporting on the performance as well as user experience of your technology solution. RMM software can provide the right data to ensure your uptime is maximized and your solution is performing as designed.

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Conclusion

The decision of whether it's too early to invest in RMM software for your business depends on various factors, including the size of your business, budget constraints, and the complexity of your device ecosystem. While early adoption can bring forth numerous benefits, it's essential to carefully evaluate your specific circumstances. If your business is experiencing growth, grappling with remote support challenges, or facing recurring uptime issues, it may be a compelling time to explore the advantages that robust RMM software can offer. As technology continues to play a pivotal role in business operations, staying ahead of the curve with strategic investments becomes an integral part of long-term success and maximizing the performance of your business.

Reach out to us at info@goCanopy.com with the subject line “Free Strategy Session” to schedule a call with one of our technical subject matter experts. During these sessions we take an unbiased approach, focusing on better understanding your specific business or device system requirements to be able to provide the most relevant advice.