Two Kinds of Remote Devices: IT Infrastructure vs. Connected Products

Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) software is used to manage remote devices of many types globally. A type of remote device management (RDM), and also often categorized as Unified Endpoint Management (UEM). Remote Monitoring and Management — RMM, for short — offers a means to connect and control remote endpoint devices.

There are a lot of remote device types needing remote monitoring and management — billions of them as of 2024. Thus, in order to talk about RMM clearly, we start with breaking the concept into two types: IT infrastructure and connected products.

RMM is most commonly used for remote management of computers, servers, and routers (among other things), which we'll call "IT infrastructure."

RMM is also used to manage systems of remote devices called "connected products." Connected products can be understood as technologies like kiosks, digital signage, point-of-sale (POS) systems, Internet-of-Things (IoT), smart devices, security systems, camera systems, and on and on. Connected products combine computers, peripherals, network-connectivity, connected products are very often self-service technologies that are unattended but centrally managed.

👋 Do you want more info re: Remote Device Management or Connected Products?

→ Bookmark 🔖  The Guide to Connected Products for a lengthier exploration of these kinds of technologies.
→ Bookmark 🔖 The Remote Device Management for an overview of remote device management, including Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Remote Desktop.

‍In the case of both IT infrastructure and connected products, centralized teams use RMM platforms to take responsibility for making sure remote devices and products function as intended. They use RMM to stay up to date with the latest software, firmware, and configurations, maintain connectivity to the network, and generally work.

Now that we've defined the two categories of RMM, we'll discuss the differences between RMM for IT infrastructure vs. RMM for connected products — and why these differences matter when choosing the right RMM platform for your business.

Defining Remote Monitoring and Management Software

Remote monitoring and management software is a kind of software platform that enables technology teams — from IT departments to technical support teams to connected product teams — to maintain and support distributed technology solutions from a remote location.

There are many different flavors of RMM software that can range from a full suite platform to a highly specific tool for teams managing devices remotely.

For example, remote desktop tools (remote desktop is another form of remote device management) allow users to remotely access devices as if they were connected to the device with a keyboard, mouse, and monitor locally.

However, remote desktop may simply be one component of a comprehensive RMM platform. As connected device ecosystems grow in complexity and scale, a broad range of capabilities is required to efficiently operate these systems. Equally important to remote desktop are the abilities to centrally monitor health status of deployed devices and execute remote actions at scale. Together, these three core capabilities — remote desktop, monitoring health, and executing remote actions — compose the basics of an RMM software platform.

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Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) for IT Infrastructure

The majority of RMM tools on the market are catered towards traditional IT departments and built to monitor and manage IT infrastructure.

These solutions are primarily designed for managed service providers (MSPs) or internal IT teams responsible for managing small to medium sized office environments and the typical technology used in those environments (i.e., laptops, desktops, servers, networking equipment, etc.).

Specialization has made traditional RMM platforms highly effective for both IT teams and service providers. Over decades, RMM tools have been refined to offer extensive features for managing typical office technology like laptops and servers. For example, most RMM for IT infrastructure tools specifically offer solutions designed to effectively manage Windows devices due to the prevalence of Windows operating systems in these environments. They offer extensive features such as:

• Security and Antivirus Management: Ensures the protection of IT systems from malware and security threats.
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• Backup and Recovery: Facilitates the backup of data and systems and restores them in case of loss or damage.
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• Policy Management: Allows setting and enforcing IT policies across an organization’s network.
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• Software Deployment: Streamlines the installation and updating of software on multiple devices.
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• Asset Management: Tracks and manages IT assets like hardware and software licenses.
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• Configuration Management: Oversees and maintains system settings and configurations across the IT infrastructure.
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• Remote Access: Enabling remote sessions with a desktop as if you were physically in front of the device to troubleshoot issues or provide real-time support to end-users. 

Some of the top providers in the RMM for IT infrastructure space — providers that have been around for decades — include ConnectWise, Kaseya, and NinjaOne.

As office environments have become more complex (not to mention geographically dispersed with remote work), the typical monitoring solution for an IT team or MSP has grown to include OEM monitoring tools and third-party tools. These tools are combined to offer remote management capabilities for non-Windows (or non-MacOS) devices such as networking equipment, printers, smart conference rooms, and other IT devices that require remote management.

Another common solution for RMM for IT infrastructure platforms is data center and cloud infrastructure management. These tools focus on managing the servers or cloud infrastructure that operates a business’s backend hosted systems for uptime and availability. Most data centers and cloud environments also employ a combination of tools to manage the operating system as well as OEM or third-party tools to manage the specific equipment deployed in that environment. While similar to the tools used in small to medium office settings, most data center RMM platforms are focused more on more sophisticated server infrastructure as well as tools to manage the software and services running in those environments. These types of tools include companies like SolarWinds, Atera, and ManageEngine.

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Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) for Connected Products

Now that we have covered the types of devices and environments traditional IT RMM tools cater to, let’s discuss how RMM platforms are used to manage connected products and other smart or IoT devices. What are connected products? Connected products combine proprietary software, hardware, peripherals, and internet connectivity to deliver user services via unattended technology like kiosks, security systems, smart lockers, and point-of-sale systems.

Connected products can be common — like a digital menu at a quick-service restaurant — or uncommon like a golf simulator. They can also combine many products in a system, as with an access control system that incorporates smart locks, intercoms, touchscreen panels, camera systems, and more.

Connected products differ from traditional IT environments in several key areas which makes many of the traditional IT RMM platforms ill-suited for remote management. 

While traditional RMM for IT infrastructure platforms offer some features that are useful for connected products, like remote desktop access, they often lack the full suite of tools needed by operators and field service providers to effectively manage a large fleet of connected products. This is primarily because connected products differ significantly from traditional IT devices in several aspects.

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‍Environment

Connected products are typically deployed into environments that lack many of the advantages of offices and data center environments. For example, connected products are often deployed without controlled temperature, clean power, and organized deployment locations. In fact, many IoT devices are deployed outdoors or in environments directly exposed to the elements. As such, a remote management solution needs to be capable of monitoring those conditions to provide visibility into their impact on the solution. The teams operating these smart devices must be able to track solution performance and identify points of failure that stem from those conditions.

Network

Unlike a data center or office environment, where sophisticated network solutions offer robust and redundant connectivity with automatic geographic failover, connected products are often deployed in areas with limited connectivity. Solutions are designed to operate without stable network connectivity and often utilize low bandwidth wireless connectivity or cellular data solutions. In these environments, an RMM solution must function effectively even when a device is offline and should minimize data transfer usage to limit cellular data costs and avoid interfering with other outbound traffic critical for operating the solution.

Remote Hands

Because many connected products are deployed in remote or unattended environments, the availability of someone to troubleshoot a problem is often a constraint. A “truck roll” or onsite technician visit to a remotely deployed device can be very expensive (upwards of $250 for a single visit). With limited onsite support, it is critical for an RMM solution to provide operators with multiple remote and automated recovery options to prevent truck rolls. If an onsite visit is unavoidable, the RMM should equip the technician arriving with information on the nature of the issue, so they have the right equipment or skillsets to resolve that issue in one visit vs. multiple trips.

→ Read more about field services in Remote Monitoring and Management's Impact on Field Services

Scale

In typical office and data center environments having thousands or tens of thousands of managed devices is very rare. In the Connected Product space, it is much more common for operators to manage thousands of devices. On top of the sheer size difference between Connected Product and IT deployments, connected Products are typically dispersed geographically. Due to this inherently more complex ecosystem, an RMM for connected Products should be built for managing connected devices at scale by offering features that categorize and display devices by type, location, and time zone. These capabilities allow operators to manage complex deployments of smart devices in a more efficient way from a central location.

Complexity

Connected products typically are custom built to suit the solution use case and frequently have higher levels of technical complexity and customization. For example, operating systems may be Linux or Windows, controllers may be desktop computers or a Raspberry Pi. The solution could have peripherals like touch screens, sensors, printers, scanners, etc. that all need to be supported remotely. These kinds of IoT solutions need an RMM platform that is extensible enough to monitor all aspects and components of the solution, not just controller health. This is where most traditional RMM for IT infrastructure tools fall short, and it highlights the importance of having extensible RMM software specifically built to manage complex, unattended connected products.

Considerations When Choosing an RMM for Connected Products

When selecting an RMM platform to manage connected products (or IoT solutions), it is essential to focus on platforms that are extensible across device types and equipped to address unique environmental challenges.

Connected products have unique remote management challenges which do not exist in a typical office or data center, and as a result, are not addressed by traditional IT RMM tools.

This is where an RMM platform like Canopy excels. Canopy has been developed from day one with the idea that an RMM solution needs to exist to provide support for these unique environments. Built by a team of connected product technology veterans, Canopy is relied upon by connected product and technical support teams to automate device management for hundreds of thousands of remotely deployed technology systems, preserving company resources, reputation, and the customer experience. If you want to know more, let's talk.

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Originally published December 27, 2023. Last updated September 2024.

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