Top Best Monitoring Software and Tools for MSP: Features, Benefits & How to Choose

Monitoring of Managed Service Providers has become an integral part of today’s business. MSP monitoring is a means of ensuring continuity and security in IT operations. It helps monitor and manage the entire IT assets and avoid network issues by nipping the problems in the bud through proactive monitoring.

With an ever-increasing reliance on IT, irrespective of your business size, you need to ensure that your IT infrastructure and network are up and running, secure, and productive. The article helps you in achieving this goal by selecting the most appropriate MSP monitoring tools, see how they can benefit your business, and keeping abreast of the evolving landscape in the MSP monitoring domain.

So, let’s start by grasping the true essence of MSP monitoring.

1Understanding MSP Monitoring

1What is MSP Monitoring?

MSP monitoring refers to the dynamic, real-time, and continuous monitoring and management of IT assets in multiple client environments. It monitors the health, security, and productivity of the IT assets, whether these are computers or IoT devices, to avoid downtimes and performance bottlenecks.

2What is MSP Network Monitoring?

Among many services provided by MSP monitoring, MSP network monitoring is at the core. This involves continuous, dynamic monitoring and management of the clients’ network. It involves proactively tracking and managing the performance, health, and security of network devices in multiple client environments and encompasses a range of jobs like patch deployment, update management, malware protection, and more.

MSPs use professional tools and software to comprehensively oversee different aspects of the network, including device status, bandwidth usage, network traffic, application performance, security threats, uptime and downtime, and alerts and notifications.

To understand it better, and how it works, let’s have a detailed look at the features of MSP monitoring tools.

2 Key Features of MSP Monitoring Tools

Here is an explanation of the key features of any MSP monitoring tool:

1 Real-Time Network Monitoring

These tools provide dynamic and continuous network monitoring and management. For example:

• Access the traffic patterns at given times.
• Check the bandwidth usage.
• Real-time device status monitoring to help point out malfunctions.
• Downtime, and uptime assessment to get rid of bottlenecks.

2 Automated Alerts and Reporting

MSP Network Monitoring services use triggers and alerts when an issue arises so that the IT team can take prompt action to resolve it and avoid business disruption. For example, customizable alerts can be generated in the wake of:

• Hardware failure
• Network connectivity issue
• Slowing down of network speed
• Malware threat
• Unauthorized access, and more.

Similarly, regular reports on important indicators like bandwidth usage, network performance, network speed, etc., are prepared and shared with the IT department either on demand or on a recurring basis.

3 Integration with Existing IT Infrastructure

Most MSP Network Monitoring solutions can be fully integrated with the existing IT setup of the client, like an asset management system.

4 Predictive Analysis

Using advanced vulnerability scanning techniques, MSP network monitoring can help indicate possible security threats. Similarly, continuous monitoring, real-time data, historical trends, and error logs, can be used to predict any potential network problems beforehand.

5 Remote Troubleshooting

Through continuous monitoring and remote access to IT assets, MSP Network Monitoring can help resolve issues without physically accessing the devices. For example, they can reset or reconfigure the devices or update apps.

6 Security and Compliance Management

Here are some of the examples of measures MSP Network Monitoring takes to ensure compliance with security standards:

• Monitoring security certificates to ensure encrypted communication channels don’t have loopholes.
• By helping point out unpatched or outdated apps and software, security risks are mitigated.
• MSP network monitoring can also help automate patch deployment or updates management to prevent security risks.

3 3 Top Best Monitoring Software and Tools for MSPs

Now that you know how useful MSP monitoring can be for your business, let’s have a look at some of the top monitoring tools in the market to help you choose the most appropriate one:

1 AirDroid Business

2Domotz

3N-Able N-Central

4 How to Choose the Right Tool

Ready to start your hunt for a network monitoring tool but not sure what to look for in a particular tool? Here is a guide on what matters the most when selecting a network monitoring tool for a business.

1 A Unified Dashboard

Go for a tool that has an intuitive, easy-to-use central dashboard that has good visibility of your IT assets, allowing you to diagnose issues and take actions promptly.

2 Customizable Alerts

Your selected tool must have the feature of customizable alerts so that your IT team stays in the know whenever something worth noticing takes place. For example, you can get alerts for traffic surges, a server breakdown, a hardware failure, and more.

3 Automated Workflows

This should be one of the most sought-after features in any network monitoring tool for MSPs. This is something AirDroid Business is offering at its best. You get to customize your workflows according to client’s needs. You can pre-set actions in response to certain triggers to avoid delays and downtime due to any issue.

4 Integration with Existing Tools

Choose a monitoring tool that can easily integrate with the company's existing tools. This helps avoid manual work and allows seamless sharing of data between systems.

5 What Challenges Do MSPs Face on Monitoring Management?

While network monitoring for MSPs is a blessing in the form of enhanced security, streamlined management, and reduced costs, it also comes with some challenges. Here are some of the most common ones:

1 Dealing with Constant Cyber Threats

According to Kaspersky, there has been a 14% increase in the number of malicious cyber attacks in 2024 as compared to those in 2023. This increasingly vulnerable cybersecurity landscape is a challenge for the network monitoring tools. They have to adopt stringent measures and dynamic monitoring tools to ensure network security while their own systems may also be prone to threats without continuous security measures.

2 Complex IT Infrastructure

Network monitoring tools today need to be capable of encompassing a varied IT landscape. The hardware, software, and networks are of varied kinds. Moreover, the cloud-based and hybrid systems pose another challenge as the network monitoring tools need to deploy advanced tools to manage all of these varying types of IT assets.

3 Scalability Requirements

As the IT infrastructure of the clients keeps growing, with all different sorts of devices. One of the major requirements for the monitoring tools is to offer scalability for the client with growing needs.

6 Benefits of Using MSP Monitoring Solutions

1 Cost Reduction

MSP monitoring software helps save big time by reducing a number of costs:

• They reduce the cost of hiring a team of analysts, cyber security experts, and other IT professionals by providing all sorts of services through a single unified dashboard.
• By proactively monitoring the IT infrastructure and networks, these tools not only predict but also promptly and remotely resolve the issues before they worsen, hence saving maintenance costs.

2 Operational Efficiency

These tools help streamline operations by continuous monitoring, detecting issues, generating automated responses in the wake of an issue, and above all, providing enhanced visibility of all the IT infrastructure along with the status of devices for easy monitoring and managing.

3 Improved Client Service Delivery

Monitoring tools help improve customer satisfaction by resolving issues even before they come into the notice of the client. They streamline processes and help their clients stay in the know of real-time performance and security status of their assets.

4 Security Compliance

These tools, by using advanced security measures, ensure that the client’s system complies with established security standards.

5 Integrating MSP Monitoring with AirDroid Business

An MDM solution like AirDroid Business can be combined with MSP's monitoring services to ensure data consistency, accuracy, and availability. MSPs help enterprises maintain and optimize their network infrastructure through monitoring services, while MDM ensures that the data flowing in these networks is accurate and trustworthy.

6 How AirDroid Business Supports MSPs

Here is how AirDroid Business can help enhance the efficiency of MSP monitoring and provide a comprehensive solution:

• Receive timely alerts in the wake of unusual activity and abnormal events.
• With automated workflows, resolve issues immediately.
• Get continuous monitoring of network status, traffic, data usage, and other health indicators like battery temperature.
• Quick issue identification with alerts and immediate resolution helps enhance security and reduce downtime.

7 Customer Reviews

"Best in class MDM"

It is one MDM that lets manage devices without headaches. We can check devices in real time under one roof and from any location of choice. Airdroid is much needed addition in IT world of mobile device management because of the variety of management tools it offers. Not only simplistic to deploy, but everything an admin requires, it has.

"Invaluable Enterprise Level Mobile Device Management by Airdroid"

Following the interface was easy and implementation took not much. It is laid out perfectly in a browser log-in, accessing any device from any location worldwide, helps me take control of device offices even during traveling.