SolarWinds MSP and Microsoft are integrating their various monitoring technologies to simplify life for managed IT services providers (MSPs). The RMM (remote monitoring and management) integration news surfaces during the Microsoft Inspire 2020 virtual partner conference.
Key developments from the partnership will include:
- Microsoft 365 capabilities will surface in SolarWinds N-central and RMM, two platforms that thousands of MSPs use to remotely manage and monitor customer systems.
- Specifically, the SolarWinds dashboards will provide a single view of devices managed by Microsoft Intune, a cloud-based management platform.
- Also, MSPs will also be able to receive notifications and alerts for all devices and pass those alerts to their professional service automation (PSA) solution, the companies say.
The bottom line: MSPs that deploy subscription plans such as Microsoft 365 Business Premium will be able to discover devices managed by Intune and monitor those devices from within the N-central or RMM dashboards, the two firms assert.
Those capabilities are expected to debut "later this year," though an exact 2020 rollout date was not disclosed. Also, SolarWinds MSP did not mention which PSA platforms will be supported, though it's a reasonably safe bet the integrations will span at least ConnectWise Manage and Datto Autotask PSA.
Solarwinds MSP and Microsoft 365, Intune: Integration Perspectives
In a prepared statement about the Microsoft relationship, SolarWinds MSP Group VP of Products Mav Turner said:
“Nearly 90% of the workstations our partners manage run Microsoft operating software, and Microsoft 365 is the productivity suite most of them use. The ability to monitor and service devices that are managed under Microsoft Intune from right within the N-central or RMM main dashboard will be a huge productivity boost, and enable our partners to offer more comprehensive service and protection for the myriad of devices they manage."
Added Nathalie Irvine, general manager, Microsoft 365.
“In these challenging times, small and medium-size businesses need, more than ever, to empower all their employees to work from anywhere and on any device in a secure way. Microsoft 365 integrates Office productivity apps and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams with advanced security and device management capabilities. We collaborated with SolarWinds, a leader in the MSP software space, to make it simpler for managed services providers to secure data and devices using the security and management services in Microsoft 365."
Microsoft Warms Up to MSPs
Microsoft was somewhat late to the MSP channel, but over the past few years the company has aggressively embraced partners that truly understand recurring revenues that extend far beyond SaaS applications.
For instance, Microsoft Intune dropped "Windows" from the Intune name, and expanded the SaaS tool to support third-party operating systems such as Apple iOS, macOS and Android devices.
Also, the technology giant built the Microsoft Azure Expert MSP partner program, which recognizes partners that truly know how to build, manage and monetize PaaS and IaaS services for customers.
Check the Top 200 Public Cloud MSPs list, and you'll find dozens of Microsoft partners recognized.
Track all Microsoft Inspire 2020 virtual partner conference news here.
