ConnectWise RMM to gain network and SaaS management functionality

ConnectWise has announced three major additions to its RMM platform during its annual IT Nation Connect event in Orlando. These three additions include network monitoring and management, SaaS management, and expanded mobile device management via Microsoft’s Intune application.

The company says its aim with these updates is to transform the traditional remorse monitoring and management solution into a “unified monitoring and management” (UMM) platform that offers integrated, automated support for everything from conventional endpoints to mobile devices, IoT hardware, virtualised resources, cloud infrastructure, SaaS applications, and networking gear.

“We do aspects of endpoints and we do aspects of applications [today], but what I want to be able to do is the full stack,” said Ameer Karim, executive VP and the general manager of UMM at ConnectWise. “Our vision is to be that single source of truth.”

This announcement comes hot on the heels of announcements from their competitors, Kaseya and N-able. The former announced plans to add similar features to their RMM offering early in June while the latter launched a Saas management solution in August and teased a cloud infrastructure management solution in October.

ConnectWise says that the network management system, which is set to roll out to users in January, will be based on technology from an unspecified third-party vendor that’s been linked at a source code level with ConnectWise’s own programming.

“It’s not like you’re going to have to use somebody else’s tool. You’ll be using [ConnectWise] RMM to manage your networks. You’ll see your firewalls, your routers, your switches, your network topology. You’ll discover it out of the box, everything, and you’re not paying any extra for it. It’s part of the package,” Karim said.

Regarding the SaaS management tool, the company is still unsure of which way to go. Available options include building from scratch, buying, or collaborating with an existing vendor.