Managed Service Providers believe most RMM systems end up being 'shelfware'

• Almost half (47%) of MSPs state that it takes over one month to be fully up and running with their Remote Monitoring and Management software. 45% of IT Support  companies and MSPs state the initial investment in RMM software is too high and 42% say the ROI never meets their expectations.
• 53% state they pay for areas of the system they dont use.
• Ultimately, only 4% actually use the whole RMM system. In fact, 56% say they only use half the available functions of the software.

GFI Software has announced the findings from industry research on Remote Monitoring & Management (RMM) software for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Value Added
Resellers (VARs) and IT support organizations. According to the results, almost half of MSPs said they find it difficult to implement Remote Monitoring & Management systems and never end up using large parts of the system due to complexity. Nearly half of IT support companies and MSPs said the initial investment in RMM software is too high and
42% said the return on investment (ROI) never meets their expectations.

The global industry research survey on RMM software was conducted online by GFI MAX during June 2009. The survey interviewed over 200 IT Support Companies and Managed Service providers about their satisfaction with the installation and running of RMM software, the necessary training, the pricing models and return on investment.

The most valued features of RMM, according to respondents, are Server Monitoring, LAN & Windows Monitoring, Patch Management and Remote Support. Moreover, the top reasons for using RMM are to offer a faster fix response time and to offer preventative maintenance.

The survey found that almost half (47%) of respondents state it took one month or longer (from the time of purchasing Remote Monitoring & Management Software) to be fully up and running. Moreover, one fifth of respondents (20%) say it takes 6 months or longer to be fully set-up and running.

When it comes to training technicians, 41% say it takes longer than one month to fully train technicians about the system with some 15% stating it takes longer than 6 months.

Over half (56%) of respondents admit their staff dont have time to learn the whole RMM system. And, of those who do try to learn the full system, 40% of IT Support Managers think their technical teams get too buried in the detail of RMM tool deployment and lose focus on customers.

Doug Wilson, General Manager of GFI MAX said, The survey revealed dissatisfaction with many RMM systems, particularly in the areas of the time-consuming training and complex set-up needed. As I move around meeting with MSPs, one big area of concern is that big, bloated systems actually get in the way of the MSP delivering value to their customers. It has reinforced my view that bloatware equals shelfware, especially in RMM systems. I think that if a system cant be up and running in 10 minutes or less, the odds of it becoming adopted as a day-to-day productivity tool for the MSP is very low. Thats why were continuing to focus on easier, less complex real-time systems monitoring, remote support, asset tracking, and own brand client reporting tools which can be easily implemented and adopted and have a high chance of becoming productive tools for the MSP.

The full survey report is available for download at http://www.gfi.com/documents/max_survey.pdf.