Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?
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@JaredBusch said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
@guyinpv said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
@scottalanmiller said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
That's a bit tough because different engagements will need different tools. A traditional MSP uses an RMM. But other kids of work normally do not.
Of course, but think of it as very informal. I'd rather get notified that the USB drive is out of space, then to find out months later it's not been doing backups for months.
That's kind of a bad example since our backup program itself can email reports, but you get the idea.I'm just trying to do two things. 1) "know stuff" before someone calls me to report disasters. And 2) make it easier to work on the issue.
They are requesting a way to submit tickets.The remote access and management of passwords is a bit tricky. And computer "maintenance" apps are really sketchy.
Atera for $79/month billed annually.
https://www.atera.com/pricingI've heard of that one, and Comodo, almost had that one set up for testing some time ago.
I would just pass the costs along. If they want some kind of remote management and monitoring tools, it would cost $x a month plus some extra for the time it takes me to constantly have to read the reports and notices. I bet they would say no to that.
And that means, really the only tool that would be the most helpful is easy remote access. If I can remote in on a regular basis to do updates and clean things, as long as I can reconnect after restarts and such, be able to log the user in, etc, then I'm good with that.
Of all the tools I've tested, TeamViewer has been the most solid.
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@guyinpv said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
Of all the tools I've tested, TeamViewer has been the most solid.
Of all of the tools that I would recommend for remote management, TeamViewer would not be one of them. It used to be, until it hit the news.
https://arstechnica.com/security/2016/06/teamviewer-says-theres-no-evidence-of-2fa-bypass-in-mass-account-hack/
https://arstechnica.com/security/2016/06/teamviewer-users-are-being-hacked-in-bulk-and-we-still-dont-know-how/ -
@guyinpv you are really good at ignoring advice and doing things the hard way. Have fun with things.
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ScreenConnect has been a great tool for us.
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@scottalanmiller said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
ScreenConnect has been a great tool for us.
I use it also, but it would not fit his needs. Atera would. It is not the best RMM, but it gives him everything in a single window. Ticketing, remote access, alerts, patching.
You really cannot beat it for the price for a small setup.
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RMM type tools do sound like what I'm looking for. It's just silly because doing MSP stuff is not what I'm trying to go in business for, I just want a way to help out my company for however many months I hang on to them.
I guess in my mind I thought I could just install some "cleaner" tools to keep the systems maintained. Install a little system monitor to send me email reports about various stats, and then a decent remote control app so I can hop in as needed.
It's almost like, all or nothing regarding this type of software, no middle ground.
Well sort of, I do need to give Comodo a test.
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@guyinpv said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
RMM type tools do sound like what I'm looking for. It's just silly because doing MSP stuff is not what I'm trying to go in business for, I just want a way to help out my company for however many months I hang on to them.
I guess in my mind I thought I could just install some "cleaner" tools to keep the systems maintained. Install a little system monitor to send me email reports about various stats, and then a decent remote control app so I can hop in as needed.
It's almost like, all or nothing regarding this type of software, no middle ground.
Well sort of, I do need to give Comodo a test.
Kind of hard to imagine what a middle ground would be. If an app could do what you mention, you'd want it as an RMM tool. If it can't work as an RMM tool, it won't do enough for your needs. What you are doing with the one company here is acting as a traditional MSP and need a traditional MSP tool. You are doing "MSP Lite" but... not lite enough to make you not need a tool.
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@scottalanmiller said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
@guyinpv said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
RMM type tools do sound like what I'm looking for. It's just silly because doing MSP stuff is not what I'm trying to go in business for, I just want a way to help out my company for however many months I hang on to them.
I guess in my mind I thought I could just install some "cleaner" tools to keep the systems maintained. Install a little system monitor to send me email reports about various stats, and then a decent remote control app so I can hop in as needed.
It's almost like, all or nothing regarding this type of software, no middle ground.
Well sort of, I do need to give Comodo a test.
Kind of hard to imagine what a middle ground would be. If an app could do what you mention, you'd want it as an RMM tool. If it can't work as an RMM tool, it won't do enough for your needs. What you are doing with the one company here is acting as a traditional MSP and need a traditional MSP tool. You are doing "MSP Lite" but... not lite enough to make you not need a tool.
Sounds about right.
At worst if I just keep my remote log in options open and access to accounts/passwords, that should get me there, even if it means I have to bill more time.
I know about the TeamViewer issue, it even happened to me. I opened up the computer and there was a dialog box about the session being over. I couldn't find that anything had happened, everything was exactly as I had it, open programs, same window positions, no additional URLs in browser history, same email open etc.
I also use Remote Utilities but it's not as robust as TV. For example, RU will fail to connect or say the computer is offline, so I open TV instead and it gets right in.
I like RU, it has some cool abilities, but it keeps failing to connect for no reason I can find. -
Just setup a VPN and be done with it. You said you are only doing this for one client and you don't know how long they will let you hang on.
How many hours will it take for you to setup these tools?
What will the cost be?
Who will maintain them after you are gone?
Will you really be saving them hours considering the amount of effort for a short term goal?
Why do you need RU or TV? Is VPN not sufficient? -
Good advice... keep it simple probably applies here.
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If they are going to be your only client like this, I would just do the VPN thing. The fixed costs and overhead of some of the other tools are not going to be worth it.
