Which MSP would you guy's reccomend?

[I-Netcs]

We are considering changing to a MSP platform. There are many options I think they all have their strengths and weaknesses.

I'm persoanlly partial to Kaseya. I have ben considering partnering with www.CloudServicesDepot.com basically they can provide Tier 1 remote support for what i think isn't a bad price. Does anyone have any other providers beside CSD?

I'm a control freak as many Sys Admins are, so i have a problem giving someone else access to cleints and systems.

Anyone else's views and experiences would be much appreciated.

[pyro77]

After 3 phone calls to Kaseya and multiple emails which went unanswered, we went with Level Platforms. Nice people and super support so far!

[bkendall]

Dealing with the people at Kaseya was one of the worst experiences I have had. I don't know if I just had a bad salesperson assigned to me but they would constantly badger us. Even after we told them we were not interested (Kaseya is ridiculously over-priced) they would still call us and try to pressure us into purchasing their software. They were even threatening the company that we ended up purchasing our MSP software from with lawsuits.

Brad Kendall
www.bradkendall.ca
bkendall@ccrtech.ca

[I-Netcs]

I hate the high presssure sales. They all give the free 30-60 trail, but it takes atleast that long to really learn and utilize the tools.

I persoanlly object to the large upfront investment they are all looking for. I'm tempted to wait until they change their business model to a pay as you go. Kind of like the remote software (ie logmein etc.). Most of these solutions want you to buy 50, 100 or more licenses. None will sell me 10 - 20 as a starter to see if there is any interest on the part of my clients.

I've got a trial of Kaseya going, so far I'm not too impressed. I had tried n-able once before and i think that was a little more user friendly. I saw a video demo of labtech seems pretty nice.

Has anyone tried GFI's solutions? It used to be hound dog, but GFI supposedly revamed the whole thing.

[wtbservices]

We just switched to GFI from Zenith. We didn't use the help desk stuff from Zenith so we didn't miss it going to GFI.

What I can say about GFI is that they are very responsive to feature requests. In the past few months I have seen several cases where people will ask in the forum for a feature and it is available within a couple of weeks. Same with support, you never have trouble getting in touch with someone who has an answer.

Feature wise I think it is very close to Zenith but the layout and logic behind it is much better and far more usable than Zenith is. For the server side of things the price is about the same as Zenith but the workstation fees are much cheaper.

GFI recently bought out Sunbelt so I asked if there was a possibility of bundling Vipre with GFI Max. One of the reps emailed me off list and told me that it was coming in the near future. They want to be able to install, remove, schedule scans, update and manage the anti-virus on workstations right from the dashboard. He also told me they want to cap all workstation fees at $1 per month. It's hard to beat an RMM, TeamViewer, anti-virus, and reporting that costs $1 a month.

[bkendall]

We use both Labtech and GFI. I tend to be leaning to GFI more and more everyday. I like the simplicity of GFI and the fact that is a hosted service. I tend to avoid any company that uses high pressure sales tactics.

I agree with I-Netcs about the upfront investment. When I implement a new solution, be it network monitoring, backup or whatever I should be making money right away, not waiting for a certain number of users to become profitable.

Brad Kendall
www.bradkendall.ca
bkendall@ccrtech.ca

[MachTen]

Do you feel like you can get the same functionality out of GFI that you can Labtech? We are presently evaluating GFI and so far it certainly does do what it can rather well. Seems like there are not as many features. It looks like a lot of scripting would have to be written since the community script sources seem rather limited.


The new Teamview integration appears to work well.

[natrat]

GFI is good and incredibly cheap. I am having some trouble getting a fix in for a feature i thought would already be there though, its been with support for a month now and they still haven't come back.

In SBS2008 the POP3 Connector event log entries are in their own log (SBS operational or similar) and you can't choose this event log in order to receive alerts based on particular errors in that log, which i need for a particular client. They are writing me a custom script to get around this missing feature.

what i partuclarly like about it is workstation monitoring costs 60 cents a month (including team viewer remote support integration) which is a great basis for SOHO/Home Monitoring Packages.

nathan

[I-Netcs]

Right now i'm using GFI in 30 day Demo, there is a learning curve, so i may not be fully proficent in it yet. Some of the remote management tools aren't mature yet.

Yes we can do patch managment with it, but unauthorized apps can't be removed, and some maintenance tasks can't be automated like other patforms, or am i missing it? (ie defrag, scan disk's etc.)

[MachTen]

You can do that with GFI.

Here is a link on how to setup automates tasks:

https://www.hound-dog.us/dashboard/help/default.php?key=agent_checkhelp_automated_tasks

Simple really but it has only three tasks to choose from right now.

Like I said, it does what it does well but it's rather limited in it's scope.

I just watched a few videos on LabTech software and that software seems like it can do just about anything.

Problem is:
#1 Cost
#2 Deployment. Need a server to run the software. Though they now offer hosted service in the US but if you have less than 100 nodes you get hit with a $100/month idle server fee after three months of deployment. This is really a deal breaker for us or I would jump on this especially with the CommitCRM integration.

[MachTen]

GFI doesn't give you the ability to get hands on a machine without interrupting the end user. Anti-virus integration is practically nil at this point.

I think over time GFI will mature into a very nice product but it just seems like things are missing right now that other packages have. I am sure a lot of this could be managed via scripting - I wish I had the time to sit around all day writing scripts but I don't. :(

Printers are not discovered yet with the software.

Looks like network devices are not discovered and would have to manually be added some how.

[bkendall]

We host our Labtech server with infinitely virtual http://www.infinitelyvirtual.com for ~$12.00 / month. We also host CommitCRM on the same server.

Brad Kendall
www.bradkendall.ca
bkendall@ccrtech.ca

[MachTen]

bkendall,

Why are you now leaning towards GFI over labtech? Do you feel like you can achieve the same level of service for your customers with GFI over labtech?

[I-Netcs]

bkendall, Mach is right forst you swore by Labtech, and now you seem to be leaning towrd GFI.

From what i see, GFI is a good starting point to get your feet wet moving into an affordable MSP model. But once you have enough clients on board you can move over to something more robust.

It appears to be a nice stepping stone.

[bkendall]

I am starting to use GFI more and more because it is easier to use. It is easier to access, easier to setup, easier to train technicians, and the reporting is easy and hassle free.

I know Labtech does 10x what GFI does, but I have found using Labtech for 2 years that I only use 1/10th of the features. The 1/10th that GFI does do, it does very well. I know I can give my clients better service. It is the "less is more" mentality.

Brad Kendall
www.bradkendall.ca
bkendall@ccrtech.ca

[mcjack]

Thank you for sharing your experience bkendall. I couldn't decide which one to go for until I read your comments. I havent' used either of them but as you said GFI is easier to use and does good job, less is more, I will start my trial from today.

[MachTen]

We have pretty much decided on GFI after a personalized demo provided by the GFI staff. They were very helpful and answered lots of questions for us.

Their road map into the middle of next year looks like it will hit all the important things we are looking for...

They also seem to have GFI and CommitCRM working together - Maybe it's not them but someone does. At least in a limited fashion which is fine for us at this point.

[I-Netcs]

Thanks bkendall...........i dind't mean to call you out, forgive me if it came across wrong. I guess i'm just a cynical NY'er. sorry pal.

[raycollazo]

That is the first time I have heard something positive about GFI. Also the pricing of GFI is MUCH higher than LabTech. We tried GFI and found that it was lacking in alot of areas. Also, since Labtech came out with the HTTPS connectivity, connecting to and performing any task is faster than any web based product out there. I can log in, launch a script, view a log file and run a report in less than a minute.
With a web app, this would take at least 5 times longer. Yes you have to have the client on the machine, but you can also take it with you on a USB and launch it from any windows machine.
In short I would much rather pay less and get way more than pay more to get much less. Its like buying a car thats Fully loaded for less than what the base model costs.

Lets face it, most people use CommitCRM because it costs much less than Autotask or Connectwise. We are all looking for value and lower cost options. Labtech is the best bang for the buck, plus no minimums, and you can buy 1 license at a time later if you wish.

[MachTen]

@raycollazo

More expensive? Perhaps in the long run, but with labtech you need to either own your own hardware or get someone to host it. Also the per unit cost for workstations is much lower with GFI at least on what we were quoted. Servers work out to be more (twice as much?) over the long haul. 0 upfront costs with GFI vs. labtech.

Don't get me wrong labtech software seems like a winner with features.

[bkendall]

@MachTen - No problem, glad to help. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any more questions.

@I-Netcs - I like cynicism, it helps me think clearer. There is nothing wrong with a debate!

As far as the cost of GFI vs Labtech, this is more of a SaaS vs on-premise software argument. GFI is a lot cheaper to get up and running, but in the long run it MAY cost you more. Labtech requires an upfront investment (albeit a lot smaller than Kaseya!).

For me, I like a low upfront investment. It allows you to try out a service without paying too much. Make it a lot easier to pull the plug if it isn't working for you or your clients.

Brad Kendall
www.bradkendall.ca
bkendall@ccrtech.ca

[raycollazo]

@Machten Hmm..where are you running yourCommitCRM? Are you a 1 man show? Just asking because you can run Labtech on the same machine asCommitCRM. It can be a Workstation even. Also, yes I am assuming you are going to be managing Servers for your customers. If you are going to monitor mostly Workstations then GFI may have a lower startup cost. But always in the end in my opinion Labtech will end up costing you less. You can get a hosted Virtual machine pretty cheap too if you do not have your own.

[bkendall]

I wrote a blog post comparing Labtech and GFI Max if anybody is interested: http://bradkendall.ca/?p=321


Brad Kendall
www.bradkendall.ca
bkendall@ccrtech.ca

[natrat]

Nice one, good info.

[danrcf]

How about shockeymonkey its free.

[jim@dsolutionsgroup.com]

Here is a link to a quick video demo of GFI Max (Hounddog) linked with CommitCRM account and being accessed in real-time on iPhone via our Interlink iPhone web app.

Watch Video (http://vimeo.com/17908082)

[bkendall]

Great stuff Jim! I would love more information on your Interlink app.


Brad Kendall
www.bradkendall.ca
bkendall@ccrtech.ca

[jim@dsolutionsgroup.com]

Thanks Brad, you can get additional information at www.dsgdevstudio.com (http://www.dsgdevstudio.com/webapps/interlink-for-commitcrm/) or send an email with any questions to jim@dsolutionsgroup.com.

Jim Watt
Dynamic Solutions Group (http://www.dsolutionsgroup.com)

[networkconcepts]

We have been with LPI since 2005, they are good guys and we are able to license customer sites for a good markup, unfortunately now you need to get to 25 sites for a price break. Sean and Rob Rae assist partners to help build up business and they are a great asset especially during the Road Show you can go talk with them as they travel. Level Platforms was much better than all of the other MSP software providers we tried over the years. I will admit we have not shopped this out in a while, but I can guarantee you will not lose money going with Level Platforms and you will learn a few things from these guys, also the integration with CommitCRM is easy.

[bkendall]

I have heard a lot of good things about MW2011 as of late and I actually have a demo arranged for Friday! It is nice to have so many options, isn't it?

Brad Kendall
www.bradkendall.ca
brad@bradkendall.ca

[mcjack]

Will wait for your review Brad. I love reading your blogs and reviews. Thank you for sharing.

[Aveyotech]

We are about to take the plunge on an MSP platform. We are looking at LabTech & GFI but have just ran across Microsoft InTune. Has anyone tried InTune? Any input? I doubt it is as robust as LabTech or as easy as GFI.

[aaspeer]

We beta tested InTune and although it includes anti-virus, it does not work with servers which is a major flaw. They are trying to hit small business with it, but they still want their large enterprise business on SCCM.

[Aveyotech]

I recently came across another VAR that is using ScriptLogic's Desktop Authority.

http://www.scriptlogic.com/

Anyone have any experience or opinions on this product for MSP use?

[DynamicIT]

We use a web-based product called Naverisk. www.naverisk.com

It's commercial launch was only two years ago (we started using it in beta), so it it a little young still, but the updates are frequent and the price point is brilliant IMHO. We started using their Cloud offering, but switched to an on-site install to trim costs, but since expanding we have put it on a VPS with better bandwidth than out DSL connection.

We have just switched from monthly usage-based billing to annual billing, saving a decent percentage again (but giving us a larger block of licenses - for substantially less money - how could I say no?!).

The company is partner-focussed enough that on more than one occasion, one of the developers has actually phoned me for more information on an issue I have reported. Astonishing!

I've heard a whisper that CommitCRM might be the next product on their list for integration.

[hayden]

Who uses N-Able?

I am a big fan, as it is very powerful. But it also comes at a great cost. Are there any suggestions of something similar? We don't need build in functionality toCommitCRM. We don't use it currently with N-Able.