TrustRadius Insights
Remote Tasks Feature: Users have found the remote tasks feature to be extremely beneficial, with many reviewers stating that it has saved …
Overview
What is N-able N-central?
MSPs and IT professionals use N-able™ N-central® to monitor and manage devices and complex networks remotely. N-central provides visibility and efficiency as the user's needs scale. N-central can help users: 1. Proactively monitor everything on a customer network—not just servers and workstations—and troubleshoot. 2. Stay…
Recent Reviews
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What is N-able N-central?
MSPs and IT professionals use N-able™ N-central® to monitor and manage devices and complex networks remotely. N-central provides visibility and efficiency as the user's needs scale. N-central can help users: 1. Proactively monitor everything on a customer network—not just servers and…
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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What is ManageEngine RMM Central?
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Product Details
- About
- Competitors
- Tech Details
- FAQs
What is N-able N-central?
MSPs
and IT professionals use N-able™ N-central® to monitor and manage devices and complex
networks remotely. N-central provides
visibility and efficiency as the user's needs scale. N-central can help users:
1. Proactively monitor everything on a customer network—not just servers
and workstations—and troubleshoot.
2. Stay on top of threats with features like MFA, antivirus, integrated endpoint
detection and response, data backup, disk encryption, email protection, and
password management .
3. Automate routine tasks using rules and filters to customize policies by customer, site, or device type to gain precision and control.
N-able N-central Features
Monitoring Tasks Features
- Supported: Remote monitoring
- Supported: Network device monitoring
Management Tasks Features
- Supported: Patch Management
Additional Features
- Supported: Remote Monitoring & Management
- Supported: Endpoint Detection & Response
- Supported: Network Topology Mapping
- Supported: Mobile Device Management
- Supported: Remote Access
- Supported: Automation Manager
N-able N-central Screenshots
N-able N-central Video
SolarWinds N-central: One Powerful IT Management Platform
N-able N-central Competitors
N-able N-central Technical Details
| Deployment Types | On-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Windows, Linux, Mac |
| Mobile Application | Apple iOS, Android |
Frequently Asked Questions
Datto SIRIS, ConnectWise Automate, and Kaseya Traverse are common alternatives for N-able N-central.
Reviewers rate Patch Management highest, with a score of 6.
The most common users of N-able N-central are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
Comparisons
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Reviews and Ratings
(84)
Community Insights
TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
- Pros
- Cons
- Recommendations
Remote Tasks Feature: Users have found the remote tasks feature to be extremely beneficial, with many reviewers stating that it has saved them time and provided convenience in managing multiple devices without physical interaction.
Remote Support Functionality: The remote support functionality of the product has received high praise from users, who appreciate its efficiency in troubleshooting and resolving issues without the need for physical presence. Many reviewers have specifically mentioned how easy it is to remotely control user devices and initiate remote sessions.
Management Capabilities: The management capabilities of SolarWinds N-central, especially in terms of patch management and anti-virus management, are considered top-notch by users. Automatic approval and deployment of patches, as well as scheduling automatic antivirus scans, streamline the process and ensure device security without manual intervention.
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Poor Customer Support: Users have expressed dissatisfaction with the customer support provided by N-central, stating that the support team often gives scripted or copy-paste responses, leading to a lengthy process of back and forth before finding a real solution. Several users have mentioned that it can take more than a week for their support issues to be resolved.
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Lack of Granular Security: Some users have mentioned the lack of granular security in N-central, where users are assigned roles and everything under that role becomes accessible. This may not be ideal for all technicians who require more specific access controls.
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Prioritization of Sales over Customer Satisfaction: There are concerns among users regarding Solarwinds N-able's prioritization of sales over customer satisfaction. Many users have experienced difficulties in receiving timely responses to their support issues or concerns, while the sales team appears to be relentless in meeting its quotas.
Users commonly recommend the following for N-Central:
- Give it a try, especially with the free demos and trial period.
- Take advantage of on-boarding sessions to fully understand and set up the product.
- Spend time setting up and learning N-Central to fully experience its benefits.
- Make sure to thoroughly research and understand the options and features before implementing.
- Consider getting a trial to experience the capabilities of N-Central.
- Plan implementation and start with basic features before fully committing.
- Utilize global settings for easier use across customers.
- Build graphic charts to monitor and track performance.
- Dedicate a staff member to champion N-Central for maximum benefit.
- Review the product and talk to an MSP using N-Central before switching RMMs.
These recommendations highlight the importance of exploring N-Central through free trials, taking time to set it up properly, understanding its features, utilizing resources available, planning implementation, and seeking feedback from other users.
Attribute Ratings
Reviews
(1-4 of 4)Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
March 30, 2023
N-Able? More like Dis-Able
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Ideally, we wanted to utilize N-able N-central's tools to provide RMM and remote access for client systems. We sought out an application that had privileged access available (PassPortal) that also let us script solutions. The $99 price was enticing, so we gave it a shot.
- A tad easier to setup than DIY solutions
- Easier to manage many customers than a few other options out there
- Relatively inexpensive if options are disabled
- Customer support just points to online guides and I feel they aren't helpful.
- During the trial they turn on a lot of features. In my experience, if you play around with the features, they charge you for them. Keep this in mind if you move forward with N-Able - they will charge for "trialed" services.
- In my experience, some services that you're being charged for can't be disabled or monitored by you or your team. You only see them on the monthly invoice.
- In my opinion, the "Scripting Automation" doesn't provide value. You're either going to be writing your own batch or Powershell to make scripting work.
- In my opinion, monitoring software deployments is painful.
- The default monitoring template can't be duplicated, edited, or referenced. You'll find that the default monitors in an unusual way and will throw needless recurring alerts into your ticketing system. To avoid this, you need to create a template from scratch which takes many hours to set up.
- In my opinion, they're more concerned about a quick buck than customer service. "Buyer beware" company.
- I don't think they follow through on the features that my team was looking for
- We sought out good software deployment management, patch management, and easy to understand billing
- The patch management isn't bad but they don't hit the mark on the other two
15%
1.5
60%
6.0
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- Negative ROI
- Limited RMM functionality and time consuming to dial-in
- In my experience, we were overcharged by N-Able with no useful mechanism to resolve
- NinjaOne, BeyondTrust Remote Support, GoTo Resolve, TeamViewer, ManageEngine Endpoint Central, Datto RMM, Dragon RMM (ITarian / Comodo ONE), Microsoft Intune and Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM)
I selected N-able N-central as I liked the idea of easy-to-work with pricing that integrates with other PSAs (specifically ConnectWise PSA aka Connectwise Manage). I did not succeed with that. I'd use any of the other tools instead. The integration is problematic as the default checks will automatically turn on alerts that you may not want. If you delete them, it will recreate them (adding chatter into your PSA ticketing system). Software deployments are harder for this system than any other one I've ever worked with.
I did not purchase premium support. I generally don't need help with tools like this. Billing issues shouldn't require premium support though and I don't believe my issues would have been resolved by using a premium channel.
No
- Default template works for some servers without too much effort
- If you sell a client AV, backup, etc and want to use the N-Able tools then it's not hard to add those tools
- Monitoring software deployments or receiving info about deployment issues
- In my opinion, the built-in scripts are useless. You'll need to build them yourselves in PS and batch. Remember to setup verbose logging and repository to review the logs.
- You'll need to create a lot of your own templates based on use-case, sizing, etc
- If you use something other than N-Ables tools for AV, backup, etc then you'll have a hard time with monitoring, alerting through N-Able
Yes
The interface for mobile is very limited, basic "green light, red light" status. You don't have the ability to do anything useful via mobile besides restarting a server (which I would not recommend doing as the first troubleshooting step).
November 19, 2019
N-central Review
We use it to manage our clients. Through N-central I can deploy patches remote into computer run remote fixes and even manage antiviruses. I can see the status of my client's devices at a glance and resolve the problems fairly quickly
- Patch management.
- Remote support.
- 3rd party application deployment is hindered by application size.
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- The fact that I don't need to drive out to help a client for the little things is worth its weight in gold!
I feel it's much more robust then Kaseya which is the only other RMM solution I have tried. I like the remote support and the fact that in N-central I can deploy patches at the click of a button.
10
Remote support for our clients
1
network administration
basic knowledge of vmware
- patch management
- remote support
- end point protection
- monitoring printers
- monitoring snmp devices for online time
- expand our client base
- use it for our phone system clients as a way to reach our systems
No
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Vendor Reputation
- Analyst Reports
The feature set specifically the ability to patch to patch a computer or server on demand without waiting for a maintenance window. This way i can get the patches outt he door quickly without forcing the user to leave their pc on all the time and it's transparent so until they shut down they dont know patches were pusshed
No! We tried other products they are no where near the quality
- Implemented in-house
No
- building the sql server for reporting the reports have specific requirements
No
I couldn't get my reports to run properly the rep kicked it over to the dev team and kept in touch until he got the solution to my issue.
- remote support
- patch on demand
- running scripts
- importing computers in a stand alone environment
- monitoring 3rd party av
Yes
It's best for checking connectivity of a server when a user calls
August 28, 2019
Good, scalable solution for MSP with some challenges
My organization leverages N-central for our centralized managed services hub. We leverage most components of it including automatic remediation, powershell automation, antivirus module and the basic security modules. We have found the software to overall be easy to deploy for the NOC, however, the backup module is a bit archaic and the remote agent for snot support multiple screens simulatanously which most other tempting solutions support but there is enough value in the suite that it is worth using.
- Very easy deployment, all of the modules play with each other making it simple to place AV, screen tempting and management agents all in one spot.
- Automation of powershell module is great and a feature that others in this space do not have
- Linux based appliance is great if you have security conscious.
- Very easy to brand and change the look and feel of the agents and console
- Very good multitenancy separation and ability to push policies to every tenant or selectively.
- Backup module is very archaic, does not support memory based backup or hypervisor based updates, very geared towards individual workstations
- Use within a VDI infrastructure is challenging for deployment of the agents
- Most of the AV policies that come from defender are limited to working on workstation OS and not on servers.
- Reports have a weak look and feel to them and could use some data modernization, this is a place where others in this space have a huge edge over N-Able
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- This software has helped enable our NOC agents after coming from a competing solution
Overall, for the Average MSP, none of the RMM solutions is going to be perfect, they will all have their strengths and weaknesses and N-Able is no exception. It is a great solution if you are looking for something that is not super cryptic to use and want something relatively easy to update and manage. The real challenges here will be the need for a better backup product, the need in many cases for a separate solution to deliver network security such as a web proxy and the need to spend time writing some reports that are better than the provided canned reports.
6
The people within my organization that use this product aren’t part of out NOC and the support operations teams
2
In order to do proper support and maintenance of solar winds n-central, we need one in house specialist that is somewhat familiar with Linux as we use the virtual appliance. In addition to this, we have a technical specialist who creates policies and scripted automations who has experience with windows systems and PowerShell.
- Automation
- Remote access
- Application support
- Backups
- Leveraging PowerShell for automating workflows
- Providing delegated access to different groups within our org
- Network diagraming via the new network module
- Providing customers with the ability to see some parts of their support experience
No
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Vendor Reputation
- Existing Relationship with the Vendor
- Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
Having the ability to work with solar winds support and sales teams as part of on-boarding and later being provided with the ability to work directly with their engineering team to further capabilities was very helpful. The only issue that we had was relating to timelines with delivery of new features, there were a few features that our company needed in order to sign up for the product and we ended up having to start pulling back resources when these features were not delivered on time.
If we had to do it over again, we would have made sure to have written timelines for delivery of features prior to signing up. While the support and sales teams were great, the product simply was not 100% what we needed. I have a feeling that the product will continue to grow with the new product manager that was put in place, however, our timelines were too short to allow us to wait for the change.
- Implemented in-house
No
Change management was a small part of the implementation and was well-handled
The biggest lesson learned was to make sure to test every module. During testing, the initial features were very good, however, as we dove deeper into the system we found inconsistencies with the modules.
- Backups used considerable bandwidth
- File uploads were heavily limited in size
- Agent upgrades had a tendency to not work properly
No
During our on boarding, the sales and support teams were stellar. Solar winds was willing to work with us in order to try to get the product up to speed with the needs of our organization. The only issue we had is that these initial promises fell apart shortly after signing.
- Onboarding
- User management
- Workflow management
- Backups
- Automations with file uploads
- Agent upgrades
No
March 01, 2019
N-central deployment
We use N-central for a variety of end user/endpoint purposes. We monitor laptops, desktops, and servers. We deploy security patches with n-central. We monitor suspicious activities with n-central. We also utilize n-central for anti-virus. We group internal devices, customer-facing devices, as well as various portions of the infrastructure within the GUI interface.
- Endpoint monitoring.
- Deployment of security patching.
- Deployment of agents on new assets.
- Group policy integration.
- Initial setup/categorization of devices.
- Pricing per device.
- Holistic monitoring and AI of devices.
N/A
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- Positive impact on external device deployment.
- Scales well for customer devices.
- Allows SLA-based device management.
All three systems integrate with Connectwise Manage. All systems have integration to active directory. Automation does configuration deployment better. Ninja is a SaaS, N-central is a Saas, whereas Automate is on-premise. Automate is more scalable. Pricing and seat deployment is complicated on all three platforms. I would recommend that any organizations that are considering deployment test all three for the best fit.
- Addition of devices to the org
- GUI/web interface
- AD integration
- Agent deployment with auto discover
- Remote access
- Parsing
Yes, but I don't use it