ConnectWise Automate for MSP Management is an Excellent tool

I use Connectwise Automate for most of my normal Job functions. We use ESET endpoint protection, and ConnectWise Automate handles the version updates for us. When a new version comes out, I just have to modify my custom settings to include the current version number, and it updates the entire fleet of machines. Additionally, I have used ConnectWise Automate for: Setting up Security evaluations, Setting unique local administrator accounts for 2,000 machines, removing unwanted software from all machines in the fleet, and others.

Patch Management works well, but the interface and deployment are clunky and have a steep learning curve. Once mastered, it handles patching very well, but navigation is not the easiest. Further, it comes with some decent canned reports, but generating custom reports is not well documented and very difficult. It used to be done using Crystal reports, and if you knew the database, you could generate very nice reports, but it has since moved to a custom report builder, and the nesting/grouping does not work well

The primary reason for this rating is that ConnectWise Automate is currently so integral to our operations that moving away would involve more man hours than we would realistically have to invest.

However, ConnectWise Automate is also completely capable of meeting all of our business needs and customizable to the point where if something is not meeting those needs out of the box, it can be modified to do what we want. From only installing software on machines if a different software package exists, to push a new version of that software is available, to check if credentials for user/machine have been updated to our new standards and then updating them if they have not, ConnectWise Automate is capable of doing everything we ask of it.

ConnectWise Automate was already implemented at all organizations I have used it at when I started at those MSPs. At my current MSP, we used professional services for a period after I took over management of it, and they assisted with changes that I saw needed to be made. While not specifically implemented, those services were well organized and well scheduled, and all things we discussed were tracked and recorded, allowing for good change management/tracking.

I went through all the free training materials in the Connectwise Unversity, which gives a solid understanding of the product. I also did the paid certifications offered by Connectwise and am now able to fully support and customize our ConnectWise Automate instance. The materials are accessible and easy to understand, and there are different suggested courses depending on the users' role.

At first glance, customizations in ConnectWise Automate seem daunting. But with a little training and a little practice, it is very easy to customize. Even though the back end is built on an SQL database, you do not need to be an SQL expert to get ConnectWise Automate to do what you need it to do. Through adding custom fields at multiple different levels, it is easy to limit your grouping, scripting, and automation to exactly which machines you want it to hit.

Support for the default configurations is excellent. I have never reached out to support on an issue of the default feature set that I was not able to get an accurate answer for.

It is not higher because they will not support more advanced custom configurations (like scripting or reporting) without an additional charge. I have found that going through the Certifications, I do not have much need for assistance with the unsupported items, and when I do, the questions I have can be phrased in a way that is supported because it is not a "How do I..." but a "this command in my script is not working as intended" type of question.

Basic use of the product is fairly easy. Information about the machines you manage can be found in customizable dashboards, which can be unique for each user, and, therefore, properly suited to the users' needs/job function.

This is not a 10 because some of the interfaces are very clunky (Patch Management), and some features are not intuitive and not well documented (reporting). Scripting and Patch Management have a fairly steep learning curve (For structure in patch management and syntax in scripting), but once learned, they work well.