N-central review

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N-able is a household name in the IT security industry with over 25,000 MSPs and 8,000,000 managed endpoints. The N-central RMM solution was voted the #1 RMM platform by CRN readers for three consecutive years in 2021, 2022 and 2023. This shows the true effectiveness of the platform.

N-central’s workflow automation capabilities are unparalleled in the industry. It offers over 650 built-in automation scripts – and you can also use the AI ​​integration to create scripts from scratch.

Plus, it’s one of the few platforms that allows you to try it out for 30 days before purchasing a subscription. That said, prices are only available upon request, meaning you’ll have to spend time with the sales team to strike a deal.

But is it the best network monitoring tool out there? Let’s take a closer look…

N-central: subscriptions and prices

N-central does not disclose prices on its website, so you will need to contact their sales team with your requirements to get a customized quote. This can be useful for large companies that need a highly customized endpoint management solution. However, small teams may need to negotiate well to get a good deal.

With that in mind, one of the best things about N-central is the 30-day free trial – something we don’t see often in the RMM industry. This gives you the opportunity to try out the platform before making a purchase.

You may already have an RMM contract and want to switch to N-central. In that case, N-central offers you a price of €1/month for 12 months if you provide proof of an existing contractual commitment. This is an excellent offer!

N-central: Characteristics

N-central stands out from other RMM platforms thanks to its excellence patch management functions. In addition to OS patches, you can also perform automated patches for over 100 third-party applications, such as Skype and Zoom. The platform also ensures that you don’t miss any patches, including OOB (out-of-band) patches released by Microsoft outside of their patch schedules.

The patch policy is also highly customizable: you can deploy it across the organization, to a specific department, to a group of devices, or to a single endpoint. Yes, other RMM platforms also allow you to automate many workflows. However, N-central takes automation to the next level by offering over 650 pre-built automation scripts, which can be deployed right out of the box, or downloaded and customized to your requirements.

From automatic patch deployment to self-healing and automatic recovery, there are many repetitive processes you can automate. You can also create an automation script from scratch using N-central’s GenAI capabilities.

Even if you are switching from an existing RMM system, the customer service team will work with you to import your existing automations onto N-central.

In addition to the core functions of discovering and monitoring all kinds of devices on a given network, N-central also offers some useful add-ons. For example, it has joined forces with SentinelOne to offer Endpoint Detection & Response features.

It is based on AI protection against ransomware and behavioral AI engines go beyond traditional signature-based detection methods. It can also help you roll back data and recover lost files in minutes – without having to pay a dime to the threat actors.

We also liked N-central’s Cloud Commander add-on, which lets you manage Windows, Intune, and Azure devices from the same dashboard. This makes onboarding a new customer and assigning licenses as easy as filling out one form.

You don’t need to add a new client to the Azure client directory, create a mailbox in Microsoft 365, or set up the user’s information such as role, location, and phone number. With Cloud Commander, all you have to do is select the organization and add the new user.

N-Central also supports Apple remotely Mobile device management (MDM)that comes with integrations such as Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager. This makes the entire onboarding experience automatic and seamless and does not require much intervention from the IT team.

N-central: Interface and performance

N-central features information-rich dashboards filled with various color-coordinated graphs that allow IT teams and MSPs to analyze endpoint data in real-time. There are special information boards for different functions such as patching, backupreports, analytics, integrations, etc. – you’ll find all these options in the left side panel.

Moreover, you can also build a custom dashboard and choose from several data visualization charts, filters and data entry. We also found many bar charts, pie charts, graphs, and other visual data display tools, as well as a handful of filter options, which let you view data by device type, operating system name, customer, or site.

However, it’s worth noting that the text on these boards may seem a bit cluttered or small and users will need to spend some time getting the hang of how things work.

N-central: Security

N-able has an ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, which is also independently verified by Schellman & Company. The platform also complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CCPA). These are proof that the platform complies with all legal regulations and frameworks when collecting and processing user data.

N-able also pays special attention to its privacy-by-design policy, which ensures that all data collected by the platform is used for limited processing and only for the purpose for which it was designed.

As the company uses AI in various parts of its platform design, the company has also created a detailed AI policy to ensure transparency with its users and inform them about how their data is processed using AI tools. This is highly appreciated, especially in the modern cybersecurity landscape full of web scraping to collect massive amounts of data for AI development.

N-central: Support

You can contact an N-able representative via a phone call, support ticket, or live chat. However, please note that this will require you to be logged into your N-ableMe dashboard.

In addition, N-able has an active information center with hundreds of articles about various products, including N-central. There are also filters to help you find the products and topics you are actually looking for.

Finally, ongoing live demos, which you can join completely free, will help you learn the ropes of the platform.

N-central: Final verdict

N-central is a popular RMM and security platform that stands out for its superior automation features. If you’re a large MSP or IT team looking to streamline workflows and endpoint monitoring, N-central’s 650+ automation scripts are more than enough. Additionally, the AI-powered monitoring and alerting system prevents vulnerabilities from seeping through your systems.

There are also several add-ons, such as Endpoint Detection & Response, in partnership with SentinelOne, that allow you to detect and remove malware attacks in real-time with superior behavioral analysis. Additionally, a cloud management tool called Cloud Commander helps you manage Windows, Intune, and Azure environments from a single dashboard.

Overall, N-central’s basic RMM features are good enough for any small or medium business. However, enterprise-level IT teams and MSPs may need to opt for a number of add-ons to get the best value for their purpose.

However, as is common in the industry, you will need to contact N-central’s sales team for a customized quote, which also depends on your negotiating skills. One of the best things about N-central is that you get a 30-day free trial, which not many RMM platforms offer.

N-central: Frequently asked questions

Does N-central offer third-party integrations?

N-central offers more than 40 third-party integrations with its RMM platform, which includes various tools for SaaS management, cloud security, alert management, PSA services and documentation, among others. This will help you establish a continuity structure between different business instruments.

What is N-able RMM ideal for?

N-able RMM is ideal for medium and large companies looking to automate their workflows and patch management functions. To get started, you get to choose from more than 650 ready-made automation scripts.

Plus, you can use AI to build custom scripts from scratch. The good news keeps on coming as there are also over 1000 pre-designed monitors that allow you to keep an eye on every aspect of your managed endpoints.

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