Can MSPs Extend Server Monitoring to Cloud Monitoring?

questions

That question has popped up at numerous MSP-centric conferences this year. Many of the usual RMM (remote monitoring and management) software platforms don’t yet support cloud monitoring. And those that do typically monitor SaaS platforms like Google Apps and Office 365. The problem: Those SaaS services are either up or down, and there isn’t much room — if any — for MSPs to optimize those clouds.

In stark contrast, Boundary, Log Insight and other emerging cloud monitoring tools can monitor nearly any cloud application or data center. Boundary claims to monitor applications running on traditional servers, hyprid, public and private clouds. Though I suspect Log Insight, by contrast, will increasingly focus on monitoring VMware-centric data centers, given VMware’s ownership of the tool.

Which RMM software platforms will evolve to truly monitor cloud services? And do MSPs even need such a capability? So far the answers are unclear. But there’s a growing minority of MSPs who are demanding the cloud monitoring capabilities right now. And in some cases, those MSPs are seeking alternatives to their traditional RMM suppliers.