Optimizing SD-WAN Monitoring and MSP Team Productivity in Co-Managed Environments with Obkio’s MSP Plan

At Obkio, our mission is to provide comprehensive network monitoring and troubleshooting solutions tailored specifically for MSPs (Managed Service Providers), ensuring the proper functioning of their networks and services for their clients. MSPs are a big part of our client base and we've had the chance to chat with numerous business owners and network admins to really get to the core of their needs.

Why?

Well, because we wanted to develop a tailored plan that would help our clients deliver their absolute best services. We wanted to dive deep into what makes their businesses tick, what challenges they face day in and day out, and how we could lend a hand.

So we took it a step further, designing everything with flexibility in mind. That means our plan isn't just a one-size-fits-all deal. Whether you're a VoIP provider, an MSSP (Managed Security Service Provider), or any other type of MSP, we've got something that's tailored just for you.

So, don't be shy! Reach out to our sales team, and we'll hook you up with everything tailored just for your MSP business.

Obkio’s MSP Plan is designed to meet the needs of MSPs and large businesses operating complex Wide Area Networks (WANs) with 25 or more sites. Whether you’re managing a diverse network infrastructure or navigating complex buying processes, Obkio’s MSP Plan offers tailored solutions to streamline your operations and maximize efficiency. Whether it's proactive network monitoring or swift troubleshooting, our plan is crafted to meet the unique requirements of modern MSPs.

MSP Plan offers a range of features tailored to meet the unique requirements of modern networks:

• UC, VoIP, MSP & MSSP Services: Obkio’s MSP Plan includes support for Unified Communications (UC) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, enabling MSPs to monitor and optimize the performance of these critical components. Whether it’s ensuring clear and uninterrupted voice communications or maximizing the efficiency of managed services, Obkio’s MSP Plan provides the tools and insights needed to deliver exceptional service to your clients.

• SD-WAN Co-Management: For MSPs operating in co-managed SD-WAN environments, Obkio’s MSP Plan offers robust monitoring capabilities. By deploying monitoring agents at key network locations, MSPs can gain comprehensive visibility into SD-WAN performance, identify potential issues, and collaborate effectively with clients to optimize network performance.

• Troubleshoot Network Problems: With Obkio’s MSP Plan, troubleshooting network problems becomes faster and more efficient. The app’s intuitive interface and advanced diagnostics tools enable MSP teams to quickly identify and resolve issues, minimizing downtime and ensuring uninterrupted service for clients. Whether it’s diagnosing connectivity issues, identifying bandwidth bottlenecks, or troubleshooting packet loss, Obkio’s MSP Plan provides the insights needed to keep networks running smoothly.

• Maximize MSP Team Productivity: Obkio’s MSP Plan is designed to maximize the productivity of MSP teams. With features such as automated alerts, real-time monitoring, and customizable dashboards, MSPs can streamline their workflows, prioritize tasks, and optimize resource allocation. By empowering MSP teams with the tools and insights needed to work more efficiently, Obkio’s MSP Plan enables organizations to deliver superior service to clients while minimizing operational overhead.

• Quality Commitment for Clients: With VIP support and personalized training from our team of network experts, you can ensure your staff is equipped with the knowledge and resources needed to effectively leverage Obkio’s network monitoring solution. Additionally, our flexible pricing plans cater to your specific requirements, ensuring you get the most value out of your investment.

Since 2011, EcoSysIP has been a leading provider of integrated IT solutions, specializing in IT security and cybersecurity in Montreal and across Canada. Catering to SMBs, large corporations, educational institutions, and government bodies, EcoSysIP offers more than just a range of products – they provide clients with a complete and integrated service, thus creating a unified and secure ecosystem.

Co-managed SD-WAN networks present complex challenges for MSP network monitoring. Without robust network performance monitoring solutions specifically designed for MSPs, it's easy to overlook subtle issues that can significantly impact performance.

Even when the network appears to be functioning normally, intermittent problems can disrupt the end-user experience. Daniel, CEO and Senior Solution Architect at EcoSysIP, highlighted this challenge with firewall monitoring by describing a scenario where Obkio's monitoring tools uncovered issues with a client's SD-WAN network that were previously difficult to detect:

"After deploying Obkio, we discovered that the Internet connection was frequently congested or that the client's firewall was slightly undersized, resulting in packet loss"

Traditional monitoring tools often lack the depth and accuracy required for comprehensive root cause analysis. Without solutions like Obkio, diagnosing subtle network problems can be time-consuming and challenging, hindering MSPs' ability to deliver superior service to their clients.

Obkio's integration into EcoSysIP's service offerings optimized their approach to network monitoring, delivering impactful benefits across various aspects of their MSP business.

Let's explore how Obkio's solution addressed key challenges and optimized EcoSysIP's operations:

1. SD-WAN Co-Management for MSPs:

Like with many MSPs, EcoSys worked with their customer to design and deploy a new SD-WAN network, which they now co-managed with the client. In the field of enterprise networks, the MSP’s ability to deploy and optimize is enhanced by their ability to understand the performance of that service and identify issues for their customers.

EcoSysIP achieved this visibility by deploying Monitoring Agents at key network sites in their own network infrastructure as well as their customers’ networks. This setup is extremely beneficial for MSPs looking to understand how their managed services are performing in their customers’ networks.

Daniel explained, “From the implementation of Obkio, we are able to quickly identify problematic sites for our customers and definitively solve these issues.”

For EcoSysIP, this complete visibility gave them the knowledge they needed to decide which adjustments and infrastructure improvements to make, identify the root cause of performance issues for customers and determine who is responsible for solving them.

2. Troubleshoot Network Problems:

When faced with network issues, Obkio's solution proved invaluable for EcoSysIP in swiftly identifying and addressing the root cause. For instance, Daniel received multiple alerts from Obkio's app integrated with Microsoft Teams, signalling unusually high packet loss within a client's network, exceeding acceptable thresholds. Despite appearances suggesting normal firewall performance, the magnitude of packet loss required immediate investigation.

Delving deeper into Obkio's dashboards, EcoSysIP uncovered a critical flaw in their client's high-availability (HA) load balancing system. Utilizing a dual-firewall setup, the load balancing mechanism was stuck in a loop, continuously switching traffic between the primary and secondary firewalls. This malfunction resulted in significant packet loss, undetectable by traditional monitoring tools. Thanks to Obkio's early detection capabilities, EcoSysIP swiftly intervened, resolving the issue before it could escalate further.

By integrating alerts through Microsoft Teams, downtime and operational disruptions were reduced, and technicians were able to quickly identify the source of network problems by examining each monitoring session thanks to Obkio's dynamic Dashboards and easy-to-understand Chord Diagram.

3. Maximize MSP Team Productivity:

The integration of Obkio's solution brought significant cost savings and scalability for EcoSysIP, enhancing operational efficiency and productivity.

In the context of salary expenses, often underestimated in budgets, maintaining high levels of efficiency and productivity is crucial for sustained business growth without continual hiring. Daniel emphasizes the importance of optimizing current resources:

“As soon as a diagnosis is launched on a site, the savings made on employee work time quickly offset the cost of the service. When our technicians are not doing support, they can work on other projects billed at a high hourly rate. It's a simple calculation: the tool pays for itself.”

Proactive network monitoring with Obkio allowed EcoSysIP to allocate resources more effectively, enabling employees to focus on high-value projects. Moreover, providing monitoring data to level 1 and 2 technicians reduced reliance on level 3 support, optimizing resource utilization and scalability.

4. Quality Commitment for MSP Clients:

Obkio's proactive monitoring minimized downtime and operational disruptions, ensuring uninterrupted access to critical services and applications. This commitment to service excellence built trust and loyalty among EcoSysIP's client base, establishing them as a dependable partner in managing network security and performance.

Now, the EcoSysIP team is able to anticipate network problems before they escalate, enabling proactive mitigation strategies and preemptive action. By addressing potential issues proactively, they enhanced reliability and uptime, instilling confidence and peace of mind for their clients.

The intuitive visualizations provided by Obkio's Chord Diagram and Dashboard Widgets simplified communication between EcoSysIP and their clients (who often lack extensive technical expertise), facilitating clear and concise explanations of network performance and issues. By sharing Obkio's portal view with their clients in Co-Managed service scenarios, EcoSysIP improved collaboration and understanding, fostering stronger relationships with their clients.

At Obkio, we believe that transparency is key to how we operate. The truth is that when it comes to our MSP Plan, there are no limitations. While we've highlighted some of the most frequently used features in this case study, the reality is that there is so much more to explore.

• 14-day free trial of all premium features
• Deploy in just 10 minutes
• Monitor performance in all key network locations
• Measure real-time network metrics
• Identify and troubleshoot live network problems

With Obkio’s MSP Plan, you have the flexibility to tailor our network monitoring solution to your specific needs. Whether you require additional functionalities, custom integrations, or specific reporting capabilities, our platform is designed to adapt to your requirements.

To find out how Obkio’s MSP Plan can be customized to suit your unique business needs:

• Learn more about the MSP Plan
• Contact our Sales Team.