Remote management allows IT teams to support, secure, and maintain endpoint devices and network systems without being on-site. It’s how software gets patched overnight, devices get diagnosed nationwide, and issues get resolved before end users even notice there is a problem.
Remote management can encompass a variety of tools and technologies, including mobile device management (MDM), endpoint management software, and remote access software, many of which are complementary. However, when looking more broadly at the remote management needs of all endpoint devices across an organization’s IT infrastructure, remote monitoring and management (RMM) software is often at the operational core of the day-to-day.
As IT environments become more distributed, remote management has shifted from an optional capability to a critical function of modern operations. This guide breaks down what the concept of remote management includes, the role RMM software plays in proactive IT, and best practices for implementing secure and effective remote management.
Key takeaways
- Remote management is a critical function that includes monitoring, maintenance, and support from a distance, and is most effectively executed through RMM software.
- RMM tools provide centralized visibility, automation, and access control, reducing response times and supporting distributed environments at scale.
- Remote management tools like MDM, remote desktop, remote support, and network monitoring may support specific use cases, but modern RMM software can consolidate many of these capabilities into a centralized solution.
- Following best practices around standardization, access controls, automation, and contingency planning is key to long-term success.
- Choosing the right RMM solution ensures your team can support users, protect endpoints, and maintain consistency, no matter where devices are located.
How remote management works
Think of remote management as creating a secure digital connection between IT support and the devices they manage. At the center is RMM, maintaining continuous visibility into the health and status of connected devices across all managed endpoints. These tools create secure, encrypted connections between IT teams and endpoints, allowing technicians to monitor performance, deploy patches, run scripts, and respond to alerts without waiting for something to break or interrupting end users.
Modern RMM solutions typically offer capabilities such as:
- Secure, policy-based remote access to endpoints for support, updates, and diagnostics
- Command-line interface access for advanced troubleshooting
- File transfer capabilities for software deployment and updates
- System diagnostics and health reporting
- Automated script execution for routine maintenance tasks
While remote desktop applications and mobile device management tools may serve specialized use cases, RMM brings many of these capabilities, and more, together with centralized control and automation. It enables IT to deliver remote management and monitoring at scale by increasing service efficiency and proactively resolving issues before they disrupt operations. When coupled with IT automation, remote management evolves from reactive firefighting into proactive prevention.
Complementary tools for remote management
In addition to RMM, other technologies contribute to IT remote management strategies by handling specific types of devices, access needs, or user scenarios.
- Endpoint management solutions provide broader control over device security, application policies, and configuration enforcement. They’re often integrated into or layered alongside RMM tools to standardize and secure distributed environments.
- Remote access software provides session-based access for individual device troubleshooting, without disrupting end users.
- Mobile device management (MDM) software is essential for managing smartphones, tablets, and other mobile endpoints, especially in bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environments.
- Remote support solutions enable real-time collaboration between IT and end users to resolve complex or permission-based issues.
Benefits of remote management for IT teams
Implementing a robust RMM solution to power remote management can deliver serious benefits and ROI for IT departments and the organizations they support:
Faster resolution times: Teams can assist multiple users simultaneously across different locations, eliminating travel time between sites and dramatically boosting overall efficiency. A single technician can seamlessly handle support requests from dozens of locations, all in a single day.
Reduced support costs: Beyond saving travel time and expenses, IT remote management allows centralized teams to support more users with fewer resources. It’s more efficient, allowing IT teams to stretch their resources further and support more endpoints without increasing headcount.
Less disruption: Updates, patches, and routine maintenance can happen during scheduled or off-hours and run quietly in the background, minimizing interruptions to everyone’s workflow.
Consistent security: Security policies, software updates, and configuration standards can be applied uniformly across all devices, closing any potential security gaps before they become problems.
Business continuity: Whether due to weather events, health concerns, or other unforeseeable disruptions, in the absence of physical access, IT remote management ensures that your technology continues to function reliably.
Proactive problem-solving: Issues can be identified and addressed before they impact users, reducing frustrating downtime and productivity losses.
Enhanced security response: Security threats move fast. Remote management allows your team to respond just as quickly, deploying critical patches and security measures across the entire organization without delay.
Without these capabilities in place, minor issues can quickly escalate. See what can happen when teams lack the right tools in our latest eBook, A Series of Unfortunate IT Events.
Challenges with remote management
IT remote management delivers clear operational benefits, but it also introduces complexity and risk if not implemented carefully. Understanding the limitations and how to plan for them is critical to building a sustainable, secure remote IT strategy.
- Increased attack surface: Remote access increases the number of potential entry points for malicious activity. To minimize exposure, RMM tools must be configured securely, with strong authentication, encryption, attack surface management, and role-based access.
- Complex permission management: In distributed environments, determining who has access to which systems, and at what privilege levels, becomes increasingly complicated. Overprovisioning access leads to security risks, but overly restrictive permissions hamper operational efficiency. When in doubt, rely on the principle of least privilege to keep data secure.
- Network dependencies: RMM solutions rely on stable internet connectivity. If a device is offline or experiencing bandwidth issues, access and responsiveness may be affected. Having backup protocols in place is essential.
- Visibility gaps across environments: IT teams managing a mix of 'bring your own’ and ‘corporate owned devices’, operating systems, and network configurations may struggle with incomplete or inconsistent visibility, especially if tools aren’t standardized.
- Compliance requirements: Different industries and regions have different requirements regarding remote system access, particularly for environments handling sensitive data.
Best practices for remote management
To maximize benefits and mitigate potential challenges, organizations can adopt these remote monitoring best practices:
Consolidate tools via a centralized RMM solution.
Start by selecting an RMM that provides complete visibility into endpoints and integrates remote access, alerting, patch automation, and reporting. Centralization helps avoid tool sprawl and simplifies oversight.
Start with comprehensive visibility.
You can’t manage what you can’t see. Implement monitoring solutions that provide clear, helpful insights into system performance, security status, and potential vulnerabilities across all managed endpoints.
Prioritize security.
Security is non-negotiable. Secure IT remote management requires several layers of protection. Some steps to take:
- Use end-to-end encryption for remote sessions.
- Establish IP safelisting where practical.
- Enable detailed audit logging of all remote activities.
Establish clear policies.
Develop and document comprehensive remote access policies that clearly define:
- Who can access which systems and when
- Approval processes for elevated privileges
- Privacy considerations and end user notifications
- Emergency access protocols
Document carefully.
Maintain clear, detailed records of system configurations, troubleshooting procedures, and common challenges your IT team faces. This documentation enables consistent support quality and facilitates knowledge transfer.
Automate routine maintenance.
Use the powerful automation features in RMM to schedule patches, run scripts, and push updates during off-hours. This reduces manual work and improves consistency across devices.
Provide thorough training.
Ensure that your technical staff understands both the capabilities and limitations of your toolset. Equally important, educate your end users about when and how remote support will be provided to establish trust and rapport and set appropriate expectations.
Establish backup plans.
Develop contingency plans for situations when primary IT remote management tools are unavailable. This might include business continuity and data recovery (BCDR), secondary access methods, or escalation paths for critical systems.
Finding effective RMM solutions
Remote management is most effectively executed through a well-implemented RMM solution. This brings together monitoring, automation, and access control into a unified system built for scale.
If you’re evaluating IT remote management solutions, start with RMM and ensure it checks the boxes for visibility, control, and security across every device you manage. We’ve included some key features to look for below, but you can download our RMM Buyer’s Guide for a comprehensive overview of considerations when comparing solutions.
- Security-first design: Look for solutions with robust authentication options, detailed activity logs, and end-to-end encryption. Security should be a foundational element, never an afterthought.
- Works everywhere: Modern IT environments typically include diverse operating systems and device types. Look for tools that provide consistent experiences across Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile devices.
- Grows with you: Choose solutions that can grow with your organization without significant architectural changes or licensing complications.
- Performs reliably: Remote connections need to be established quickly and maintain responsiveness even over challenging network conditions. Look for solutions that optimize bandwidth usage and offer adjustable quality settings.
- Monitoring capabilities: Combined remote monitoring and management solutions allow teams to move beyond the break-fix mindset and apply the benefits of remote management more proactively and efficiently.
ConnectWise RMM helps IT teams streamline their operations with real-time device monitoring, automated patch management, script scheduling, and secure remote support built in.
ConnectWise RMM seamlessly integrates with a variety of complementary remote monitoring tools, such as ScreenConnect Remote Access, to help troubleshoot and resolve issues quickly and securely across remote endpoints.
Ready to elevate your remote management capabilities? Start a free trial of ConnectWise RMM and equip your team with the flexibility, speed, and confidence needed to stay ahead of issues and threats.
