Maximise Your Knowledge of N‑central With These Head Nerd Boot Camps On-Demand

Enhancing your expertise in N‑central can significantly improve your efficiency and service delivery. The Head Nerd boot camps on the N-ableU YouTube channel are an excellent resource for mastering N‑central. However, one of the most common questions I get asked by both new N‑central users and existing partners looking to upskill their knowledge is “In what order should I attend the N‑central Head Nerd boot camps?” So, I thought in this blog I would guide you through the available boot camps for N‑central and the optimal order in which to approach them in.

Maximizing your N‑central learning

The playlist offers a structured learning path covering various aspects of N‑central. Here’s my recommended sequence to maximize your learning:

1.     N‑central Customer Onboarding

This boot camp guides you through the key steps of onboarding your MSP customers into the N‑central platform. It covers essential procedures to ensure complete management of customer environments. Proper onboarding is crucial, as mistakes can lead to significant gaps and potential costs.

WATCH N‑central Customer Onboarding

2.     N‑central Essentials—Tools and Features

This boot camp will demonstrate how help desk technicians can use N‑central’s common tools and features to support end-users efficiently. It will focus on the Direct Support tools to reduce resolution times for common issues and explore various remote-control options for device access. Additionally, you’ll see tips and tricks to minimize disruptions while addressing help desk challenges.

WATCH N‑central Essentials—Tools and Features 

3.     N‑central Monitoring

This boot camp is a comprehensive guide to mastering N‑central monitoring services.  Starting with an introduction, it delves into service utilization, filters, rules, templates, naming conventions, and device relationships. You’ll learn to create and deploy custom services, including automation-based and SNMP custom services, as well as explore custom properties and external data feeds for advanced monitoring capabilities.

WATCH N‑central Monitoring 

4.     N‑central Patch Management—Configuring and Deployment

This boot camp will guide you through setting up and deploying patch management in N‑central, ensuring you can leverage it effectively for various use cases. It will focus on efficiency and reliability to minimize the hours needed for this crucial MSP task. Plus, it will share valuable tips and tricks gathered from working with numerous partners to elevate your patch management process.

WATCH N‑central Patch Management—Configuring and Deployment

5.     N‑central Patch Management—Managing and Maintenance

This boot camp will explore best practices for managing and maintaining patch management in N‑central. It will emphasize efficiency and reliability, aiming to reduce the time needed to support this critical aspect of any MSP offering.

WATCH N‑central Patch Management—Managing and Maintenance

6.     Using Custom Properties in N‑central

This boot camp will demonstrate how leveraging custom properties can enhance your business processes. You’ll learn how to streamline maintenance when assigning service levels, store vital information efficiently, and utilize software keys in automation policies, ultimately boosting productivity and efficiency.

WATCH Using Custom Properties in N‑central

7.     N‑central General Automation

This two-part boot camp will help you unlock the power of automation in N‑central. It will help you streamline your operations, and boost profitability. Discover what top MSPs automate, create your own scripts, and use Automation Manager to save time. Plus, gain insights on pinpointing and troubleshooting automation opportunities for your business.

WATCH N‑central General Automation Part 1

WATCH N‑central General Automation Part 2

8.     Monitoring N‑central with SNMP

This boot camp will help you dive into the fundamentals of SNMP monitoring in N‑central.  Discover how SNMP works, the tools you need, and how to manage SNMP devices effectively. Plus learn how to leverage SNMP in N‑central to use auto-discovery features and create templates for seamless auto-deployment.

WATCH Monitoring N‑central with SNMP

9.     N‑central Reporting and Analytics

This boot camp provides a comprehensive overview of N‑central’s Analytics feature. It will explore the tool’s general layout and functionality, as well as guide you through customizing dashboards and reports to meet your specific needs. Additionally, it will cover best practices for exporting reports and individual datasets, ensuring you can effectively present this information to your organization or to your customers.

WATCH N‑central Reporting and Analytics

Take your N‑central knowledge to the next level

Embarking on a structured learning path for N‑central can be incredibly rewarding, as it covers various critical aspects of the platform, ensuring you gain a comprehensive understanding of N‑central. By following this path, you’ll develop a solid foundation in managing and optimizing N‑central environments. However, if you’re eager to expand your knowledge even further, consider exploring these additional boot camps. These sessions can provide advanced functionality and insights, helping you stay ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of IT management.

1.     N‑central Advanced Automation

If you’ve completed the General Automation boot camp and are looking to delve deeper into automation, this advanced session is tailored for you. It will guide you in implementing sophisticated automation scripts, identifying additional automation opportunities within your MSP business, and further developing your skills to troubleshoot automation challenges effectively.

WATCH N‑central Advanced Automation

2.     Advanced Analytics: Customizing and Creating Reports

This boot camp is designed to elevate your expertise in Analytics. It will delve into creating and branding custom reports tailored for both you and your customers and explore how to leverage direct data access with the Snowflake database. Additionally, you’ll discover how to use Analytics and BrightGuage to significantly enhance your reporting capabilities.

WATCH Advanced Analytics: Customizing and Creating Reports 

3.     Leveraging Rest APIs in N‑central

In this boot camp, you’ll learn how to leverage N‑central’s REST APIs to effectively meet your needs. The session will begin with an introduction to what a REST API is and explore the various capabilities these APIs offer. You’ll also be introduced to Swagger, a tool that can assist in working with APIs. Through hands-on experience with the API Explorer, you’ll learn how to extract information from N‑central and run tasks within the platform. Additionally, the boot camp will cover practical applications of REST APIs using PowerShell, enhancing your ability to automate and integrate your N‑central environment efficiently.

WATCH Leveraging Rest APIs in N‑central 

By following this structured approach to the Head Nerd Boot Camps laid out above, you’ll be well-equipped to leverage N‑central’s full potential, improving your service delivery and operational efficiency.

Tips for Success

• Sequential Learning: Follow the recommended order to build your knowledge progressively.
• Hands-On Practice: Implement what you learn in a test environment to gain practical experience.
• Community Engagement: Join forums and user groups to share insights and learn from others.

If you have questions join me on the N-Central office hours at www.n-able.com/events. For more insight on how you can get the most out of N‑central, you can attend our N‑central Boot Camps, recordings of which are available in the N-ableU, alternatively keep an eye on www.n-able.com/events to register for the live sessions.

Paul Kelly is the Head Nerd at N‑able. You can follow him on Twitter at @HeadNerdPaul, LinkedIn and Reddit at u/Paul _Kelly. Alternatively you can email me direct.