5 Key Takeaways from the N‑able Product Roadmap (2023)
By Jason Murphy
As we step into the month of October, the full bloom of autumn is upon us, signaling the transformation of the seasons. The once lush green leaves on the trees have transitioned into a palette of yellows, oranges, and reds, painting an amazing picture across the landscapes of Ottawa, Canada, where I call home.
I had become quite accustomed to the summer warmth, with its temperatures hovering comfortably in the high 20s (Celsius). But as we all know, the weather is ever-changing, and such constancy is a rarity.
One of the aspects I truly appreciate in my role as Head Nerd here at N‑able is the concept of change. My job is constantly evolving, much like N‑able itself. This dynamism reflects our business’s ability to adapt to the shifting landscape of our marketplace, mirroring the IT world that we all work in.
In early September, I had a unique opportunity to present the N‑able Roadmap to partners in three prominent Canadian cities during the N‑able Roadshows. These cities were Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver. Most of my travels typically take me south of the border, touring various locations throughout the United States, so it was a welcome change of pace to explore parts of Canada that had previously eluded me.
Without veering into the realm of a travel blog, I’d like to focus on the five key highlights from the roadmap, which I believe every partner should be aware of.
1. N‑central APIs
Our partners have consistently voiced their desire for more APIs and RESTful APIs. So, I’m thrilled to be able to announce that starting with N‑central 23.6, we’ve introduced the REST API framework into N‑central. This foundation paves the way for us to also develop the essential REST APIs that our partners have been requesting. In the short term, my colleagues, Marc-Andre Tanguay and Paul Kelly, have collaborated closely with our engineering team to create the first of these REST APIs, known as ‘Run Script Automation.’ You can expect to see more developments in this area early next year.
2. Cloud Commander and Azure
During our N‑able Roadshow series, I had numerous conversations with partners who expressed challenges in managing their Microsoft estate across different tenants and consoles. Whether it involves device policies, user onboarding, or security reporting, these tasks can be quite cumbersome using existing tools. To help with this, we’re on the brink of launching a preview of our Cloud Commander product, which provides MSPs with a centralized platform to oversee their Microsoft cloud estates across all tenants. This single interface will allow you to monitor and manage your Azure assets, Azure AD, Intune devices, and Microsoft 365 users and licenses. You’ll also have the flexibility to define security and device policies centrally and apply them across tenants.
If you’re interested in participating in the Cloud Commander preview, please feel free to reach out to me via my social media accounts or email—links at the end of this blog.
3. Device Manager for Apple
With the release of N‑central 23.7, we now offer support for MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, and even Apple tvOS. Device Manager for Apple represents an exciting addition to N‑central, accompanied by MacOS Patching and five key installation and reboot options.
Have you ever wished you could push Apple apps through N‑central? Well, now you can! You’ll have the capability to leverage your Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager account to deploy company-owned apps to Macs, iPhones, iPads, and even Apple TVs enrolled in N‑central. We’re dedicated to maintaining parity between the Mac and Windows ecosystems, and you’ll see further enhancements coming soon.
4. N‑central Analytics
A significant factor that has led many of our partners to run their N‑central servers on-premise is the requirement for the reporting engine to also reside on-premise. However, we’re on the verge of achieving a major milestone: the general availability (GA) of Analytics integration. This integration will provide our partners with the following new reports:
- Five new Patch reports
- Executive Summary
- Device Inventory and Summary
- Cove Backup Summary and Sessions
Moving to our hosted platform will soon become an attractive option, primarily due to the inclusion of Analytics integration and our newly developed Executive Summary tailored for our partners.
5. Cove Data Protection
When it comes to Cove Data Protection, there’s so much to discuss regarding the product’s trajectory, and I can only offer a glimpse of the exciting developments. The Cove Team is diligently working to transform it into a world-class data protection tool on a global scale. Here are a few noteworthy highlights:
- Microsoft Teams Backup (External Preview)
- Cove Standby Image to Microsoft Azure
- The ability to add multiple Standby Image plans (Azure and HyperV, for example)
- OneDrive backup has been significantly optimized
- SQL Backup optimization, reducing processing time from hours to mere minutes
- New auditability features
- A simplified retention framework
- New reporting capabilities using PowerBI (coming soon)
These are just a taste of the exciting developments happening at N‑able, as you can see exciting change is coming and I look forward to sharing more with you soon. Stay tuned for further updates and enhancements that will empower our partners in their journey towards success.
Jason Murphy is the Head Nerd for N‑central and Efficiency at N‑able. You can follow him on reddit on r/nable or LinkedIn at ncentral_nerd.
Disclaimer: This content may contain forward-looking statements regarding future product plans and development efforts. N‑able considers various features and functionality prior to any final generally available release. Information regarding future features and functionality is not and should not be interpreted as a commitment from N‑able that it will deliver any specific feature or functionality in the future or, if it delivers such feature or functionality, any time frame when that feature or functionality will be delivered. All information is based upon current product interests, and product plans and priorities can change at any time. N‑able undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement regarding product plans and development efforts if product plans or priorities change.
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