N‑able and Microsoft: Partnering to Protect Your IT Operations

With businesses facing increased IT complexity, Joe Kern looks at how N‑able’s partnership with Microsoft can help MSPs simplify and secure these environments.  

The partnership between N‑able and Microsoft isn’t just about offering tools, it’s about empowering MSPs to confidently guide their SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) clients into the future. Think about cloud collaboration with Microsoft 365, Windows 365 management, enhanced security, and backup continuity—each of these plays a critical role in helping businesses evolve digitally.

According to the 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report, commissioned by Microsoft, one of the core questions challenging SMEs in this new era of AI is how to grow and evolve their businesses, while controlling costs, and budgeting for AI. The report found that 72% of businesses reported increased complexity within their IT environment over the past two years. This means there is a substantial opportunity for MSPs to get involved and help to manage and even simply these IT environments.

N‑able’s MSP-specific approach can help to simplify how MSPs support their customers through this evolution. It does this by enhancing how they use and manage Microsoft technology in key areas like ensuring proper backup and disaster recovery for Microsoft 365 data, keeping tenants secure by managing user onboarding, licensing, and offboarding—all  vital tasks in today’s fast-changing digital landscape.

This frees you up to focus on accelerating adoption of Microsoft 365 across your customers. Combining N‑able and Microsoft solutions in this way allows you to confidently scale and grow together with your customers, safe in the knowledge that the N‑able tool stack has your back.

Putting MSPs at the Forefront of Transformation

For businesses to thrive in this rapidly evolving environment, they need to collaborate, scale, and stay secure in the cloud. The partnership between N‑able and Microsoft is equipping MSPs with the technology they need to help SMEs navigate this evolution in four key ways:

1. Making Security and Continuity Top Priorities

Cloud collaboration tools like Microsoft 365 are essential to today’s modern workplace, allowing teams to work together effortlessly, regardless of location. N‑able helps MSPs optimize these cloud tools by providing comprehensive management and security features, helping to ensure a seamless, secure experience for every business.

Through the N‑able and Microsoft partnership, MSPs can:

• Manage backup and recovery of Microsoft 365 data with ease.
• Guard against accidental or malicious deletions with frequent backups across platforms like Exchange, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint—backed up multiple times daily.
• Retain data for up to seven years, helping businesses meet compliance standards and mitigate risk.

This helps MSPs to confidently deliver Microsoft 365 to their SME clients, knowing security and continuity are the top priorities. Unlike other vendors, N‑able also supports backup management directly from a unified dashboard, where MSPs can back up Microsoft 365 data alongside servers and workstations, designed to meet stringent data protection standards.

2. Expanding Cloud Management with N‑able Cloud Commander

Managing the modern workplace is more than just cloud migration—it’s about maximizing efficiency. N‑able Cloud Commander, combined with Microsoft’s solutions, enables both MSPs and Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) to manage Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktops (AVDs), and Intune-managed devices from a single platform. This multi-tenant cloud management opens new opportunities for MSPs, including:

• Managing Windows 365 Business, Enterprise, and Frontline devices alongside Azure VMs and AVDs.
• Accessing detailed device information to drive smarter decisions and improve efficiency.
• Monitoring critical device parameters and performing actions like Refresh, Rename, Reboot, and Reprovision to optimize device performance.
• Performing bulk actions to save time and maintain consistency.
• Simplifying license management for Windows 365, with a particular focus on reducing costs for frontline work licenses.

Additionally, N‑able Cloud Commander’s intuitive interface helps to ensure user settings are configured correctly, enhancing both productivity and security across all tenants. MSPs can also manage their clients’ licenses with ease, using license reports and subscription management features to avoid service interruptions.

3. Protecting the Modern Workplace

Security remains a key priority for any digital transformation. As businesses move toward cloud-based solutions, they face increasing vulnerability to cyberattacks and data breaches. N‑able’s collaboration with Microsoft includes robust security features designed to protect SMEs throughout their digital journey.

With Microsoft Secure Score reporting, MSPs can track the security posture of all their Microsoft 365 tenants, addressing potential weaknesses before they become problems. Furthermore, N‑able Cloud Commander provides real-time monitoring of risky user activity across tenants, allowing MSPs to safeguard their clients proactively.

This strong layer of additional security means MSPs can not only manage their clients’ systems but also protect them as they navigate the complexities of the cloud.

4. Reinforcing Confidence in Cloud Integrity

Backup and continuity are foundational for any business moving to the cloud. Despite technological advances, data loss remains a serious risk. N‑able helps MSPs provide their SME clients with the peace of mind that comes from knowing their data is secure and recoverable.

Frequent automatic backups of Microsoft 365 services, combined with N‑able’s unified dashboard, allow MSPs to manage and restore data as needed. Whether recovering a deleted file or restoring an entire system after a disaster, MSPs can keep their clients operational with minimal downtime.

N‑able’s Cove Data Protection goes further to aid MSPs in meeting stringent cybersecurity requirements. The platform provides:

• SOC 1 and SOC 2 certified data centers.
• HIPAA and PCI-DSS compliance.
• ISO 27001 and ISO-9001 certification for data integrity and retention.
• Up to seven years of data retention.

Embrace the Future with Confidence

By partnering, N‑able and Microsoft are empowering SMEs to enter the next phase of their digital evolution with confidence. From cloud collaboration and Windows 365 management to security and continuity, N‑able enhances Microsoft’s services to help MSPs deliver the right tools, resources, and protections for their clients.

As SMEs continue to embrace digital transformation, N‑able and Microsoft are ready to support MSPs in making the journey smooth, secure, and successful. The future is in the cloud, and by taking advantage of Microsoft’s partnership with N‑able, MSPs have the tools to lead their clients confidently into it.

Joe Kern is senior product marketing manager at N‑able

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