Introduction
Managed Service Providers(MSP) need to deal with sensitive data on behalf of their clients, which involves many challenges. To maintain a competitive edge and retail customers, companies have to keep with quickly advancing technology. For instance, the consistently evolving cybersecurity risks require constant updates in business practices to keep data secure.
Thereby delivering efficient and reliable client service must be a top priority for all MSPs. As customer expectations increase every year, digital offerings are necessary to stay competitive—for example, services like instant chat and remote support to solve customer issues in real-time. To remain relevant, MSPs must meet demands. Hence to meet growing needs, efficient and cost-effective tools are essential to succeed.
Ten free tools for MSPs
Below is a list of ten free tools that are effective in ensuring MSPs can meet growing demands:
1. ElectroNeek Automation
ElectroNeek is a leading robotic process automation (RPA) vendor for MSPs. RPA reduces the burden on the staff and improves time management through automating mundane tasks through imitation of jobs on browser or desktop applications.
While no RPA vendor is free, ElectroNeek is the most affordable solution in the market due to absolutely free RPA bot licenses which provides exponential scalability. You pay only for the integrated development environment and use free RPA bots allowing you to scale exponentially with minimum costs.
ElectroNeek was a game-changer more than the user-friendly drag-and-drop interface and no code-low code feature; it provides MSPs with a distinctive business model without hefty commercial software expenditure. Additionally, RPA can be applied to various departments such as IT operations, accounting workflows, Human resource (HR) department, and procurement and sales processes, to name a few.
For example, the HR onboarding and off-boarding workflows are long and repetitive when done manually, but with ElectroNeek RPA, it gets done much more quickly without any errors. It is highly efficient in improving compliance and productivity.
Furthermore, ElectroNeek’s new Summer 2021 product release added more powerful features to help MSPs’ enhance their teams’ productivity to win more business through premium orchestration and development tools.
2. Chrome DevOps
Chrome DevOps is a top web developer tool built right into the Google Chrome browser. It assists MSPs in editing web pages and troubleshoot issues in real-time resulting in building better websites faster. Additionally, the Devtools can check if a rule is not applied correctly; it displays the attribute with a through-line.
Its primary functions include:
- Selecting Document Object Model (DOM) elements
- Converting the browser into an editor
- Finding events associated with a component in the Document Object Model.
- Inspect an element.
- Finding the timeframe of execution of a specific code block.
- Monitoring events.
Such a tool is highly relevant in ensuring website issues are solved right from the browser and saves time for MSPs. It can ensure website monitoring can get done through the browser itself, especially in emergency circumstances.
3. Visual Studio Code
The Visual Studio Code is a tool that functions as a rapid source code editor for daily use. It supports hundreds of languages and assists in instant productivity through syntax highlighting, bracket-matching, auto-indentation, snippets, and many more features.
The benefits of Visual Studio Code for MSPs include:
- Helps code accurately through live coding assistance of any programming language utilized.
- Debugging quickly.
- Allows for meticulous testing.
- Easy collaboration with the team.
- Highly customizable options are available.
The Visual Studio Code mixes simplicity with powerful tools such as IntelliSense code completion and debugging. It is seamless and an easy editing cycle and allows more time to execute ideas than fiddling too long with the environment.
4. Network Analyzer
The network analyzer focuses on the wifi network setup and internet connectivity while detecting issues with remote servers due to the wide range of tools it offers. Using such an analyzer helps MSPs identify problems impacting the network’s speed and reliability.
The information captured by the network analyzer assists in fine-tuning wifi settings and parameters, improving the level of performance a network provides. Additionally, it is instrumental in addressing issues with the home network, such as dropped connections or inconsistent download speeds, which ensures MSPs don’t have lags due to network issues.
A few specific use cases of a network analyzer for MSPs include:
- Provides network statistics in a user-friendly interface.
- Captures stats relating to recent and current usage of the network.
- Identifying traffic bottlenecks quickly.
- Optimally locates the wireless router.
- Monitoring the traffic and data packets of a network.
5. DNS Leak Test
When using a privacy service, It is essential for MSPs that all the traffic from their computer gets routed through the anonymous network. If any traffic gets leaked outside the secure network, anyone would be able to log activities happening. Here is where the Domain Name System(DNS) comes into play.
DNS translates domain names into numerical IP addresses, which are needed to route packets of data on the web. Most internet providers do offer a DNS server controlled by them and used for logging internet activities. In some conditions, even when connected to an anonymity network, the operating system can continue to use the default DNS and not the private one assigned to the company’s computer by the anonymity network.
DNS leaks are a significant privacy threat for MSPs. It is a case in which the anonymity network offers a false sense of security while private data continues to leak. Hence, a DNS leak test works effectively by sending many domain names for the VPN to resolve. If one of the servers in the results is part of the specific MSPs ISP, the VPN probably has a DNS leak.
6. Wireshark
The most popular network protocol analyzer is Wireshark. It allows MSPs to see what is happening on their network at a nanoscopic level: many commercial enterprises, non-profit enterprises, government agencies, and educational institutions use Wireshark. Wireshark continuously flourishes due to the volunteer contributions of networking experts globally.
Wireshark works because it interrupts network traffic and converts that binary traffic into a format readable by humans. In essence, it makes it easier for MSPs to identify the type of traffic crossing their networks, how often, how much, the amount of latency, and many other factors. The security professionals at MSPs will find analyzing IP packets of great usefulness, and it becomes much easier with Wireshark.
Here are some of its primary features:
- In-depth inspection of numerous protocols.
- Offline analyzing along with live capture of network data.
- Offers powerful display filters.
- Has a standard three-pane browser.
7. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) Port Scanner
A port scanner detects all open TCP ports and performs OS fingerprinting on a specifically targeted IP address. The port scanner lets MSPs map out their network's entire perimeter, inspect the rules of firewalls, and verify if the services are attainable through the web. By using a Network Mapper, the tool accurately discovers a port and detection of a service.
Network Ports are essential elements of MSPs; they act as communication endpoints for a specific machine connected to the internet. For instance, when a service listens on a port, it can receive data on the client application process and relay a response.
Constant checks and monitoring of ports are necessary as malicious client applications can exploit the server software, giving them unauthorized access to remote machinery. Hence, it is essential to test all ports and derive deep security verification.
The primary benefit of using the online TCP port scanner with Nmap for MSPs is it provides an external view of systems as seen by hackers on the internet. If the same scan gets done internally, it results differently due to different firewalls and network restrictions.
Additionally, the port scanner offers MSPs the following:
- Ready to run as and already configured.
- Updated regularly.
- An easy-to-use interface over compound command line parameters of the Network Mapper(Nmap).
- Provides valuable insights through reporting, which can get shared with stakeholders.
8. KeePass Password Safe
Remembering so many passwords has always been a hassle for MSPs; the list is endless. The need for a unique password for every account is high due to sophisticated cybersecurity threats making it challenging to remember and manage passwords.
KeePass is free, open-source password management software that assists MSPs in managing passwords in the most secure way. All the passwords get stored in one database, which is locked using a master key. So the staff of MSPs only need to remember the master key password to unlock the database. The database gets encrypted using the most secure algorithms.
9. Bitdefender Antivirus Software
Bitdefender is one of the most popular antivirus software solutions. MSPs use to protect their clients from known threats. The free edition (for Windows, macOS, and Android) is transparent, fast, and offers all the essentials needed to protect an MSP from malware. Additionally, the tool can download and install itself quickly and run at a high-speed level without affecting the computer's performance. Some of the Key benefits offered include:
- It's fast and has a secure VPN connection.
- Offers privacy of firewalls.
- Safeguards online banking.
- Safeguards webcams
- Protects social networks.
- Provides 24/7 support service
10. ShareX
ShareX is free and open-source software that allows MSPs to record any area of a computer screen and share it fast with a press of a key. It can upload images, text, videos, and many other formats. It performs excellently and makes recorded files available instantly in well-optimized video files. Additionally, it does not negatively affect or slow down the device.
A few Benefits of Using ShareX for MSPs include:
- Records small files with a high level of resolution resulting in ease of uploading recordings to a slow network connection.
- It offers a lot of flexibility in terms of options and modifications.
- It is lightweight and quick to download, and takes up minimum space.
Conclusion
The power-free tools available for MSPs are immense. However, it all comes down to choosing the right tool as every company has different needs and requirements. If you want the competitive edge, it is about leveraging such resources to get the best outcomes in the shortest amount of time.
Above all mentioned tools, RPA is the best and most advanced option. ElectroNeek offers a cutting-edge platform that can take your MSP to the next level. In addition, to free RPA bot licensing, we offer:
- 50% faster workflow development.
- Highly adaptable workflows.
- Scaling workflows with no additional costs.
- Workflow remains executable even after you stop using ElectroNeek’s development environment.
To know more about it, please do contact our team.