Mastering RMM Administration: A Guide to Optimization and Proactive Services

As a team of former IT business owners, technicians, and RMM Systems Administrators, we understand firsthand the critical role Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) administration plays for IT/MSPs.

The reality is that growing IT businesses need a dedicated RMM Systems Administration resource, as this role directly impacts client satisfaction, operational efficiency, security, and compliance.

By streamlining operations through automation and resource optimization, IT/MSPs can scale more effectively. At the same time, securing client data and maintaining compliance builds trust, safeguards industry reputation, and ensures long-term success.

Simply put, RMM Systems Administration is the foundation of an IT/MSP’s ability to deliver exceptional service and drive continued growth.

But the real question is... "What does that look like for my IT business?"

What tasks should an RMM Admin be doing daily, weekly, monthly?

A well-structured RMM administration routine ensures that IT operations run efficiently, security risks are minimized, and clients receive top-tier service. From daily monitoring to monthly infrastructure assessments, each task plays a crucial role in maintaining a stable, optimized IT environment.

Daily RMM Administration Best Practices:

Monitoring

Patch Management

Keeping IT environments secure requires consistent patching. An RMM admin should evaluate, prioritize, and apply critical security updates to minimize vulnerabilities.

This involves staying informed on security advisories, software updates, and vendor patches, assessing their urgency, and deploying them in a structured, minimally disruptive manner. Proper patch management reduces security risks, prevents cyber threats, and ensures compliance with industry best practices.

Weekly RMM Administration Best Practices:

Reports:

An RMM admin should generate and analyze weekly performance reports, focusing on system uptime, resource utilization, and incident response times.

These insights help identify trends, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement. Sharing findings with executives through transparent reporting and regular meetings strengthens trust and collaboration while ensuring leadership stays informed about system health, risks, and opportunities for enhancement.

Maintenance:

Routine maintenance is key to sustaining peak system performance. Weekly tasks should include:

• Disk cleanups to free up storage.
• Defragmentation for faster data access.
• Driver and system updates to optimize functionality.

Scheduling maintenance during off-peak hours minimizes disruption while ensuring systems remain stable, responsive, and secure.

Monthly RMM Administration Best Practices:

Infrastructure:

An RMM Systems Admin should conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the business' infrastructure, scrutinizing any obsolete or unsupported hardware and software components.

This assessment involves examining the lifecycle status of devices, checking for hardware performance bottlenecks, and identifying software that may no longer receive updates or support from vendors. Analyze the potential risks and impacts associated with maintaining outdated components, and consider factors such as system compatibility, performance, and security when making recommendations for upgrades or replacements. Present your findings in a clear and actionable manner, highlighting the benefits of upgrading or replacing outdated components, such as improved performance, enhanced security, and reduced maintenance costs.

By proactively addressing infrastructure weaknesses, you can ensure the business' environments remain robust, secure, and capable of supporting their evolving business needs.

Documentation

An RMM Systems Admin should regularly update and maintain system documentation to guarantee the availability of accurate and current information for troubleshooting and planning purposes.

This process involves creating and revising documents such as network diagrams, asset inventories, software licenses, configuration files, and standard operating procedures. Establish a systematic approach to documentation management, including version control and periodic reviews, to ensure that all team members have access to the most recent and relevant information.

By maintaining comprehensive and up-to-date documentation, an RMM Systems Admin can streamline problem resolution, facilitate effective communication among team members, and simplify future planning and decision-making processes, ultimately contributing to the overall efficiency and success of the business.

Proactive Meetings:

An RMM Systems Admin should schedule regular meetings with executives of the business to discuss internal efficiency needs, review performance metrics, and outline plans for future improvements.

These meetings provide an opportunity for the RMM administrator to address concerns about optimizing internal processes, automating manual tasks, and enhancing overall operational efficiency. Engaging in open dialogue with the leadership team helps align objectives and fosters a collaborative approach towards achieving shared goals.

By actively participating in these discussions and demonstrating a commitment to the success of the business, RMM administrators can contribute to continuous growth and innovation, ultimately leading to more effective service delivery and greater client satisfaction.

Should I Outsource, or Hire Internally?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The decision between hiring an internal RMM Systems Administrator or outsourcing RMM management depends on factors like budget, expertise, and long-term scalability.

Many IT businesses we work with consider hiring an internal resource to manage their ConnectWise Automate RMM tool. This would mean bringing in a dedicated RMM Systems Administrator with deep expertise in configuring, optimizing, and maintaining the platform. However, finding and hiring someone with specific RMM and PowerShell expertise can be extremely difficult—or prohibitively expensive.

Some even argue that hiring for this role at a high level may not be realistic.

Challenges of Hiring Internally

Relying on a single internal hire for RMM administration comes with inherent risks. While an in-house resource can handle daily tasks, their expertise may be limited, leading to suboptimal tool performance and slower issue resolution. Additionally, recruiting and retaining a specialized RMM Systems Administrator is no small feat.

The onboarding process for an internal hire can also be time-consuming and costly. Beyond training them on your specific RMM configurations and best practices, you’ll need to invest in ongoing education, conferences, and certification programs to keep their skills up to date. Without continuous learning, their knowledge may quickly become outdated, affecting efficiency and security.

Perhaps the best approach isn’t an all-or-nothing decision. Instead of choosing between 100% internal or 100% outsourced, many IT/MSPs benefit from a hybrid approach—leveraging outsourced expertise for specialized RMM administration while keeping an internal resource for client-facing tasks and daily operations.

Key Statistics on Hiring Internal RMM Administrators

While exact figures vary, general hiring trends highlight the challenges and costs of recruiting and retaining IT professionals, particularly those with RMM-specific expertise:

• Time to Hire: The average time to fill an IT position is 50 days, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This can be significantly longer for specialized roles, such as a ConnectWise Automate RMM administrator with PowerShell expertise.
• Training Costs: A Training Magazine study found that businesses spend an average of $1,286 per employee on training. For IT professionals, training costs are even higher due to the complexity of RMM tools and ongoing certification needs.
• Cost of Hiring: SHRM estimates that the average cost-per-hire is $4,129, factoring in recruitment, background checks, and onboarding expenses. For IT professionals, these costs can increase due to specialized software, licensing, and equipment requirements.
• High Turnover Rates: The tech industry has a 13.2% annual turnover rate, according to LinkedIn’s 2020 report. This means IT/MSPs must continuously invest in replacing and training new hires, leading to higher long-term costs.

While there’s no single solution that fits every IT/MSP, striking the right balance between internal resources and outsourced expertise is key. RMM administration requires both technical precision and strategic oversight, which is why a hybrid approach—combining in-house management with external specialists—often delivers the best results. This model ensures daily operations run smoothly while benefiting from expert-driven RMM optimization, ultimately supporting long-term growth and efficiency.

Exploring Advantages of Outsourcing Key Elements of RMM Systems Administration

Outsourcing RMM Systems Administration to a team with specialized expertise in platforms like ConnectWise Automate, CW RMM, and N-Able N-Central provides instant capacity, reduced risk, and significant cost savings. Instead of relying on a single internal hire, IT/MSPs gain access to a team of experts who bring extensive industry knowledge, technical proficiency, and best practices to the table.

Beyond expertise, outsourcing offloads the heavy lifting from your internal team. Often, RMM responsibilities fall on Tier 3 technicians who already juggle multiple roles. While this approach works in some cases, it’s not always sustainable—especially when custom scripting, complex automation, and business-specific efficiency goals come into play. Even with AI tools like ChatGPT, you still need a skilled professional who knows what to automate and how.

A dedicated RMM team ensures that day-to-day maintenance, automation, and optimization are handled efficiently, allowing internal IT staff to focus on higher-value client-facing responsibilities. Additionally, outsourcing eliminates the overhead costs of hiring, training, and maintaining a full-time, in-house RMM administrator—a role that can be difficult (and expensive) to fill.

The True Cost of Hiring an Internal RMM Systems Administrator

For businesses considering a full-time, in-house RMM administrator, let’s break down the real cost of hiring and maintaining this role:

• Recruitment: The average cost per hire is $4,129 
• Training: Onboarding and ongoing training costs $1,286 per employee 
• Salary: The average RMM Systems Administrator salary ranges from $60,000 to $80,000, depending on experience and location. For this example, let’s assume $70,000.
• Benefits: Typically 30-40% of salary, averaging $24,500 at 35%.
• Equipment & Software: The hardware and software required for the role costs approximately $3,000 to $5,000.

Total First-Year Cost for an Internal RMM Admin:

$4,129 (recruitment) + $1,286 (training) + $70,000 (salary) + $24,500 (benefits) + $4,000 (equipment) = $103,915

This six-figure investment doesn’t even account for turnover risks, ongoing training, or the potential inefficiencies of relying on a single resource.

A Smarter, More Scalable Approach

Now, let’s consider an alternative approach: assigning some daily RMM tasks to a senior technician, providing a $10,000 salary adjustment, and outsourcing the reactive RMM administration to a specialized provider like MSP+.

The cost of outsourcing varies depending on provider, services, and pricing models. MSP+, for example, offers pricing starting at $20K annually. If we assume the cost of outsourcing key RMM functions is around $50,000 per year, that’s still significantly lower than hiring a dedicated in-house RMM administrator.

With this hybrid model, IT/MSPs maintain internal oversight while leveraging expert-level support, automation, and optimization—without the financial and operational strain of hiring full-time.

Making the Right Choice for RMM Administration

Mastering RMM Systems Administration is essential for IT/MSPs looking to optimize IT operations, improve service delivery, and drive long-term efficiency. However, deciding whether to hire internally or outsource isn’t a simple choice—it’s about finding the right balance between cost, expertise, and scalability.

As shown in the cost comparison, outsourcing key RMM functions while keeping internal oversight can significantly reduce expenses and improve operational efficiency. Instead of investing in a high-cost, fully dedicated internal hire, IT/MSPs can benefit from a hybrid approach—leveraging internal resources for strategic initiatives while relying on outsourced experts for complex automation, system maintenance, and reactive support.

By adopting a smart, scalable RMM strategy, IT/MSPs can ensure their systems are fully optimized, security risks are minimized, and IT services are delivered with maximum efficiency—all while keeping costs under control.