Why Automation Is So Important for MSP Technicians! | EP 015

Podcast Transcript: Why Automation Is So Important for MSP Technicians

Host: Connor Swalm
Guest: Kyle Spooner

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Connor Swalm: Welcome to Gone Phishing, a show diving into the cybersecurity threats that surround our highly connected lives. Every human is different. Every person has unique vulnerabilities that expose them to potentially successful social engineering. On this show, we'll discuss human vulnerability and how it relates to unique individuals. I'm Connor Swalm, CEO, Phin Security, and welcome to Gone Phishing.

Connor Swalm: Hey, everyone. Join me in welcoming Kyle Spooner aboard for another episode. We've been talking about MSPs (managed services providers) and MSP technicians. Today we're going to talk about automation. How are you doing?

Kyle Spooner: I am doing extremely well and I absolutely love automation.

Connor Swalm: I love automation. So, really broad question: what is automation?

Kyle Spooner: Automation is basically something that happens automatically based on a trigger or a function, like someone doing something, and it's just a set of repeatable tasks that the automation goes through each time to complete.

Connor Swalm: For those listening, we talked about managed services providers, which are people that do all the things your business needs to run that you probably don't have the skills to do, like cybersecurity, IT, infrastructure, networking, cabling, and more. We also talked about the people at those companies—MSP technicians—and the jobs they have. Automation ties into this because many of the things you'll do are very similar, like password resets. If you could do it once and then automate the rest, you just saved yourself a lot of time.

So, how would automation be beneficial to MSPs? Can you give us some use cases?

Kyle Spooner: This is an interesting topic because a lot of MSPs don't put as much into automation as they need to. They consider it not as beneficial. Many think of it as something that costs them money instead of generating profit, which is surprising. If you spend more time automating the tasks your helpdesk teams work on, the whole process becomes more efficient. You need less staff, and you can get more clients with the same amount of staff because you can do more. Not everyone has that philosophy, and it takes a while to convince people because they don't see the profitability in it. I think we should do all the automation we can.

You can do a lot with automation, like automated backup checks. Most backup tools utilize frame data you can email into a ticketing system, and you can report off that and have it automatically flag warnings or errors. That's a type of automation. You can even use APIs to log into systems, identify errors, and fix them automatically, depending on how much time you want to invest in that specific automation.

You can automate tasks that are repeatable from the helpdesk, like password resets or new user creations. Each client might have a slightly different user creation process, but you can automate that by outlining the process and putting it in your RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) or RPA (Robotic Process Automation) platform. The client can even provide the necessary data—first name, last name, email address, job title, etc.—and all that can be automated, saving countless hours. But not many people want to put the effort in to do it.

Connor Swalm: For everyone listening, what's an RMM and what's an RPA?

Kyle Spooner: An RMM is a remote monitoring and management platform—applications like NinjaOne, ConnectWise Automate, or Synchro. They have an agent on the machine and allow you to execute commands, which is how automation generally works. They can run things like PowerShell, Bash, or batch scripting to automate things on the machine. They also monitor for things like event logs, memory, errors, etc. An RPA platform is a process automation tool. You build a giant if-then statement tree to automate processes, like creating a username, assigning licenses, and so on. For most clients, it's the same process, and for unique clients, you adapt as needed.

Connor Swalm: You mentioned that investing in automation is a hotly debated topic. Why is it debated?

Kyle Spooner: People don't see the value in it because the most expensive thing in an MSP is the employees. If they're not closing tickets, they're not making clients happy, and they're costing money. But if we're wasting time closing tickets that could be automated, you can build scripts or use your RMM or RPA platform to automate repeatable processes. Instead of spending 30 minutes on a process each time, you press a button and it's done for you. Over time, this exponentially increases your profitability.

Connor Swalm: It sounds like there's debate over how much investment is required to automate versus how much time you save.

Kyle Spooner: It's a lot. You're spending hours troubleshooting and making sure it works—it's software development and DevOps. You're doing development work and making sure it works within your environment.

Connor Swalm: What are some areas that would be ripe for automation, besides password resets?

Kyle Spooner: Everything is technically a repeatable process. For example, the classic IT question: "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" That's a repeatable process. Your helpdesk is full of automation opportunities. Incentivize your technicians, especially higher-level techs, to automate what they've done. That way, lower-level techs can press a button and have the same effect as a higher-level tech.

Connor Swalm: Where should companies start?

Kyle Spooner: Start by picking out the toolset you'll use and have someone dedicated to it. You can't have someone part-time in the application and expect full utilization. Most RMM platforms are cumbersome and complicated, and it takes an expert to deal with them. Even automated patching requires setup, testing procedures, and someone to own the process. You don't want to roll out patches without testing, as bad patches can cause major issues. Once someone is comfortable with the system, you can bring more people into it.

Connor Swalm: When I first got into this industry, I was surprised by how there are companies that sell tools and entire industries built around being experts at those tools, just to consult and help set them up correctly.

Kyle Spooner: Yes, there are consultants for all the RMMs out there, and you can even hire from the company itself. It's a lot to put on half a person's shoulders at a minimum.

Connor Swalm: That's why managed service providers are needed—you're not going to have someone in-house who can do all that.

Kyle Spooner: Exactly. Our proactive department is up to five or six people now.

Connor Swalm: What's one piece of advice you'd like to give to anyone listening about what we talked about today?

Kyle Spooner: Join the community. It doesn't have to be MSP-specific. Connect, get to know people, ask questions, and help others.

Connor Swalm: I can attest that if you're willing to help yourself, the community is willing to help you. Most people I've met have been incredibly helpful. Conferences feel like getting together with old friends. Thank you for joining me, Kyle.

Kyle Spooner: Anytime.

Connor Swalm: Thank you all for listening. This was another episode of Gone Phishing, joined by our special guest, Kyle Spooner. If you want to find out more about high-quality security awareness training campaigns and how to launch them to engage employees, check us out at Phin Security. Thanks for phishing with me today and we'll see you next time.