Microsoft 365 Management Software for MSPs: CyberDrain CIPP Gains Early Adopters
Kelvin Tegelaar, founder, CyberDrain
A new Microsoft 365 management tool for MSPs — called CyberDrain Improved Partner Portal (CIPP) — apparently is catching on with scores of early adopter partners across the managed services provider market. Moreover, NinjaOne is an early backer of the effort, the MSP software company confirmed to ChannelE2E.
CIPP is an open source, multi-tenant management project for Microsoft 365, according to CyberDrain founder Kelvin Tegelaar.
Take a closer look, and CIPP might fill an MSP software management void that sits somewhere between traditional RMM (remote monitoring and management) software and the Microsoft Azure Lighthouse platform, ChannelE2E believes.
Indeed, the CIPP project is a way to help MSPs with administration, with user management, and deploying an MSP’s own preferred standards, Tegelaar told ChannelE2E.
CIPP for Microsoft 365: Capabilities for MSPs
“It’s not a replacement for security tools, or a way to cut costs on specific subscriptions,” Tegelaar added. “The tool should assist you in removing the gripes with standard partner management and save you several hours per engineer per month.”
More CIPP details are in this video:
Early chatter about CIPP sounds upbeat. The project reached 300 active users in its first month of availability. The product is free to use, but also has an optional sponsorware component. Deeper details about CIPP are here on Github.
Updated December 1, 2021: NinjaOne — a major provider of automation and management software to MSPs and IT departments — is backing CIPP. “NinjaOne is supporting Kelvin and his efforts to build CIPP as a foundational sponsor. The investment reflects the company’s commitment and support to the MSP community and builders everywhere,” a spokesman for NinjaOne told ChannelE2E.
Microsoft 365 Management, Monitoring and Security Tools
Meanwhile, multiple management, monitoring and security tools for Microsoft 365 and Office 365 are emerging in the market.
Examples include startups such as Augmentt and SaaS Alerts. Augmentt is led by N-able veterans Derik Belair (CEO) and Gavin Garbutt (chairman). SaaS Alerts is led by Kaseya and Thrive veteran Jim Lippie (CEO).
Also of note is N-able’s work with Microsoft Intune. The N-able work is designed to simplify Microsoft-oriented multi-tenant tasks for MSPs.
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the pointer to CIPP. Sounds really cool and valuable for MSP’s, I am definitely going to check that out.
What do you think is so noteworthy of N-able’s efforts to integrate with Intune? It doesn’t even work… 🙁 N-able is really behind, unfortunately, N-central really sounds like an old-world RMM. Which is too bad, we have invested heavily over the last 12 years and the product is really worth the money for conventional RMM, but it’s not fit for the new world…
Keep up the good work, Joe!
Regards, René
René: Thanks for your note and readership. I mention the N-able/Intune effort because of the following context: Generally speaking, the major MSP software providers have most often partnered with small/midsize software companies that work in and around the MSP sector.
Relationships with IT giants are also part of the ecosystem — but sometimes they feel a bit more distant. But every time I check in with N-able, they specifically mention the ongoing work with Microsoft and Cisco, among other giants. So, I get the sense that N-able is working hard to build closer relationships with IT giants. Of course, that’s a purely anecdotal observation (i.e., my opinion formed by multiple conversations).
Best,
-jp