SuperOps.ai and Atera: A Comparative Review of IT Management Platforms

SuperOps review

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test. SuperOps is a diverse RMM and PSA tool that allows businesses and MSPs to manage endpoints, patch them, and also solve ticketing queries. It comes with several project management tools that help you streamline day-to-day work, and it has also recently introduced network monitoring and IT documentation functions. Founded in 2020, SuperOps is relatively new in the industry. However, it has quickly caught everyone's eye, owing to its unique technician-based pricing and intelligent AI alerting features. It's also quite easy to set up and has won 17 awards at the recently concluded G2's Winter 2023 announcement, including badges such as Best Support (small business), High Performer, and Easiest Setup. In this in-depth SuperOps review, we'll discuss some of its best features, support options, ease of use, security, and, of course, its value for money. What we liked the most about SuperOps' pricing is that there's a plan for distinct needs - PSA and RMM. So, if you only need RMM functions, you can choose the Standard plan at $99/license/month. On the other hand, if you only need PSA functions, you can choose to pay for just that: $79/license/month. Each license covers 150 endpoints. So, the RMM cost boils down to $0.66/endpoint/month, which is very affordable, making it ideal for large teams with lots of endpoints. Plus, if you have more than 150 endpoints, you can buy an additional endpoints pack at $75 for 150 endpoints per month. However, if you're a small business and have only 20-30 systems, you'd still have to pay $99/month, since there's no option to add an individual endpoint - you have to purchase the entire lot. So, SuperOps can quickly become expensive for startups and small businesses. If you're looking for both PSA and RMM functions, you can get SuperOps' Pro or Super plan, costing $129/license/month and $159/license/month, respectively. Even better, there's also a 14-day free trial, which will allow you to test the tool's various features risk-free before committing. We'll now discuss the most notable SuperOps features. Automation One of the best features of SuperOps is the degree of automation you get with its policy management functions. This lets you set up policies that help you define a framework to monitor all the assets you manage. There are two types of policies: hierarchal and group-based. A hierarchal policy allows you to create a policy set for an asset on the global level, which can be overridden at a client, site, or device level. You can configure both alerts and patch management for Windows and Mac assets. Alerts SuperOps lets you set up rule-based alerts for events on the client's device and even configure auto-remediation actions. For example, you can create an alert when the free disk space on a device goes below a specific level. What's more, you can also define the action that needs to be taken: deleting temp files, creating a ticket, or sending an email to a technician. Similarly, you can automate patch management by pre-defining approval configurations and deployment schedules with various conditions. Schedule actions We also liked the scheduled actions feature under SuperOps' policy management. You can schedule scripts to be executed at specific times (once a day, week, or month). While SuperOps offers a handful of default scripts, you can also build a custom script from scratch, either for all your clients, a specific client, or even a particular asset. Antivirus integrations Taking security a notch higher, SuperOps lets you connect antivirus solutions with the platform. Currently, there are four antivirus integrations available: Webroot, Bitdefender, SentinelOne, and Emsisoft. Once you've successfully integrated the two platforms, you can create a policy to manage the antivirus software on the device. Each alert from the antivirus gets created as a ticket so that no security issues fall through the cracks. Intelligent Alerting Another feature that deserves special mention is Intelligent Alerting, which is an AI-powered alert mechanism that increases technicians' efficiency and productivity. When toggled on, Intelligent Alerting deeply understands your client's device - behaviors, schedules, and routines. It then builds patterns and identifies deviations from these patterns. These deviations or anomalies are then flagged as threats, based on their severity and priority. Intelligent Alerting goes a step ahead of traditional alert management. Here, you do not need to set up any conditions or criteria. All you have to do is toggle a button and choose the category where you want to enable AI alerts: CPU usage, memory usage, or disk usage. However, a caveat is that the system can take up to 25 days to fully analyze the target system and produce accurate alerts. SuperOps features a relatively clean, modern, and customizable home screen. It gives you a snapshot of various performance metrics, such as open alerts, patches, tickets due today, and all pending approvals. We also liked the 'mentions' widget, which lets you know if any client or team member has mentioned you in a ticket or internal note. The best part is that these widgets are completely customizable, and you can view the widget library from the top-right corner of the home screen and choose widgets that are of utmost importance to your role. Since SuperOps is a multi-dimensional tool, there's a separate 'Modules' tab on a sleek left panel. From here, you can select the function you want to work on: Asset management, client management, tickets, tasks, or projects. Overall, it can admittedly take a bit of time to get a hang of SuperOps' interface, especially if you haven't worked with RMM software before. However, once you learn the ropes, the platform is fairly easy to use. SuperOps complies with SOC II Type 2, HIPAA, and GDPR to ensure that sensitive business data is handled as per set regulations. Plus, the platform is hosted on a dedicated Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which complies with several assurance programs, such as SOC 1/ISAE 3402, SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS Level 1, FISMA, and DIACAP. Furthermore, all the data on the website is secured in private subnets and virtual firewalls that allow only pre-established transactions. Plus, SuperOps uses industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption to secure your data. There are also a lot of security control options you get as a user. For instance, you can enable two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access. You can also set up role-based access rules to ensure users can access only those parts of SuperOps that are necessary for their respective functions. SuperOps has a very detailed 'Help Center' page with numerous articles on various topics, such as client management, policy management, automation, reporting, etc. You'll also see a live chat option at the bottom of your screen, where you can connect to a human representative instead of a bot - super handy since live chat is often the most effective port of call for troubled users. There are also a lot of blogs, pre-recorded webinars, guides, community hubs, and podcasts, which give you a comprehensive insight into SuperOps' functions. Moreover, in the unlikely event that you do not find a solution to your queries, you can reach out to the customer support team through a phone call or email address. The customer service team is responsive and will promptly resolve any queries you might have. SuperOps is an excellent RMM software with extensive automation capabilities at just $0.66/endpoint/month, making it one of the most affordable options out there, especially for medium-sized and large businesses with lots of endpoints. Its Intelligent Alerting feature sets it apart from the rest. This feature learns the behavior of the endpoints and sends alerts if it finds any deviation from patterned behaviors, saving a lot of time for technicians. You can also automate patch management, build custom alerts, and set up hierarchical and group policies for asset management. If you're looking for a multi-dimensional tool that goes beyond RMM, SuperOps is a perfect pick. You get a dedicated PSA module, where you can manage service tickets, invoicing, quotes, and even manage your ongoing projects. Alternatively, if you want both RMM and PSA features, there are specific plans for that too. That said, SuperOps can be expensive for startups and small businesses with less than 30 endpoints due to its step-up pricing module - but you can leverage its 14-day risk-free trial to test it out for yourself.

Atera review

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test. Atera is RMM and PSA software that allows businesses and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to manage endpoints for various clients. Unlike other RMM platforms, Atera charges you on the basis of the number of technicians you have, rather than the endpoints. It also offers an AI assistant that helps you automate tasks and solve tickets, setting it apart from others in the industry. At the time of writing, over 12,000 customers, including Domino's, Sodexo, and Grant Thornton, use Atera to manage around 5 million devices. In this in-depth Atera review, we'll discuss its primary features, pricing, and overall performance. We'll also compare it with the competition to help you find out if it's the right choice for your business Atera's pricing structure is different from other RMM software on the market. It bills users on the basis of the number of technicians -- instead of the number of endpoint systems managed. This is beneficial for small businesses or MSPs where only a few technicians handle the entire endpoint management. There are two types of plans with Atera: one for IT departments and the other for MSPs. For instance, let's say you're an MSP handling 50 systems. If you choose an endpoint-based pricing structure, you can expect to pay anywhere between $150-500 per month ($2-10 per endpoint). However, with Atera, you'd only pay $258 for 50 endpoints (considering two technicians). Plus, Atera goes beyond traditional RMM functions and offers features like remote access, helpdesk and ticketing, network discovery, and patch management. This makes it a good value-for-money business tool for system monitoring. There's also a 30-day free trial, which you can avail of without entering your credit card details. This will allow you to try it out without risking a single penny. A downside of Atera is that its Action AI doesn't come included with any of the subscriptions - you'll have to contact the sales team to get a custom quote for this add-on. Atera lets you monitor system activities in real time and also offers automated alerts. You can get live data on metrics like system resources, logged-in users, network and IP health, and active directories, among others. Action AI A feature that truly sets Atera apart from the competition is its Action AI, available for both technicians (Copilot) and end users (Autopilot). Let's say you're an end user and facing issues with your printer. All you have to do is open Autopilot on your device and describe your problem using a simple text. The AI assistant will then run a check and suggest solutions. Next, you can click on the solution option to fix the issue. This saves a lot of time for technicians and end users, saving them the ordeal of raising a ticket, establishing a remote connection, and then fixing the issue. With Atera, the entire problem can be solved by the end-point user himself. The Copilot for technicians also works similarly. It can look for issues on the system and help you resolve the problem with just a click. However, since this is a paid add-on, it can increase the overall cost of system management. Automation Besides this, you can also automate a lot of redundant tasks, so your team can focus on more critical functions. For instance, routine tasks like deleting temp files, rebooting systems, running full system scans, and checking new updates can be handled automatically by Atera with the help of Scripts. Scripts are simple commands that help IT teams automate various processes. With Atera, you can either upload a custom script or choose one from its vast Shared Script Library. These readymade scripts can be further customized to suit your task. Even better, these are routinely checked for malware by Atera, making them safe to use. The platform supports formats such as MSI, Bash files, CMD files, and PowerShell. All connected devices get their own Customer Portal, which can be used to raise service tickets. These tickets are automatically synced with the Atera UI. The platform has also introduced AI ticker tagging, which recognizes support tickets based on keywords and auto-assigns them to the right technician for quicker response. You can even pull automated reports from Atera, which shows you metrics like total tickets resolved and average time taken to resolve issues. This helps gauge overall customer satisfaction and technician performance. Patch management Another area where Atera does an excellent job is patch management, which allows you to ensure that the software, hardware, and OS on your connected devices (Windows, MacOS, and Linux) are up to date. You can even automate patching and set schedules to regularly check for updates. Tasks such as disk defrag, scheduled reset, and cleanups can also be automated. The Patch Status Summary report shows you a summary of all patches and updates for servers as well as desktops. This way, you can quickly find out if any patches are missing. Network Discovery Atera also offers robust Network Discovery features that allow you to identify all the devices within a given network and simplify onboarding. This also gives you a detailed view of the network topology and efficient network management. You can even set up custom alerts for unmonitored servers, workstations, and SNMPs, and keep an eye on new devices and IP address changes. Integrations Last but not least, we were also impressed by the sheer number of integration options Atera offers. You can connect with Splashtop, AnyDesk, or TeamViewer to access systems remotely. Several accounting integrations such as QuickBooks and Xero and Calendar integrations like Google Calendar and Microsoft 365 Calendar are also available. Atera's dashboard serves as a single source of truth for technicians, with various widgets providing critical information on connected endpoints. For instance, you can check the live status of tickets: open, pending, due today, or overdue. Similarly, you can also see the number of alerts per customer, divided into three categories: 'Information', 'Warning', and 'Critical'. There's a widget showing you the number of online and offline devices and a map widget with the exact location of all managed devices. We also found a couple of bar charts showing the number of tickets opened and resolved over the past 7 days. The best part is that you can fully customize your dashboard: add, delete, or resize widgets as per your preference. Plus, there's a panel on the left-hand side with detailed information on tickets, customers, devices, and alerts. Overall, the interface is clean and easy to navigate, with no performance lags. Atera is a secure RMM and PSA platform, as it complies with ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018, and 27032, SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and HIPAA. Although Atera is not subject to PCI-DSS compliances, it still complies with them to protect its customers' card details. Additionally, the platform maintains detailed audit logs for account establishment and modifications, and you can also add multi-factor authentication to your accounts for increased security. What's more, managers can choose to impose role-based access control (RBAC) across devices. All your data on Atera is encrypted using industry-standard and rock-solid AES-256 encryption. It's also worth noting that although Atera uses third-party tech for its AI functions, it doesn't share any customer data nor does it use that data for training its own systems. Atera has a rich collection of training videos and articles and its web knowledgebase has several FAQs on topics like RMM, ticketing, billing, and reporting. Plus, Atera's YouTube channel has 50+ useful videos that will familiarize you with the product. Atera also offers 24/7 email and live chat support, and there's also an online form you can fill out for pre-purchase queries. Overall, there's no dearth of support options on Atera. Atera is ideal for small businesses and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) since it offers a per-technician pricing model instead of a per-end point, which reduces the overall cost of management. However, large businesses involving complex infrastructures may find Atera expensive. In that case, you can consider alternatives like NinjaOne. Although you'll have to contact their sales team for an exact quote, you can expect to pay $2-4 per endpoint. You also get 100+ monitoring templates with NinjaOne, which is the number one patch management tool as of the G2 Spring 2024 report. On the other hand, if you're a small business looking for a really affordable RMM product, consider TeamViewer. It offers a free plan, where you can connect unlimited non-work devices. Plus, it's easy to set up and use, making it ideal for beginners. Atera is certainly among the best RMM software out there, thanks to its AI assistant and easy-to-use and customizable dashboard. Atera's Action AI (Copilot and Autopilot) helps solve redundant and frequent system queries quickly so that technicians can focus on the complex issues at hand. Its per-technician pricing model makes it affordable for small businesses and MSPs. The best part is that Atera extends its functions beyond just remote system management and allows full-fledged helpdesk, billing, and reporting functions, besides robust patch management, and network discovery. We also like that it also offers ample integrations with existing business tools. That said, Atera can quickly become expensive for large businesses, where specialized technicians handle only a few complex systems. In that case, an endpoint-based pricing structure would be ideal.