Level Platforms Introduces NOC, Help Desk Services

RMM platform provider Level Platforms launching a new NOC and help desk services in conjunction with the release of its Workplace 2012 offering in February.

Remote monitoring and management software provider Level Platforms Inc. is launching a Network Operations Center (NOC) and Help Desk service to coincide with the release of its Managed Workplace 2012 at its February road show event which will visit 17 cities.

LPI CEO Peter Sandiford told Channel Insider that the decision to run its own NOC and help desk services came from the desire to integrate services more tightly with LPI’s existing offerings, coupled with the need expressed by MSP partners to have a comprehensive and affordable service available to them. It comes after five years of working to outsource those services to third parties with inconsistent results.

The new offering will be provided through LPI itself and technicians will be based in the United States, Canada and India. By working with technicians in lower-cost labor markets, LPI will be able to provide a service that is cost-competitive, Sandiford said. But quality remains a priority as well, Sandiford said.

"Whenever we talk to partners about these services, there’s been a list of six or seven things holding them back," Sandiford said. "For instance, being able to speak with North American people and to have a detailed discussion about the issues and how to resolve them. And the ability to have compete central triage."

Sandiford said that LPI’s new services will answer those concerns that have held partners back. In addition, these new services will enable MSPs to seamlessly integrate these offering to complement the skills of existing in-house experts.  That means customers won’t be able to recognize where the MSP’s service ends and LPI’s begins.

Level Platforms said in a statement that the NOC and HD services will enable MSPs to white label them, adding to their remote monitoring, remediation and support offerings.

The addition of a NOC and help desk answers competitive challenges from vendor Continuum, formerly known as Zenith RMM, whose CEO Michael George had claimed his company had the only true managed service offering since it was the only one that operated its own NOC and help desk.

Level Platforms’ work with a variety of NOC providers over the years made it clear that the best approach was to integrate tightly with a single NOC that it operated itself, according to the company. The approach was welcomed by partners.

"Level Platforms new NOC service fills the missing gaps that MSPs have long been looking for," said Andy Harper, CEO, Gaeltek, LLC, in a prepared statement. "I have used other NOC and HD providers and have been working with the Level Platforms team as they developed their services offering. Robert Berndt, VP of Services at Level Platforms and his team, have spent the necessary time to understand the needs and opportunities for service providers leveraging Managed Workplace RMM."

And what’s next for LPI? Don’t be surprised to hear them talk during the February road show about their initiatives to extend their managed services offering to cover mobile devices, something that many MSPs have been asking for, too.