IT support & MSPs

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AI & automation for MSPs and IT support

Less ticket noise, more time for real problems

Managed service providers keep other businesses running, yet their own days are shaped by noisy alerts, repetitive tickets, starter and leaver requests and reports assembled by hand. Make It Flow looks at how an MSP actually works and connects the steps between PSA, RMM and documentation.

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AI and automation for IT support & MSPs · 49 sec

Understand the work

What a day inside an MSP really looks like

An MSP runs on two core systems. The PSA, such as ConnectWise PSA, Autotask or HaloPSA, holds tickets, contracts, time and billing. The RMM, such as NinjaOne, Datto RMM, N-able or ConnectWise Automate, watches endpoints and servers, runs scripts and deploys patches. Around them sit documentation platforms such as IT Glue or Hudu, backup consoles, security tools and vendor portals.

Most of the day is the service desk. Tickets arrive by email, phone, portal and chat: password resets, printers, a new starter on Monday, a mailbox that is full, a laptop that will not connect. Alongside them come RMM alerts for disk space, failed patches, offline devices and services that stopped, many of which resolve on their own and some of which matter a great deal.

Then there is the recurring operational work that clients rarely see: patching windows, backup verification, licence true-ups with Microsoft and other vendors, documentation updates and quarterly business reviews. When a security incident happens, everything else stops, and experienced engineers take over.

Service desk technician

Works the first-line queue, handles common requests and gathers information before escalating.

Escalation or project engineer

Takes the complex tickets, migrations and infrastructure work, and is the first call during incidents.

Service delivery manager

Watches SLAs, queue health and client satisfaction, and runs the operational meetings.

vCIO or account manager

Owns the client relationship, prepares QBRs, roadmaps and budgets, and spots upsell and risk.

Security lead

Manages security tooling, responds to alerts and incidents, and keeps policies and evidence current.

Every day

Tickets and RMM alerts flowing in, starter and leaver requests, password and access issues, backup job results and security notifications to review.

Every week

Queue reviews and stale-ticket clean-ups, scheduled patching windows, change approvals, project check-ins and documentation updates.

Every month

Licence reconciliation and billing, SLA and ticket reports, backup restore tests, vendor renewals and QBR preparation for key clients.

Where work gets stuck

The current way of working is full of small detours.

01

Alert noise that hides real problems

RMM tools generate a steady stream of alerts, many of them low priority or self-resolving. Technicians learn to skim, and the alert that actually matters can sit among dozens that do not.

02

Tickets that arrive missing everything

Users write "my computer is broken" with no device name, error or screenshot. The first reply is always a question, and the clock on the SLA keeps running while the technician waits.

03

Starters and leavers that touch everything

A new hire needs an account, licence, mailbox, groups, device and app access; a leaver needs all of that removed in the right order. Steps are missed, especially access removal, which is a security risk.

04

Licences that drift from reality

Seats are added for new users and not removed for leavers. Reconciling vendor portals with billing and actual users takes time, so it happens less often than it should.

05

Backups assumed rather than verified

Backup consoles report success or failure per job, but checking every client, investigating warnings and running restore tests is easy to postpone when the queue is busy.

06

QBRs built by copy and paste

Account managers pull ticket statistics, device ages, warranty dates and security posture from several tools into slides. The effort means reviews are thinner or less frequent than clients deserve.

What could flow better

Less chasing. More of the work that matters.

AI agents, assistants, research workflows and integrations can each take on part of the load. Here is where they fit for it support & managed service providers.

Service desk and ticket triage

Getting tickets classified, enriched and to the right person quickly.

  • Classifying tickets by type, client, urgency and contract
  • Adding device and user context from RMM and directory data
  • Asking the user for missing details before a technician picks it up
  • Drafting replies from the knowledge base for technician review

Monitoring and alert handling

Separating meaningful alerts from noise and acting within agreed limits.

  • Grouping related alerts into one ticket
  • Running approved, low-risk remediation scripts
  • Closing alerts that resolved on their own, with a log
  • Escalating alerts that match risk patterns

User lifecycle and access

Making onboarding and offboarding complete, consistent and recorded.

  • Turning starter and leaver forms into checklists
  • Preparing account, group and licence changes for approval
  • Confirming access removal across systems for leavers
  • Recording what was done in the ticket and documentation

Licences, patching and backups

Keeping the routine operational work verified, not assumed.

  • Comparing vendor licence counts with active users and billing
  • Summarising patch compliance after each window
  • Reviewing backup job results and flagging warnings
  • Scheduling and recording restore tests

Security operations

Supporting engineers with context while people own every decision.

  • Collecting alert details, affected devices and user activity
  • Preparing incident timelines for engineers
  • Tracking security tasks such as MFA coverage
  • Keeping incident and evidence records complete

Client reporting and documentation

Turning operational data into useful reviews and current documentation.

  • Drafting QBR packs from PSA, RMM and security data
  • Highlighting ageing devices and expiring warranties
  • Suggesting documentation updates after resolved tickets
  • Preparing monthly SLA and service reports

Use cases in detail

From trigger to done, step by step.

How it happens today

A dispatcher or first-line technician reads it, looks up the client and user, guesses the device, sets type and priority, checks whether it is covered by the contract and assigns it. If details are missing, they reply asking for them and wait.

Systems and information

  • · PSA such as ConnectWise PSA, Autotask or HaloPSA (via API)
  • · RMM such as NinjaOne, Datto RMM or N-able (depending on access)
  • · Documentation platform such as IT Glue or Hudu
  • · Contract and SLA definitions

How it could flow

  1. 1 Reads the new ticket and matches the sender to a client and contact in the PSA
  2. 2 Looks up the user's devices and recent alerts in the RMM, where integration allows
  3. 3 Classifies the request type and suggests priority using the MSP's own definitions and SLA rules
  4. 4 Sends the user a short request for missing details, such as device name or a screenshot, when needed
  5. 5 Drafts a first response or resolution steps from the knowledge base for common issues
  6. 6 Routes the ticket to the right board, queue or technician

Human oversight

Technicians review drafted replies and can override any classification. Anything mentioning suspicious emails, ransomware, data loss or a possible breach is routed straight to a person and never answered automatically.

What gets easier

Tickets reach technicians with the context already attached, priorities are applied consistently and fewer tickets wait on a first clarifying question.

How it happens today

Alerts create tickets or emails. Technicians open each one, check whether it is still happening, run a familiar script or restart a service, and close it. Repeated alerts for the same device create several tickets.

Systems and information

  • · RMM alerts and scripting
  • · PSA ticketing
  • · Approved remediation runbooks
  • · Logging and audit trail

How it could flow

  1. 1 Receives alerts from the RMM and groups related ones by device, site and time
  2. 2 Checks whether the condition has already cleared and records that before closing
  3. 3 Runs pre-approved, low-risk remediation such as clearing temporary files or restarting a named service, where policy allows
  4. 4 Re-checks the device after remediation and records the result
  5. 5 Creates a single ticket with history and suggested next steps when the issue persists
  6. 6 Escalates immediately when alerts match patterns the MSP has defined as high risk, such as security tooling disabled or unusual mass file changes

Human oversight

Only actions the MSP has explicitly approved are run automatically, each is logged, and engineers can pause automation at any time. Anything outside the runbook goes to a person.

What gets easier

Technicians see fewer, better-described alert tickets, routine fixes are applied consistently and the alerts that matter are harder to miss.

How it happens today

A technician works through a checklist, if one exists, creating or disabling accounts, assigning or removing licences, groups, shared mailboxes and app access, preparing or collecting devices, and updating documentation. Small steps are easily missed.

Systems and information

  • · Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace admin APIs (with scoped permissions)
  • · PSA ticket and client forms
  • · Documentation platform with role templates
  • · Line-of-business applications, depending on access

How it could flow

  1. 1 Turns the request form into a checklist based on the client's role templates and documented standards
  2. 2 Asks the requester for missing details such as job role, manager, start date or mailbox handling
  3. 3 Prepares the account, group and licence changes for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for technician approval
  4. 4 For leavers, lists every system where the person has access, according to documentation, and tracks removal of each
  5. 5 Records each completed step in the ticket and updates the user record in documentation
  6. 6 Confirms completion to the requester with a summary of what was done

Human oversight

A technician approves the changes before they are applied, and access changes for privileged accounts always need a named person. Client decisions such as mailbox retention or data handover are confirmed with the client.

What gets easier

Starters arrive to working accounts, leavers lose access across every system on time and there is a clear record of who changed what.

How it happens today

An administrator exports licence counts from each portal, compares them with active users and the client's agreement in spreadsheets, and corrects billing. With many clients, this slips to quarterly or happens only when someone complains.

Systems and information

  • · Microsoft 365 admin data and partner or distributor portals (via API or export)
  • · PSA agreements and billing
  • · Directory data
  • · Accounting software, depending on integration

How it could flow

  1. 1 Pulls licence assignments from Microsoft 365 and other vendor portals where APIs are available
  2. 2 Compares them with active users, recent leavers and the PSA agreement quantities
  3. 3 Lists unassigned licences, disabled users still holding licences and billing mismatches per client
  4. 4 Prepares suggested billing adjustments and licence changes for review
  5. 5 Records the reconciliation result against each client for audit

Human oversight

A person approves every licence removal and billing change, and client conversations about adding or reducing seats are handled by the account manager.

What gets easier

Billing matches reality more often, clients stop paying for unused seats and the MSP stops absorbing licences it forgot to bill.

How it happens today

A technician logs into backup consoles each morning, scans for failures and warnings, and opens tickets. Restore tests are planned with good intentions and often postponed.

Systems and information

  • · Backup platforms and their reporting
  • · PSA ticketing and scheduling
  • · Documentation platform for backup scope and retention
  • · Client reporting templates

How it could flow

  1. 1 Collects job results from backup platforms each day, where reporting or APIs allow
  2. 2 Flags failures, repeated warnings and protected systems that have not backed up recently
  3. 3 Opens a ticket with the job history when a problem persists beyond the agreed threshold
  4. 4 Maintains a schedule of restore tests per client and reminds the responsible engineer
  5. 5 Records restore test results and evidence for client reports

Human oversight

Engineers carry out restore tests and decide how to fix failing jobs. Changes to backup scope or retention are agreed with the client.

What gets easier

Backup health is visible every day, issues are picked up before they become emergencies and clients receive evidence that restores were actually tested.

How it happens today

Engineers jump between consoles to collect alert details, sign-in logs, affected devices and user activity, while also communicating with the client and keeping notes. The timeline is reconstructed afterwards from memory and screenshots.

Systems and information

  • · Endpoint detection and email security consoles (depending on access)
  • · Identity platform sign-in logs
  • · RMM and documentation platform
  • · Incident response plan and contact lists

How it could flow

  1. 1 Collects the triggering alert and related events from security tools the engineer points it to
  2. 2 Gathers device, user and recent sign-in context from the RMM and identity platform, within read-only permissions
  3. 3 Builds a draft timeline of events with sources linked
  4. 4 Keeps a running incident log as engineers record actions and decisions
  5. 5 Drafts a post-incident summary for engineers to review and complete

Human oversight

Security incidents are always led by people. Engineers decide on containment, isolation and recovery; clients and their legal or insurance contacts decide on notifications to regulators or affected individuals. The system only gathers and organises information.

What gets easier

Engineers spend less time collecting data and more time on decisions, and the incident record is complete and timely.

How it happens today

The account manager exports ticket stats from the PSA, device and warranty data from the RMM, security scores from various tools and pastes them into slides, then writes recommendations from memory.

Systems and information

  • · PSA reports and API
  • · RMM inventory and warranty data
  • · Security and backup platforms
  • · QBR template and client roadmap documents

How it could flow

  1. 1 Pulls ticket volumes, categories and SLA performance from the PSA for the period
  2. 2 Gathers device ages, warranty expiry, patch status and backup health from operational tools
  3. 3 Summarises security posture items such as MFA coverage, where data is available
  4. 4 Highlights recurring issues and ageing hardware that may affect the client's roadmap
  5. 5 Drafts the QBR pack in the MSP's template with sources for every figure

Human oversight

The vCIO reviews every figure, writes or approves the recommendations and decides what to present. Budget and roadmap advice remains a professional conversation with the client.

What gets easier

Reviews are grounded in real data, take less effort to prepare and can happen for more clients, not just the largest ones.

From one task to a connected system

From an alert or ticket to a better client review

In an MSP, daily tickets and alerts eventually become the story told in a QBR. This is how that chain can stay connected and documented.
  1. 01 Automated

    Alert or request

    RMM alerts are grouped and tickets are matched to clients and devices.

  2. 02 Automated

    Triage

    Type, priority and missing details are handled before a technician picks it up.

  3. 03 A person reviews

    Resolution

    Technicians work the ticket using drafted steps and documentation.

  4. 04 A person reviews

    Access changes

    Starter and leaver changes are prepared and approved before being applied.

  5. 05 People decide

    Security escalation

    Possible incidents go straight to engineers who lead every decision.

  6. 06 Automated

    Records

    Tickets, documentation and logs are updated with what was done.

  7. 07 A person reviews

    Reconciliation

    Licences, backups and patching results are checked and exceptions flagged.

  8. 08 People decide

    Client review

    The vCIO presents performance and recommendations to the client.

Responsible by design

What gets automated, what stays with people.

Can be automated

  • Matching tickets to clients, contacts and devices
  • Grouping RMM alerts and closing self-resolved ones with a log
  • Collecting backup and patch results daily
  • Gathering data for licence reconciliation and reports
  • Requesting missing details from users

AI prepares, a person checks

  • Drafted ticket replies and resolution steps
  • Account, group and licence changes before they are applied
  • Billing adjustments from licence reconciliation
  • QBR packs and monthly service reports
  • Documentation updates suggested from resolved tickets

Stays with qualified people

  • Security incident response, containment and notifications
  • Privileged access changes and firewall rules
  • Remediation beyond pre-approved runbooks
  • Technology roadmaps and budget advice for clients
  • Contract, SLA and pricing decisions

MSPs hold privileged access to many clients at once, and regulators increasingly treat them as critical suppliers: NIS2 covers medium and large managed service providers in the EU, and the UK is bringing MSPs into its NIS regime through the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill. Client contracts and privacy laws such as GDPR also apply, so check the rules where you and your clients operate and keep automation permissions narrow.

What this gives people back

Less managing the process. More doing the work.

Technicians who fix rather than sort

When tickets and alerts arrive classified and enriched, technicians spend their skill on solving problems instead of working out what the problem is.

Calmer on-call shifts

Fewer duplicate and self-resolving alerts mean the on-call engineer is woken for things that genuinely need them.

Confidence in the basics

Verified backups, reconciled licences and complete offboarding records let the team answer client questions with evidence.

Better client conversations

Account managers can spend QBR time on the client's plans and risks rather than on explaining spreadsheets.

Built around how you work

Your process first. Technology second.

Every MSP has its own stack, client mix and contracts. A small local IT support firm, a security-focused MSP and a provider serving regulated clients all draw the line between automation and human action in different places. What is feasible depends on the APIs your PSA, RMM and vendor portals offer, how well your documentation reflects reality, what client agreements allow and how much risk you accept.

Make It Flow starts by mapping how tickets, alerts and recurring tasks actually move through your team. We research options that fit your existing tools, design workflows with narrow permissions and clear approval points, log every automated action and improve the setup as your engineers see how it behaves in real use.

  1. 01Map the work as it really happens
  2. 02Find the steps worth automating
  3. 03Design with checks and approvals
  4. 04Connect, measure and improve

FAQ

Common questions from it support & managed service providers.

Still have a question?

Talk to us

Only the narrow, low-risk actions you explicitly approve, such as restarting a named service, and each one is logged. Account changes, privileged access and anything outside the runbook are prepared for a technician to approve.

No. It can collect alerts, logs and context and keep a timeline, but containment, recovery and notification decisions always stay with your engineers and the client.

It depends on how access is designed. We use scoped, least-privilege credentials, prefer read-only access where possible, avoid sending sensitive client data to services that are not approved, and log what the system does.

These platforms offer APIs, but what is possible depends on your edition and permissions. We check each tool's access before designing anything.

It is usually good at common request types and can be wrong on unusual ones. Technicians can override any classification, and those corrections help tune the rules over time.

Start with a high-volume, low-risk area such as ticket enrichment or backup result collection. Once the team trusts the results, move on to onboarding checklists and licence reconciliation.

Free tools

Tools picked for it support & msps.

Free, quick and mostly sign-up free. Each one opens on the main Make It Flow site.
All free tools for this industry
Password Generator Create strong random passwords or NCSC-style passphrases for client accounts, generated with the browser's secure random number generator. Hash Generator (MD5, SHA-256…) Check file downloads against published SHA-256 hashes, or create MD5 and SHA hashes and HMACs for scripts. URL Encoder / Decoder Encode and decode URLs and break a long link into its parts and query parameters when troubleshooting redirects. DMARC Record Checker Check whether each client domain has DMARC and what policy it enforces. A p=none record with no reporting address is common and gives no real protection against spoofed i... DMARC Record Generator Build a correct DMARC record with a reporting address and a sensible starting policy. Roll clients from none to quarantine to reject as reports confirm every legitimate s... SPF Record Checker Spot SPF records with too many lookups, duplicate records or a permissive +all. These are common on domains where several suppliers have each added their own include over... DKIM Record Checker Confirm Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace DKIM is actually enabled and published. Many tenants still have DKIM switched off because the CNAME records were never added. Email Blacklist Checker When a client says emails are bouncing, check their sending IP and domain against major blocklists. If listed, fix the compromised account first, then follow each list's... MX Lookup Confirm where a domain's mail actually goes before and after a tenant migration. Leftover MX records pointing to an old host can split incoming mail between two systems. Email Header Analyzer Paste headers from a suspicious email a client forwarded. It shows the real sending servers and SPF, DKIM and DMARC results, which helps decide whether it was a spoof or... DNS Lookup & Health Check Pull every common record type for a new client domain in one go. It gives you a quick inventory to document during onboarding. TLS Version Checker Check client web portals, remote access pages and mail servers for TLS 1.0 and 1.1 support, and plan upgrades where legacy versions are still accepted. SSL Certificate Checker Check expiry dates, hostname coverage and chain completeness on client sites and portals. Add expiry dates to your own ticketing system, as MakeItFlow does not send expir... DNS Propagation Checker After changing MX or nameservers during a migration, check propagation across resolvers so you can explain to users why some mail still arrives at the old system. Merge PDF Combine audit printouts, quotes and network diagrams into one client pack. Files are processed in your browser, which matters when documents contain client network detail... What Is My IP Address Your public IP address, the network it belongs to and what your browser shares with every site, plus a lookup for any IPv4 or IPv6 address Bulk Redirect Checker Paste or upload up to 100 URLs and see where each one really ends: every hop with its status code, chains, loops and temporary redirects, plus a match check against the t... XML to JSON Converter Turn RSS feeds, sitemaps, SOAP responses and other XML into clean JSON, or build XML from JSON, with full control over how attributes, arrays and namespaces are mapped WHOIS Lookup See the full public registration record for any domain: registrar and abuse contact, key dates, every status code in plain English, nameservers, DNSSEC and the raw record SSL Certificate & CSR Decoder Paste a PEM certificate, a full chain or a CSR to read every field in plain English, check that each certificate signs the next, and catch problems before you install it Subnet Calculator Enter any IPv4 or IPv6 address with a prefix or mask to get its network, host range, masks, address type and reverse DNS zone, then split it, plan VLSM subnets or summari... HTTP Headers & Compression Checker Enter a URL to see every response header it sends, whether gzip or Brotli compression is on and how much it saves, and what its caching headers tell browsers and CDNs Website Technology Checker Enter any website to find out which CMS, builder or store platform it runs on, the scripts and services it loads, and who hosts its website, DNS and email, with the evide... MTA-STS, TLS-RPT & BIMI Checker Enter a domain to validate its MTA-STS record and policy file, confirm the policy lists every mail server, check TLS-RPT reporting, and see whether BIMI is set up and all... Subdomain Finder Enter a domain to list the subdomains recorded in public Certificate Transparency logs, check which ones still resolve, and flag forgotten records that could be taken ove... Mixed Content Checker Enter a page address to find every resource it still loads over plain http://, see which ones browsers block or upgrade, and check whether each file is already available...

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