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RMM vs PSA: what's the difference?
RMM manages computers; PSA manages the work and the billing. Learn what each does, when you need both, and when a help desk is enough.
RMM (remote monitoring and management) software manages the computers: monitoring, remote access, patching, software and automation. PSA (professional services automation) software manages the business of IT: tickets, time tracking, contracts, quotes and invoices. MSPs usually need both. Internal IT teams often need RMM plus a help desk, not a full PSA.
Side by side
| RMM | PSA | |
|---|---|---|
| Main question it answers | Are the machines healthy, patched and secure? | What work is open, who's doing it, and who pays for it? |
| Core features | Agents, monitoring, remote control, patching, software deployment, automation, inventory | Ticketing, SLAs, time tracking, contracts, quotes, invoicing, client portal |
| Typical users | Technicians, system administrators | Service desk, dispatchers, account managers, finance |
| Typical pricing | Per device or per technician | Per technician or per user |
How they work together
The value comes from connecting them. An RMM alert, like a disk filling up, opens a ticket. The ticket shows which computer it's about. A technician opens a remote session from the ticket, fixes the problem, and closes it. For an MSP, the PSA then records the time and bills it to the right contract.
Do you need a PSA?
- You're an MSP that bills clients for time or contracts: yes. Invoicing, contracts and time tracking are what a PSA is for.
- You're an internal IT team: usually not. You need a help desk: a queue, email-to-ticket, a portal, assignment and reports. A full PSA adds billing features you won't use.
- You're a very small team: start with RMM and a simple help desk, and add more when you feel the gap.
Where Optanik fits
Optanik is RMM, and Optanik Support is its help desk: email-to-ticket, a customer portal, teams and round-robin assignment, reports, and tickets linked to the computer they're about. An Optanik automation can open a ticket, and a technician can take remote control or isolate the device from the ticket itself. It doesn't do invoicing or time billing, so MSPs that bill by the hour will still want a PSA.
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