Documentation: the Heart of Efficient MSP Operations

When it comes to IT documentation, not all platforms are created equal.  To make the right choice, you need to know what to look for.

Documentation is the unsung hero of IT operations. It’s not sexy, but it touches everything that an IT tech does. MSPs that have upgraded from the world of word docs and wikis are unanimous and enthusiastic about the power of MSP documentation. But not all documentation solutions are created equal. Here’s how some of the channel’s documentation solutions stack up.

Excellent  = Excellent Fair  = Fair Poor  = Poor
Productivity IT Glue ITBoost Passportal Hudu
Centralized, Structured Documentation great adequate adequate adequate
Search (Asset/Client-specific & Global) adequate poor poor poor
Relationship Mapping great great great great
Multiple Housing Locations great poor great poor
Mobile App & Browser Extensions great poor adequate poor
Documentation Notifications great adequate adequate adequate
Website Load Speed great adequate adequate adequate
Checklists & Checklist Templates adequate poor poor adequate
Documentation Reporting & Runbook great poor adequate poor

I am a one man MSP. Keeping client information handy and secure is a major priority for me. IT Glue allows me to quickly access client info and add or make changes easily. Being able to do a global search is a million times better than the spread sheet model I started with.
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David S., MSP Owner

Overall, I have been very happy with the product. It has allowed our team to become noticeably more efficient as all documentation is now stored in a centralized location.
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Elias P., Centralized Services Administrator
Automation IT Glue ITBoost Passportal Hudu
# of PSA Integrations 7 2 3 7
# of RMM Integrations 19 13 7 0
# of Other Integrations 22 12 0 8
Granular Integration and Deduplication Logic great adequate adequate adequate
Automated Network Visualization & Documentation adequate poor poor poor
Automated Runbook & Account Export adequate poor adequate adequate
Office Cloud Editor great poor poor poor
Open API great poor adequate adequate
Documentation tied to Workflows with PSA/RMM adequate adequate poor poor

IT Glue's documentation platform is second to none for us. It has made it easy to put in the procedure guides our techs need every day, and it has made it easy to keep track of client's assets. One of the biggest things has been the integrations with our other platforms, and those have been massively helpful as it has saved us countless hours.
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Chris M., Chief Strategist & vCIO
Security IT Glue ITBoost Passportal Hudu
SOC 2 Compliant (Type I or Type II) great poor fair poor
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) great great great great
Single Sign-On (SSO) great great poor great
User Roles & Permissions fair fair fair fair
Host-Proof Hosting great poor fair poor
OTP Generator great poor great great
Audit Trail & Version Control great great fair great
Password Management fair fair great fair
Password Reporting fair poor great poor

Security is high when you are storing password/docs since multifactor authentications are enabled. 24/7 support is highly responding and sharing users to view the dashboard to monitor the incidents and updating until the issue get back to normal.
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Mahesh Chathuranga R., Service Delivery Manager

This a the place to go when you need to get access to confidential info on the fly. You can upload documents and give all employees or specific employees access to them so they don't get stuck waiting if I'm not available. This tool helps us manage data and has an authentication requirement for additional security.
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Danielle P., Administrative Assistant
MSP, Service Desk & Client Collaboration IT Glue ITBoost Passportal Hudu
Collaborate with other MSPs or Service Desk great poor poor poor
Client Collaboration — Passwords great poor fair fair
Client Collaboration — Documentation great poor poor fair

Well thought out, easy to use, and intuitive software. Designed for MSPs and every piece of information for a client fits in a specific location (and relates to others).
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Derek S., Service Manager

Works perfectly for documenting all our our client sites Can tie passwords to Assets. For our larger sites, being able to document every aspect of the network, allows our team of techs to find all the information they need.
Capterra Review

Verified Capterra Reviewer
Partnership & Culture IT Glue ITBoost Passportal Hudu
Product & Engineering Maturity great poor fair fair
Continuous development Cycle great fair fair fair
Direct Product Team Engagement (Ideal Portal, Surveys, Interviews, etc) great poor poor fair
Knowledge Base great fair fair fair
Education & Certification Resources fair poor poor poor
Documentation Dashboard fair great poor fair

It's easy for us to collaborate, not only with our own team, but with our customers as well! IT Glue has been useful when onboarding a new client, keeping track of renewals and inventory, as well as creating our own knowledge base.
Capterra Review

Jessy S., Systems Analyst

This software makes it easy for us to keep all our KB (knowledge base) information in one place. It's awesome that there are places to enter specific client information, so we are more likely to make note of that info; it's a good reminder. I like that you can link documents to other documents.
Capterra Review

Hannah W., Administrative Assistant

If you’re serious about improving your IT operations with smart documentation, get a quick demo of IT Glue and see for yourself why there really is no other viable option.

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What to Look for in a Documentation Platform?

What are the key things you need to look for in a documentation platform to help maximize the value it provides for your MSP.

1. Any documentation tool worth considering has to have a few basic features. It has to be structured and centralized. Without structure you can’t scale and without centralization you can’t enforce adoption. Structure makes it easy for you to find what you’re looking for. Centralized means you have a single source of truth, rather than 10 of them. Furthermore, you need to be able to access this single source of truth, whether in your office or at a client site. Information you can’t find just doesn’t have the same value.

2. Your documentation platform needs to prioritize automation. If the time it takes to build out your documentation is greater than the time saved by using it, you’re not getting value. A truly valuable documentation solution needs to integrate with the tools you use, and should ideally have an open API so that you have free reign to automate as much documentation as possible.

3. Security has got to be priority number one. Compromising on security to save a few bucks could very well be the worst decision you ever make. You’re storing a lot of valuable information in your documentation platform, and MSPs are increasingly targeted in cyberattacks specifically for this information. A documentation solution that’s not investing in a full range of security features shouldn’t get anywhere near your short list.

4. You’ll want a solution that’s going to grow with you. The most viable solution will a sizeable (and growing), dedicated development team and a continuous development cycle. These are key signs of a mature product, one that will not only be there with you on your journey, but will continue to get better as you go.

5. You can’t reach cruising altitude if you don’t have a documentation culture in your MSP. The support you get from your documentation provider should include an extensive Knowledge Base for self-service, certification or education programs so your techs can build expertise and have clear visibility into how and when your entire team is adopting and utilizing your documentation solution.

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