For managed service providers (MSPs), IT service providers, and system houses, it is crucial to keep their customers' IT environments stable and secure. Many rely on RMM tools (remote monitoring and management) to centrally monitor, maintain, and control systems.
However, RMM alone does not guarantee comprehensive IT security. It ensures operational continuity—but not necessarily protection against cyberattacks. This is where a vulnerability management system (VMS) comes into play: it specifically checks the security situation, identifies vulnerabilities, and prioritizes measures before they turn into real security incidents.
What does an RMM do?
Remote monitoring and management solutions are now part of the basic equipment of professional IT services. They enable IT infrastructures to be operated proactively, regardless of where servers, workstations, or network devices are located. Through continuous monitoring, patch management, remote access, and central administration, they ensure smooth operation and enable rapid responses to malfunctions.
The strength of RMMs lies in ensuring operational stability. However, they primarily monitor the technical condition of systems, not their security status. Misconfigurations, outdated encryption standards, or unnecessarily open ports often remain undetected as long as they do not cause acute operational problems.
What makes a vulnerability management system different?
A VMS such as lywand specializes in the security analysis of IT environments. It not only checks whether systems are available and current, but also how securely they are actually operated. The entire IT infrastructure is analyzed—from domains and IP addresses to servers and end devices to other network components. This reliably identifies vulnerabilities, faulty configurations, and unnecessary attack surfaces.
A VMS evaluates the security gaps it finds according to their criticality and provides clear recommendations for action. These analyses are performed regularly and automatically, enabling MSPs to continuously and sustainably improve their customers' security situation.
Practical Example
A customer's employee installs third-party software “just for now” because they need it for a short period of time. After that, it is no longer used—and never updated again for months. The RMM does not have this software and its patches on its radar because it is a one-time installation outside the standard stack.
However, the vulnerability management system reveals that this outdated application now contains several critical vulnerabilities. This allows the IT team to respond in a targeted manner and remove or secure the software—before it becomes a gateway for attackers.
RMM vs. VMS – An Overview of the Differences
Aspect | RMM | Vulnerability Management System (VMS) |
|---|
Primary Task | Ensuring operational stability | Identify and reduce security risks |
Focus of Analysis | Availability, performance, accessibility | Vulnerabilities, misconfigurations & attach surfaces |
Working Method | Continuous monitoring | Periodic, in-depth security analyses |
Result | Functional systems | Hardened, resilient systems |
Why the Combination is Crucial
In practice, RMM and VMS complement each other perfectly. RMM ensures smooth operation, while VMS uncovers risks that often remain invisible in RMM. This allows operation and security to be considered together, recommendations for action to be implemented directly, and service quality to increase. For MSPs, this means creating transparency, strengthening customer trust, and securing a clear competitive advantage.
Lywand – the VMS for Managed Services Providers
Lywand was developed specifically for checking the IT security of small and medium-sized businesses. The platform is optimized for use by managed service providers, enabling them to analyze and improve their customers' security situation in an automated, efficient, and sustainable manner.
Lywand performs regular security checks, identifies vulnerabilities in systems, networks, and configurations, evaluates them according to criticality, and generates easy-to-understand reports. These reports are comprehensible to both IT teams and end customers – ideal for demonstrating the added value of your own managed security services.
In addition, lywand offers cross-customer analyses that provide valuable insights, for example in patch management. This makes it easy to see whether several customers are affected by the same problem. In such cases, scripts can be developed and rolled out centrally – lywand then shows in the next check whether the measure was successful. This ensures efficiency, consistency, and a sustainably improved security situation.
Conclusion
RMM tools are essential for maintaining stable IT operations. A vulnerability management system is equally indispensable when it comes to sustainable IT security. Combined, these two technologies provide holistic support that prevents downtime and reduces vulnerabilities.
For MSPs, this is not only a technical decision, but also a strategic one: they provide their customers with functioning and optimally protected IT environments – and position themselves as a reliable security partner.
