AI For Msps Scaling Network Monitoring Services

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) face increasing complexity as they scale client network monitoring: more clients, more devices, and more security concerns. Enter the Free Network Monitor Assistant—an AI-powered partner that makes it easier for MSPs to deliver high-quality, scalable network monitoring for their clients. In this blog, we’ll walk through a simulated conversation showing how an MSP can use the Assistant’s functions to streamline onboarding, proactive network checks, security scans, and fast incident response across multiple client sites.

Let’s see the process step by step!

---

To begin, an MSP wants to start monitoring a new client’s main office firewall, a set of remote branch routers, and several critical application endpoints. The goal is unified, proactive visibility—without juggling dozens of dashboards.

User: I have a new client. I want to add their main firewall (fw-clientA.example.com), branch router (router-branch1.example.com), and application site (appA.example.com) to be monitored. I want the firewall and router monitored via ICMP, but check HTTPS health for the app site. Alerts should go to [email protected].

Assistant: Great! We’ll set these up for you. I’ll use add_host for each device, specifying the preferred monitoring endpoint and your MSP email for alerts.

To accomplish this, the Assistant would make the following function calls:

```json

{"name": "functions.add_host", "arguments": {"detail_response": true, "address": "fw-clientA.example.com", "endpoint": "icmp", "email": "[email protected]"}}

```json

{"name": "functions.add_host", "arguments": {"detail_response": true, "address": "router-branch1.example.com", "endpoint": "icmp", "email": "[email protected]"}}

```json

{"name": "functions.add_host", "arguments": {"detail_response": true, "address": "appA.example.com", "endpoint": "https", "email": "[email protected]"}}

Each call uses add_host to register the necessary network device for AI-driven monitoring, specifying the protocol suited to the target (ICMP for ping, HTTPS for web health, etc.). The email parameter ensures any detected anomaly or downtime triggers an alert directly to the MSP’s ticketing system.

After successfully adding these hosts, the Assistant would confirm:

Assistant: All your client’s key devices are now being monitored. You’ll receive alerts at [email protected] if anything goes offline or their HTTPS site is unreachable. Would you like to enable additional checks—for example, SSL certificate expiration or execute security scans?

The MSP decides to enhance the security for the client’s web application:

User: Yes, I want a regular SSL/TLS configuration check on appA.example.com and would like a vulnerability scan for their firewall, just in case.

Assistant: I’ll set up an HTTPS endpoint check to monitor for certificate issues, and request our Security Expert to scan the firewall using Nmap.

Here’s how the Assistant would proceed:

```json

{"name": "functions.edit_host", "arguments": {"detail_response": true, "address": "appA.example.com", "endpoint": "https"}}

```json

{"name": "functions.call_security_expert", "arguments": {"message": "Perform an Nmap vulnerability assessment for fw-clientA.example.com to verify its external security posture. This action is authorized by the MSP.", "agent_location": "Scanner - EU"}}

This approach leverages edit_host to fine-tune what’s being monitored on the application site, and call_security_expert to instruct the AI to use best-practice Nmap scanning on the firewall.

Monitoring at Scale: Reviewing Health Across Client Sites

The Assistant isn’t just for setup—it helps the MSP manage large environments with continuous oversight.

User: Can I see the current health of all hosts I’m monitoring for this client?

```json

{"name": "functions.get_host_data", "arguments": {"detail_response": true, "email": "[email protected]", "dataset_id": 0}}

The get_host_data function compiles up-to-the-minute status for all devices tagged with the MSP’s alert email, helping prioritize any issues, from outages to response time spikes.

User: I want to pause monitoring for router-branch1 while it undergoes maintenance.

Assistant: I’ll temporarily disable monitoring and re-enable it after your maintenance window.

```json

{"name": "functions.edit_host", "arguments": {"detail_response": true, "address": "router-branch1.example.com", "enabled": false}}

This edit_host call disables checks on the branch router—no more noisy alerts while maintenance is in progress.

---

By combining these AI-powered actions, the Free Network Monitor Assistant gives MSPs the efficiency edge: rapid onboarding, hands-free 24/7 health and security checks, granular controls, and scalable management for every client. MSPs can spend less time on routine admin and more on delivering value.

Ready to scale your managed services? Try the Free Network Monitor Assistant and experience effortless, AI-driven network monitoring across all your clients today!