Circle Cloud cuts ticket response time in half with Datto RMM

Fast, personal service is Circle Cloud’s model

Circle Cloud delivers IT support and cybersecurity for small and medium-sized businesses across the UK from its base in Stockton-on-Tees. Aidan Bennison, Managed Services Team Leader, runs the service desk while staying hands-on with the same tools his technicians use every day.

That closeness matters, because Circle Cloud’s clients expect fast answers and visibility into their own environment. The service desk needed tools that let technicians move quickly while keeping the context to explain, resolve and report on every issue.

The RMM was creating friction

Before Datto RMM, Circle Cloud used ConnectWise Automate and briefly tried ConnectWise RMM, while retaining ConnectWise PSA throughout. The PSA already anchored the ticket queue, but the friction was the endpoint management experience around it. Basic automation, patching and reporting tasks were hard to configure, and even a completed task was hard to verify.

“Simple tasks were proving hard to do, and when they were done, it was hard to confidently say that they were actually working,” said Bennison.

Circle Cloud needed an RMM that improved endpoint operations without disturbing the ConnectWise PSA processes its technicians already knew.

Why Circle Cloud chose Datto RMM

Circle Cloud evaluated NinjaOne alongside Datto RMM . The deciding factor was how Datto RMM combined ease of use through dynamic device filters and user-defined fields (UDFs). Filters update automatically as endpoint attributes change and can target reports, monitors, jobs and patch management. UDFs let the team capture device data outside the standard audit, then filter on it to set additional targeting criteria.

The team used UDF-backed workflows to flag devices still running classic Outlook or Teams, assess Windows 11 readiness and log the exact reason a device failed an upgrade check.

“The main workflow was the ability to filter devices and servers and sites based on criteria we could set. It made automations, patching and reporting really easy.”

Bennison

Datto RMM feeds directly into the existing service desk

Datto RMM alerts now create tickets directly in Circle Cloud’s ConnectWise PSA service desk, with the client, device and diagnostic context attached, plus a link straight into the corresponding device or alert in Datto RMM. A technician starts in the familiar PSA queue, opens the ticket and moves directly to the endpoint. No separate search for the client, site, device or alert.

Round-trip ticketing closes the matching Datto RMM alert when a PSA ticket closes, or closes the PSA ticket when the alert resolves in Datto RMM, based on configured statuses.

“The integration itself was really quick and easy to set up. It took me no time at all,” said Bennison.

One RMM change, no PSA disruption

Circle Cloud was able to improve endpoint operations without rebuilding ticketing processes the service desk already understood. Patching and reporting were set up quickly, and technicians began automating tasks they had previously struggled with. The team felt confident on the new RMM within the first month, and a newly hired technician found a client site, opened a device and reviewed server CPU metrics after a single walkthrough.

“It was really easy to implement. It brought a lot of stuff to the table, covered everything we previously had, and everybody liked it from day one. Within the first month, we were very confident with it.”

Bennison

Faster tickets, more capacity, better patch compliance

Recently, over five weeks, Circle Cloud closed approximately 61% of tickets within the first hour, up from approximately 31% across three earlier comparison periods. An estimated 35% of alerts now resolve and close automatically. Low disk space, for example, can trigger a monitor, run an approved cleanup and clear the issue before a technician steps in.

The integration also removed low-value requests from the queue. Circle Cloud previously fielded up to five device-health report requests a week; those are now scheduled automatically or handled through direct technical-contact access. The same connected data feeds quarterly service packs, combining Datto RMM reporting with ConnectWise PSA ticket data so account managers can review completed work and service performance with clients.

After 2.5 years of Datto RMM implementation, the managed estate grew over 70%, from roughly 700 to 1,200 endpoints and from around 36 to between 56 and 60 managed-service clients. Three technicians carried most of that growth before a fourth joined for cover and future capacity.

A multi-day fix resolved in 20 minutes

After a Microsoft-related change, around 10 users at one client were locked behind BitLocker recovery prompts, and the expected recovery information wasn’t available through Microsoft’s management service. The team initially expected several PCs might need to be rebuilt.

Because Circle Cloud had already configured a Datto RMM workflow surfacing the relevant recovery information, technicians could identify affected users in ConnectWise PSA, locate the matching devices in Datto RMM and restore access directly.

“What I thought was going to be 10 new PCs having to be sent out took us under 20 minutes to sort out.”

Bennison

A focused upgrade, not a full stack change

Circle Cloud treated this as a focused upgrade, not an all-or-nothing stack decision. It kept its existing PSA, replaced the endpoint management layer and connected alerts, tickets and device actions through one integration. Circle Cloud’s experience shows a practical path for MSPs who want to upgrade endpoint management without a disruptive, full-stack overhaul.

“It’s not a scary thing to do,” reflected Bennison.

Ready to upgrade your RMM? See how Datto RMM connects endpoint monitoring, automation and action to the service desk your team already uses.