MSP Terminology & Concepts
Overview
Managed Service Providers (MSPs) use a specialized vocabulary that can be confusing for newcomers. This skill covers common terminology, acronyms, and concepts used across the MSP industry and its tooling ecosystem.
Core Platforms
PSA - Professional Services Automation
The central business management platform for MSPs. Handles:
- Ticketing and service desk
- CRM (companies, contacts)
- Contracts and billing
- Project management
- Time tracking
- Reporting
Examples: Autotask, ConnectWise Manage, HaloPSA, Syncro
RMM - Remote Monitoring and Management
Platform for monitoring and managing client IT infrastructure:
- Device monitoring
- Alerting and notifications
- Remote access
- Patch management
- Scripting and automation
Examples: Datto RMM, NinjaOne, ConnectWise Automate, Kaseya VSA
Documentation Platform
Centralized IT documentation:
- Passwords and credentials
- Network diagrams
- Configuration records
- SOPs and runbooks
Examples: IT Glue, Hudu, ConnectWise IT Boost
Service Terminology
Ticket Types
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | Incident | Unplanned interruption to service | | Service Request | Standard request from user | | Problem | Root cause of multiple incidents | | Change | Planned modification to infrastructure | | Alert | Automated notification from monitoring |
Service Levels
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | SLA | Service Level Agreement - contractual service guarantees | | Response Time | Time to first technician acknowledgment | | Resolution Time | Time to fully resolve the issue | | MTTR | Mean Time To Repair/Resolve | | MTTD | Mean Time To Detect |
Ticket Workflow
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | Triage | Initial assessment and categorization | | Escalation | Moving to higher-skill resource | | Dispatch | Scheduling on-site visit | | Resolution | Issue fixed, pending verification | | Closure | Ticket completed and archived |
Contract Types
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | MSA | Managed Services Agreement - ongoing monthly services | | Block Hours | Prepaid hour bank for ad-hoc support | | T&M | Time & Materials - pay-as-you-go billing | | AYCE | All You Can Eat - unlimited support for fixed fee | | Per-Device | Billing based on device count | | Per-User | Billing based on user count |
Technical Terms
Infrastructure
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | AD | Active Directory - Windows identity management | | DC | Domain Controller - AD server | | DNS | Domain Name System | | DHCP | Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol | | VPN | Virtual Private Network | | VLAN | Virtual Local Area Network | | NAS | Network Attached Storage | | SAN | Storage Area Network | | UPS | Uninterruptible Power Supply |
Cloud Services
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | M365 | Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) | | Azure AD | Azure Active Directory (now Entra ID) | | AWS | Amazon Web Services | | GCP | Google Cloud Platform | | SaaS | Software as a Service | | IaaS | Infrastructure as a Service | | PaaS | Platform as a Service |
Security
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | MFA | Multi-Factor Authentication | | 2FA | Two-Factor Authentication | | SSO | Single Sign-On | | EDR | Endpoint Detection and Response | | XDR | Extended Detection and Response | | SIEM | Security Information and Event Management | | SOC | Security Operations Center | | MDR | Managed Detection and Response | | PAM | Privileged Access Management |
Backup & Recovery
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | BDR | Backup and Disaster Recovery | | BCDR | Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery | | RPO | Recovery Point Objective - acceptable data loss | | RTO | Recovery Time Objective - acceptable downtime | | DR | Disaster Recovery | | HA | High Availability |
MSP Business Terms
Financial
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | MRR | Monthly Recurring Revenue | | ARR | Annual Recurring Revenue | | ARPU | Average Revenue Per User | | Gross Margin | Revenue minus direct costs | | Utilization | Billable hours / available hours | | Effective Rate | Revenue / hours worked |
Operations
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | NOC | Network Operations Center | | SOC | Security Operations Center | | L1/L2/L3 | Support tier levels | | POD | Team of technicians assigned to accounts | | vCIO | Virtual Chief Information Officer | | TAM | Technical Account Manager | | QBR | Quarterly Business Review |
Service Desk
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | FCR | First Call Resolution | | AHT | Average Handle Time | | CSAT | Customer Satisfaction Score | | NPS | Net Promoter Score | | Ticket Aging | Time ticket has been open | | Backlog | Unresolved ticket count |
Vendor-Specific Terms
Autotask/Kaseya
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | Queue | Ticket routing bucket | | Resource | Technician/user | | Account | Company/client | | Contract | Service agreement | | Opportunity | Sales prospect |
ConnectWise
| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | Board | Ticket routing area | | Member | Technician/user | | Company | Client organization | | Agreement | Service contract | | Opportunity | Sales prospect |
Common Acronyms Quick Reference
| Acronym | Full Term | |---------|-----------| | AD | Active Directory | | API | Application Programming Interface | | BCDR | Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery | | BDR | Backup Disaster Recovery | | CI | Configuration Item | | CMDB | Configuration Management Database | | CRM | Customer Relationship Management | | EDR | Endpoint Detection and Response | | ERP | Enterprise Resource Planning | | FCR | First Call Resolution | | ITIL | IT Infrastructure Library | | ITSM | IT Service Management | | KPI | Key Performance Indicator | | MFA | Multi-Factor Authentication | | MRR | Monthly Recurring Revenue | | MSA | Managed Services Agreement | | MSP | Managed Service Provider | | NOC | Network Operations Center | | PSA | Professional Services Automation | | QBR | Quarterly Business Review | | RMM | Remote Monitoring and Management | | RTO | Recovery Time Objective | | RPO | Recovery Point Objective | | SaaS | Software as a Service | | SLA | Service Level Agreement | | SMB | Small and Medium Business | | SOC | Security Operations Center | | T&M | Time and Materials | | vCIO | Virtual CIO | | VPN | Virtual Private Network |
Related Skills
- Vendor-specific terminology in respective plugin skills