N-able Exec On New AI-Powered Developer Portal: ‘It Puts Data At Your Fingertips’

‘The portal makes it easier than ever to create integrations, even between products that don’t have out-of-the-box compatibility,’ says Nicole Reineke, product manager of AI strategy at N-able.

N-able’s latest AI-powered developer portal acts as an AI assistant for MSPs, helping automate at scale, integrate seamlessly with N-able APIs and elevate IT and security services.

The tool, launched earlier this month, is designed to accelerate API (application programming interface) integrations, automate development tasks and enable custom script creation.

“The developer portal puts that data at your fingertips, making it easier to integrate with other products and systems,” Nicole Reineke, product manager of AI strategy at N-able, told CRN in an interview. “It allows you to connect tools that might not traditionally work together and makes your ecosystem more open and accessible, whether you're a coder or not.”

The developer portal is part of the Burlington, Mass.-based vendor’s open Ecoverse initiative, which looks to enhance the flexibility and scalability of its end-to-end IT management and cybersecurity platform. By automating integration processes, the portal enables IT service providers to streamline their workflows, reduce manual tasks and optimize service delivery.

“The portal makes it easier than ever to create integrations, even between products that don’t have out-of-the-box compatibility,” Reineke (pictured) said. “It’s about providing that flexibility and allowing you to build the connections that matter most to your business. It’s about creating an open ecosystem where integrations happen more easily, which is a big win for our partners and customers alike.”

N-able partner Brent Yax, CEO of Troy, Mich.-based Awecomm, said the portal is a “welcome addition” to his company as well as the broader MSP community.

“It supports our push for more efficient, tailored IT solutions enhancing our ability to integrate across tech stacks,” he told CRN in an email. “I’m eager to explore the portal's capabilities to hopefully speed up our innovation cycle and equip us with the tools needed to address our clients' evolving needs more effectively.”

Key features of the developer portal include, custom integrations, automation of repetitive tasks, access to advanced APIs for faster, more consistent service delivery, AI-powered search and code previews, more than 200 pre-built scripts for automation and an integration with N-able's Technology Alliance Program for expanded tech-stack flexibility

CRN spoke with Reineke about the new portal and how it will further help MSPs automate workflows and streamline operations.

What are the pain points the new developer portal aims to address for partners, especially around automating workflows and streamlining integration?

From speaking with our partners, we found that a significant number of them, around 80 percent, are still relying on scripts to handle tasks in their environments. These scripts are used to extract data from the N-able ecosystem and integrate it with other applications. But managing tens of thousands of scripts for reporting, API calls and sharing data across systems can be time-consuming and error prone. This is where our new portal comes in. By leveraging AI, we can automate much of this work. Now, users can type in a simple request, like wanting to pull asset information into Power BI, and the portal instantly generates the necessary code, saving hours of work. It’s really about making this process much faster and more efficient.

The portal isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” solution, so how does the AI-powered functionality cater to different partners and users?

The portal is designed to be incredibly flexible. Every user has different needs depending on their environment and the languages they’re familiar with. Whether you’re using PowerShell or JavaScript, you can tell the portal exactly what you need, whether it’s a script in a specific language or a task you need to automate, and it’ll generate the exact code you need, tailored to your preferences. This personalized approach makes sure that no matter your expertise or toolset, the portal works for you.

How does the AI search and discovery feature within the portal improve the developer experience compared to traditional API documentation?

Traditional API docs can be overwhelming, lots of HTML pages filled with information you have to sift through manually. Our portal uses a large language model to power the search, allowing you to describe what you’re looking for in plain language. The AI then returns relevant results including the right code snippets. On top of that, we’ve integrated a “Try Me” feature where you can test the code within the portal itself. You can input your data and see if the code works in real-time, which eliminates much of the guesswork and frustration that really comes with working through API documentation.

How does AI determine which scripts or solutions to suggest, and how customizable are these recommendations for developers working in different IT environments?

AI uses a standard large language model to understand the context of your request and suggest the most relevant solutions. Instead of just presenting you with one possible answer, it shows you a variety of potential solutions and related documentation. This gives developers a more holistic view of their options and ensures that the solution is tailored to the specific question they’re asking and to their particular environment.

How does the developer portal align with N-able’s broader strategy for collaboration with partners?

It’s all about transparency and openness. A lot of companies lock their data behind closed systems, but we really believe that you should have full control and visibility into the data you’re collecting. The developer portal puts that data at your fingertips, making it easier to integrate with other products and systems. It allows you to connect tools that might not traditionally work together and makes your ecosystem more open and accessible, whether you're a coder or not.

What steps has N-able taken to ensure the security and compliance of the data shared through the portal?

Security is a top priority. All of the data shared through the portal is encrypted and stored securely behind firewalls. When you generate a script through the portal, you’ll run it within your own protected environment. So while the portal streamlines automation, the actual execution happens within your secure systems, ensuring that there are no security risks.

What’s your message to MSPs about how this portal will help their operations?

Our message to MSPs is clear, we’re here to help you scale your business and focus on what really matters, like security and providing great service to your clients. With the developer portal, we’re making it easier than ever for you to access and automate the data you need with minimal effort. Our goal is to help you be as successful as possible, and this portal is a big part of that. It’s about helping MSPs reduce manual work and leverage automation, all while maintaining transparency and control.