Marius Mihalec (pictured) is CEO of Pulseway, a provider of remote monitoring and management software.

From mobile phones to wearable technology, it seems that every industry has been revolutionized by the ability to get health stats, hail a taxi, exchange vacation homes, shop, pay bills, or monitor home security from a device in our pockets.

New research from GetApp has found that more than 90 percent of small-business owners and managers polled place importance on the availability of a mobile app so they can use their software "on the go.” In some cases, mobile apps have become the tool that replaces the need for a fixed place of business.

It’s no different for IT management with the evolution of system monitoring solutions that allow any size business to monitor systems with remote monitoring and management (RMM) and proactively solve issues before they impact customers. In the RMM space, this means the ability for an IT administrator or managed services provider to monitor IT systems from their mobile devices anytime, anyplace.

To maximize effectiveness of remote monitoring, here's a list of the top five considerations for a successful mobile-first approach to IT management:

1. Robust Monitoring. With the evolution of mobile, BYOD and wearable technology, IT is responsible for monitoring and managing more devices than it ever has. Whether it’s a Windows, Mac, or Linux operating system running IP cameras, security systems, switches, routers, firewalls, load balancers, IP phones, or networked printers, even small businesses must be able to monitor and manage a large number of apps, devices and servers.

2. Early Notification. Small businesses that rely on a small IT staff or an MSP to provide monitoring services need to be notified immediately of any systems issues, preferably before their customers know. The evolution to mobile IT means that IT admins should be able to receive alerts 24/7 wherever they may be, whether they’re driving home from work or sitting at a coffee shop, at 2 a.m. or over the weekend.

3. Ability to Take Immediate Action Remotely. In addition to receiving alerts anytime, anywhere, it's important to be able to respond to notifications immediately and take action to solve the problem. Remote IT staff or MSPs should look for an RMM solution that enables you to take action from your phone or mobile device without having to be connected to the network. Whether it’s rebooting a server or applying a patch, the bottom line is to take corrective action immediately, before customers are impacted or even know there’s an issue. This requires very fast reaction time from an MSP, which, in turn, makes it successful.