Predictika · Managed-services platform quotes

An AI sales agent's N-central quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a monthly quote for a managed service provider: device licenses in Professional or Essential mode, add-ons such as patch management, AV Defender and EDR, a Take Control remote-access edition, a managed detection and response tier, a term and a discount. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of N-able N-central licensing and returns a verdict, every reason and the monthly net it computed.

Scope: N-able N-central device licenses (Professional and Essential mode) with patch management, AV Defender, EDR, Take Control and Take Control Plus, and the Managed ITDR, MDR Standard and MDR Advanced tiers. See everything this validator covers

This validator models N-able N-central quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • License modes — a minimum order of 10 devices; remote control, scheduled tasks and SNMP monitoring only on Professional-mode devices; patch management and AV Defender only on Professional-mode devices; and a 15-day minimum period before a license mode change.
  • Security and remote access — EDR on no more endpoints than are licensed, MDR endpoints that all have EDR, Managed ITDR only with Microsoft 365 users, technicians only with a Take Control edition, and mobile connections only on Take Control Plus.
  • Discount, term and total — a manager's approval for discounts above 15 percent (a hard limit of 25 percent), terms other than 12, 24 or 36 months, estates over 5,000 devices, and the monthly total the quote states against the total computed.

Any N-able N-central quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: other N-able products, taxes and onboarding services. Product and edition names come from public N-able documentation; the prices and most limits are modeled (see the note at the foot of the page).

The AI sales agentBuilds the quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Add-ons that exist only for some device modesOnly with care
Each add-on needs a rule that compares its device count with the devices in the mode it supports, and the list grows with every add-on.		Device counts per mode and per add-on are in one request and compared on every call.
Coverage that cannot exceed another countOnly with care
EDR, patching and MDR each need a rule that compares one count with another, kept in step as the estate changes.		All the counts are fields of one request and are compared on every call.
An option that needs a particular editionOnly with care
Mobile connections and technicians depend on the Take Control edition, so each needs a rule keyed to the edition.		The edition, the technicians and the mobile option are checked together on every call.
A stated total that must match the computed totalOnly with workarounds
The monthly net is built from many device and add-on lines less a discount, so a separate rule is needed to recompute it and compare it with the stated figure.		The stated monthly net is a field of the request and is compared with the computed monthly net on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The quote licenses 9 devices in total; the minimum order is 10 devices.
220 Essential-mode devices are planned for remote control; remote control is not available in Essential mode, only Professional.
35 Essential-mode devices are planned for scheduled tasks; Essential devices cannot be used in scheduled tasks.
410 Essential-mode devices are planned for SNMP monitoring; SNMP monitoring needs Professional mode.
5Patch management is quoted for 501 devices but only 500 devices are in Professional mode; Windows patch management is a Professional-mode feature.
6AV Defender is quoted for 501 devices but only 500 devices are in Professional mode; the AV Defender add-on needs Professional mode.
7EDR is quoted for 601 endpoints but the quote licenses only 500 Professional-mode devices (plus Essential devices).
8Connecting to Android and iOS devices needs Take Control Plus; the quote does not include that edition.
9The quote lists 8 Take Control technicians but no Take Control edition.
10MDR covers 441 endpoints but only 440 have EDR on the quote; every MDR endpoint needs EDR.
11Managed ITDR is for Microsoft 365 identities and the quote lists no Microsoft 365 users.
12The quote gives a 20 percent discount; a manager should approve discounts above 15 percent.
13The quote gives a 30 percent discount; the maximum is 25 percent.
14The quote states a monthly net of 389,900 cents; the line items add up to 390,000 cents.
15A licence mode change is requested 10 days after the last one; licences have a 15-day minimum period, so the original licence stays billed until it ends.
16The quote licenses more than 5,000 devices; a person should confirm capacity and onboarding.
17The term is 18 months; standard terms are 12, 24 or 36 months.
18The quote licenses 5 devices in total; the minimum order is 10 devices.
192 Essential-mode devices are planned for remote control; remote control is not available in Essential mode, only Professional.
20Patch management is quoted for 20 devices but only 5 devices are in Professional mode; Windows patch management is a Professional-mode feature.
21MDR covers 5 endpoints but only 0 have EDR on the quote; every MDR endpoint needs EDR.
22The quote gives a 40 percent discount; the maximum is 25 percent.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Device modes, coverage and discount: A 125-device quote with remote control on Essential devices, patching and EDR beyond the licensed devices, mobile connections and a 30 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote 5 Professional servers, 80 Professional workstations, 40 Essential devices, with remote control on 15 Essential devices, patch management on 150 devices, EDR on 200 endpoints, Take Control for 4 technicians, mobile connections, on a 12-month term with a 30 percent discount, for a monthly net of $885.50. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Remote control on Essential devices. 15 Essential-mode devices are planned for remote control; remote control is not available in Essential mode, only Professional.
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  • Patch management beyond Professional devices. Patch management is quoted for 150 devices but only 85 devices are in Professional mode; Windows patch management is a Professional-mode feature.
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  • EDR on more devices than licensed. EDR is quoted for 200 endpoints but the quote licenses only 85 Professional-mode devices (plus Essential devices).
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  • Mobile connections need Take Control Plus. Connecting to Android and iOS devices needs Take Control Plus; the quote does not include that edition.
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  • Discount beyond the maximum. The quote gives a 30 percent discount; the maximum is 25 percent.
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2. Device modes, coverage and discount: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 5 Professional servers, 80 Professional workstations, 40 Essential devices, with patch management on 85 devices, EDR on 125 endpoints, Take Control Plus for 4 technicians, mobile connections, on a 12-month term with a 15 percent discount, for a monthly net of $888.25. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. 85 Professional-mode devices and 40 Essential-mode devices; monthly net of 88,825 cents (illustrative prices).
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3. MDR, remote access and mode change: A 120-workstation quote with MDR Advanced, six Take Control technicians and a license mode change after 10 days

    
The agent's request. Please quote 120 Professional workstations, with EDR on 100 endpoints, 6 Take Control technicians, MDR Advanced on 150 endpoints, on a 12-month term, changing the license mode 10 days after the last change, for a monthly net of $3,010.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Technicians without a Take Control edition. The quote lists 6 Take Control technicians but no Take Control edition.
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  • MDR endpoints without EDR cover. MDR covers 150 endpoints but only 100 have EDR on the quote; every MDR endpoint needs EDR.
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  • Licence mode change inside 15 days. A licence mode change is requested 10 days after the last one; licences have a 15-day minimum period, so the original licence stays billed until it ends.
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4. MDR, remote access and mode change: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 120 Professional workstations, with EDR on 100 endpoints, Take Control for 6 technicians, MDR Advanced on 100 endpoints, on a 12-month term, for a monthly net of $2,500.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. 120 Professional-mode devices and 0 Essential-mode devices; monthly net of 250,000 cents (illustrative prices).
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5. Very large estate: A 5,220-device quote with Managed ITDR on an 18-month term and a 20 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote 20 Professional servers, 5,200 Professional workstations, with Managed ITDR, 4,000 Microsoft 365 users, on an 18-month term with a 20 percent discount, for a monthly net of $28,560.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Discount above 15 percent. The quote gives a 20 percent discount; a manager should approve discounts above 15 percent.
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  • Very large estate. The quote licenses more than 5,000 devices; a person should confirm capacity and onboarding.
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  • Non-standard term. The term is 18 months; standard terms are 12, 24 or 36 months.
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  • Quote summary. 5,220 Professional-mode devices and 0 Essential-mode devices; monthly net of 2,856,000 cents (illustrative prices).
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6. Very large estate: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 20 Professional servers, 4,800 Professional workstations, with Managed ITDR, 4,000 Microsoft 365 users, on a 24-month term with a 15 percent discount, for a monthly net of $29,325.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. 4,820 Professional-mode devices and 0 Essential-mode devices; monthly net of 2,932,500 cents (illustrative prices).
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a monthly quote for a managed service provider: device licenses in Professional or Essential mode, add-ons such as patch management, AV Defender and EDR, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of N-able N-central licensing and returns a verdict, every reason and the monthly net it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote 5 Professional servers, 80 Professional workstations, 40 Essential devices, with remote control on 15 Essential devices, patch management on 150 devices. It is ready to send. The rest of the request is on screen.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with five findings, all in one answer. 15 Essential-mode devices are planned for remote control; remote control is not available in Essential mode, only Professional. Patch management is quoted for 150 devices but only 85 devices are in Professional mode; Windows patch management is a Professional-mode feature. EDR is quoted for 200 endpoints but the quote licenses only 85 Professional-mode devices (plus Essential devices). The other two are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned five blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for add-ons that exist only for some device modes, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the EDR endpoints to 125, the devices with patch management to 85, the Take Control edition to Take Control Plus, the discount to 15 percent and the monthly net stated on the quote to 888.25. It removes the essential devices for remote control.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All five earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Five problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.