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This guide shows MSP staff how to read the Standards matrix: which statuses mean what, how the deployment percentage is calculated, and how to reach the Planner work behind a cell. Company users should read Standards work in Planner instead.

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Before you start

  • You need Standards read access and the Client Health feature turned on for your tenant. Reading the matrix does not let you change it.
  • Define categories and standards first in Settings > MSP Tools > Standards. Without them the page shows No standards configured.
  • Standards records the status your team sets. It does not scan devices or confirm that a product is installed.

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Find a company and standard

1

Open Standards

In the sidebar, open MSP Tools > Standards.
2

Check the company selector

The selector at the top of the app limits which companies load into the matrix.
3

Search for the company

Type the name in Search companies… in the matrix header.
4

Read across the row

Find the standard under its category header. Scroll sideways to see more columns.
5

Clear the search

Delete the text in Search companies… to see all loaded companies again.
Child companies appear as their own rows. Each row has its own statuses, so a parent’s status does not describe its children.
Branch preview: the clearer deployment legend and retained Standards tabs below are being verified before release.

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Read the status symbols

The legend labels colored dots as Deployed · [name] plan. The name is configured by your MSP; for example, CyOp is a plan name, not another deployment status. Ask the person who manages Standards settings what that plan includes. The legend’s * = optional standard explains the asterisk beside an optional column name.
Branch preview of the Matrix legend explaining the optional-standard asterisk.

Branch preview: the optional-standard legend and a synthetic Acme matrix row.

When the White space and Opportunity tabs are available, switching between them and Matrix preserves your search and table filters. Changing the company selector resets those controls for the new scope. If a company has a target tier, a tier badge appears next to its name. Hover the badge to read it. The target tier is set in Standards tiers. Standards that do not apply because of a company’s device platform or a company field rule cannot be changed. Hover the cell to read the reason.

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Read the deployment percentage

The summary above the matrix shows a percentage and a deployed/required count. It follows the company search and company scope, and it skips excluded companies.
  • Each Required standard counts as one check, unless it is N/A or Declined.
  • A 1 of N category counts as one check. Any deployed member meets it, and deploying several does not add checks.
  • Optional standards show as deployed/total optional and do not change the percentage.
  • Counts for N/A, declined, unclassified and below target appear next to the percentage when they apply.
For example, three deployed checks, one In Progress check and one N/A check give 3/4 required, or 75% deployed. The N/A check is outside the count.
Marking a standard N/A, recording a decline, or excluding a company can raise the percentage without deploying anything. Read the N/A and declined counts next to it. 0/0 required means no required check applies to that result.
The same percentage feeds the Standards dimension of Client Health. The Client Health score uses all non-excluded companies and refreshes on its own schedule, so it can differ from a filtered matrix.

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Open the Planner work behind a cell

1

Click a status cell

A cell with a linked Planner item opens that item. A cell without a link does nothing.
2

Or click a company name

This opens Planner List View filtered to that company’s Standards items.
3

Review the item

See Read a Planner item for dates, status and notes. Standards work in Planner explains how Standards statuses map to Planner statuses.

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See what the right-click menus do

1

Open the help

Click the question-mark button next to the legend. It opens Right-click actions.
2

Read the three scopes

Right-click a status cell for one standard at one company. Right-click a company name for all that company’s standards. Right-click a column header for one standard across companies.
3

Close the help

Press Escape.
Standards help explaining status-cell, company-row and standard-column actions.

The built-in help explains the three menu scopes.

Opening a menu does not save anything. Choosing a status or exclusion does.
A column’s Mark all companies as action ignores the company search. It covers every non-excluded company in the loaded scope, including rows the search hides.

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Show excluded companies

Excluded companies are hidden by default.
1

Click Show N excluded

The button appears above the matrix when at least one company is excluded.
2

Find the faded rows

Excluded rows show an Excluded badge and a crossed-out name.
3

Click Hide N excluded

This hides them again. It does not change any company’s exclusion.
To change an exclusion, see Exclude or include companies in Standards.

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Make changes

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Troubleshooting

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Frequently asked questions

No. It is the status your team recorded. Check device health in your inventory and security tools.
The standard is deployed but no deployment option is selected, so it has no tier. It does not tell you whether the company’s target tier is met.
Yes. A deployed option can sit in a lower tier than the company’s target. It stays Deployed and shows a red ring.
No. Declined means the company turned the standard down. N/A means it does not apply. Neither counts as deployed, and both leave the required count.
The category counts as one required check. Any one deployed member meets it.
No. They show separately as deployed/total optional.
The summary follows the matching rows. Clear the search to see the full loaded scope.
No. Each row shows its own recorded statuses.