Evaluate

Evaluate KEEP

This page explains what evaluating KEEP actually involves, from before you start to how you'd end it, so there's nothing left to guess. It is a procedural reference, not a sales pitch.

Fit

Is KEEP right for your MSP?

KEEP is built for managed service providers monitoring more than one client network, and for IT teams monitoring a single network of their own. It is not a helpdesk, a backup solution, or a compliance-certifying authority. (Source: KEEP architecture documentation) For the complete picture of who KEEP is designed for, and who it isn't, see Why KEEP.

The Evaluation Program

Staff-provisioned, time-bounded, not a production commitment.

An evaluation is its own bounded arrangement, not a quiet start to a paid deployment. It runs on a fixed-term license issued specifically for evaluation, and nothing about being in evaluation changes what data stays local or what reaches KEEP — see Security & Data Ownership. (Source: KEEP Evaluation Program documentation)

Moving to a paid subscription is a deliberate, separate step — it reuses the same deployment rather than starting over, but it does not happen automatically, and it isn't available until your evaluation term ends. (Source: KEEP Evaluation Program documentation)

If your evaluation term ends before you convert, the monitoring screens become unavailable until you do — you can still sign in to upgrade. (Source: KEEP Evaluation Program documentation)

Prerequisites

Evaluation prerequisites

(Source: KEEP architecture documentation)

KEEP runs as a containerized workload on a supported Linux/Docker host, physical or virtual — it isn't tied to a specific hardware vendor. The supported evaluation installation path today is Ubuntu 22.04 LTS with Docker and the documented Node v24 (via NVM) prerequisite the installer expects. Other stable Linux/Docker hosts may work, but they're outside the supported evaluation path. (Source: KEEP architecture documentation)

Outbound internet access is required to activate and register the deployment before it begins normal operation. (Source: KEEP Evaluation Program documentation)

Before installation begins, KEEP issues an Evaluation ID and a deployment token directly to you — this isn't a self-service signup. See How KEEP Works for how this fits into the broader evaluation flow. (Source: KEEP Evaluation Program documentation)

Installation

What is installed

A KEEP Hub is installed as a software deployment, either on hardware KEEP ships or on your own hardware or virtual machine. If you're monitoring more than one client site, one Spoke is installed at each additional site. (Source: KEEP architecture documentation) Nothing is installed on the individual devices KEEP monitors. See How KEEP Works for the full architecture.

During Evaluation

What happens during evaluation

Installation activates and registers the deployment before anything else happens — see How KEEP Works for that step in detail. Once registration succeeds, the deployment's first scan of a client network is treated as unverified evidence, not an accepted baseline, until a qualified person reviews and approves it. (Source: KEEP architecture documentation) Normal monitoring begins after that review.

All three of Merlin's AI-assisted surfaces are fully implemented but still gathering real-world validation, which is exactly what the Founding Evaluator Program exists to do. See Merlin for what it is, and Capabilities for current status.

Data

What data is collected

Data collection during an evaluation works the same way it does in normal operation — nothing about being in evaluation changes what stays local or what reaches KEEP. (Source: KEEP architecture documentation) For the complete account of what stays on your own infrastructure and what reaches KEEP's Control Plane, see Security & Data Ownership.

Support

What support to expect

Installation is designed to complete without KEEP's engineering team needing to intervene. (Source: KEEP Evaluation Program documentation)

Ending an Evaluation

Ending the evaluation

If you decide not to continue, a complete removal procedure exists for the software and data on your own infrastructure, and it has been verified against a real evaluation installation. (Source: KEEP Evaluation Program documentation) For the full removal process — including the one open question about your account record on KEEP's Control Plane — see Security & Data Ownership.