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If I Were Launching an MSP Now | Rick Thomas

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Business advice from industry experts.

Rick Thomas, founder and president of Reno, Nev.-based ProTechnical, shares three suggestions he’d apply if he were launching an MSP from scratch today:

1. Get involved in some type of peer group– Join a peer group that is strictly for IT providers, so that they work collaboratively and not competitively.

That typically means having to either have phone calls with other companies out of the area or even flying and meeting quarterly (that's what we do).

Quarterly, we meet with about twelve other companies and that moves across the country to different locations, different venues.

It has really been the biggest advantage for ProTechnical when we finally joined.

Talk about walking into something and going, "wow, I just found out I know nothing," when you think you knew it all.

You can't get that from your employees.

You will never get that from anybody locally, because they are in the same market, competing against you.

It is really an interesting phenomenon when you move out of your area into a different region and you're meeting in a place where there's nobody there in that zone that would be fighting for the business.

Everybody just freely talks about everything, from what they're paying themselves to what they're paying their employees, to what they're getting per seat, to what their vendors are charging them.

All of a sudden, you have this huge advantage to go back, say, to a distributor and say, "Hey, I thought I was getting a good deal. This guy in a like company is getting 70 cents a seat. I'm paying $1.10. What's going on with that?"

You've got bargaining chips and things you just never knew – and processes.

Everybody shares documents, whether they are Excel spreadsheets or PowerPoints or Word files.

That is huge.

With annual dues, having to pay to fly around four times a year, weekly phone calls - it seems like it's a lot.

But in the end, just joining this peer group has advanced us faster than any of the other years we were business.

2. Don't hire just locally, but not internationally– I think I would try to find people from different areas.

The difficulty with that is, if I'm starting an MSP today from the ground up, it's difficult to get someone to relocate from another state to my company, when there's really no history on this company.

People early on will interview us as we're interviewing them because they want to make sure that if they're leaving a job, they are going somewhere that's going to stay in business.

If I already had a track record, I would be looking at professionals anywhere in the country, and really looking at expanding that.

Look who's out there, who's interested in coming to work for a technical company and how you can lure them. 

When I say “stay local,” I mean stay within the U.S. borders.

You can hire people working remotely too, and then you can bring them in.

Staying within the U.S. is huge.

We did try the offshore. There are a lot of IT companies that still do this, and MSPs, too.

In the end, any customer-facing technician needs to have a command of English language in America.

I don't care how good someone is in their English in India, in the Philippines, or anywhere else.

There's a way that people think.

There are very bright and sharp people but they are wired differently, probably due to upbringing and culture.

It's not that easy to speak to somebody just because they know English.

You don't get the coding that happens when people are interacting with each other here.

So, that could be a block.

There are many things that globalization works to help us in, but within reason.

3. Be certain that you've completely vetted out your PSA solution– You want to have a PSA that is going to be able to scale with your company.

It needs to be able to integrate with your company.

I've learned over the years, if you give somebody a tool and it's not easy to use, they will not use it, no matter how hard you try to convince them use it because people use what's familiar – what works.

There's a very big PSA out there, the leader – the tool is so cumbersome, that people won't use it effectively.

When you're not using your PSA effectively, you can't report properly and you can't inspect what you expect.

And then you have a problem: You have a machine that you're putting information in and it's not spitting it out the way it's supposed to, or people aren't putting information in that you need.

Definitely spend time to demo and vet out the best PSA because for an MSPs, the PSA is the core – it's our heart.

Without the PSA, I don't care what you have in the system; nothing will work.

It is the core of the business.

Don't try to do it with QuickBooks or the spreadsheet or Outlook.

It's just not going to work.

There are so many PSAs out there now.

Everybody wants to get a piece of the action.

Vet it out, get the one that works.

Everybody's going to have their criteria so I can't say “go with this company.”

What works for me, may not work for someone else.

PSA is very important in running an MSP effectively, efficiently and profitably.

 

Editor’s note:Comments are edited to improve readability.

If you’d like to be featured on a future “If I Were Launching an MSP Now,” email us with your name, company name and phone number at MSPmentorNews@Penton.com.


Amazon Stock Plunges After Huge Earnings Miss... and Other MSP News

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From product releases to perspectives in the field, here's a recap of top headlines from  the week of July 24-28.

If I Were Launching an MSP Now | Gareth McKee

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Business advice from industry experts.

Gareth McKee, owner and CEO of Burnt Orange Solutions, based in Saskatoon, Canada, shares three suggestions he’d apply if he were launching an MSP from scratch today:

1. Don't think people will come to you – I'm a technician and an engineer. I wasn't a businessman when I first started Burnt Orange.

I think there are a lot of technical guys out there who are definitely good at their jobs and believe they can run a technical business.

And they probably really can run a technical business.

But what they don't realize is that they need to become a salesman and a marketer, from day one.

I think that's a hard lesson to learn for a lot of technicians and engineers out there.

They just think that because they're so fantastic at IT, that the business will just come to them, when that's not reality.

I think realizing this business has to sell in order to make money, and market to make money, is huge.

2. Clearly define your services – Try not to be all things to all people.

Especially early on, everyone is chasing every penny they can and they try to please everybody.

This just makes things harder in the long term.

Because you don't know what contracts are in place, what people, what's covered, what services you're offering.

It just gets far too complicated.

I think from day one, if you got one or two or three packages, clearly define them and then people have to fit in with you.

You're the expert.

3. All parts of the business need to be process driven – Not just the helpdesk, the technical side of life; but the marketing, the sales, the billing, the recovery of money.

Everything needs to be process-driven.

If on the 15th of every month you send out invoices, then it needs to be on the 15th day every month.

If on the 1st of every month you send out newsletters, it needs to be the 1st of every month.

And again, going back to engineers starting an IT business, this is all brand-spanking new to them and it needs to be absolutely clearly defined.

 

Editor’s note: Comments are edited to improve readability.

If you’d like to be featured on a future “If I Were Launching an MSP Now,” email us with your name, company name and phone number at MSPmentorNews@Penton.com.

2017’s Record HIPAA Breach Pace Points to Growing Hacker Threat... And Other MSP News

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From product releases to perspectives in the field, here's a recap of top headlines from the week of September 25-29.

If I Were Launching an MSP Now | Brandon Bowers

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Business advice from industry experts.

Brandon Bowers, president of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based ZenTek Data Systems, shares three suggestions he’d apply if he were launching an MSP from scratch today.

1. Centralize your solution stack – The more systems and programs, application and hardware vendors that you have to deal with on a daily basis, tech support numbers you have to call, SOPs, internal documentation, ensuring everyone's supportability, and training you need to provide to get employees up to speed – all this becomes incredibly difficult the larger you get and the more customers you have.

You need to streamline as much as possible and be able to support as many clients with the least amount of effort and employees.

When you lose an employee and need to hire somebody, the least amount of training and processes to get them up to speed, the better.

Centralizing your solution stack makes that so much simpler.

It's not that we select something and then we never look at it again. 

I'm a tech guy at heart.

I always love playing with different types of technology, hardware vendors, looking at new software. 

I set aside some time to only look at so many vendors per quarter.

If we evaluated our RMM this year, then more than likely we're not going to look at many RMM vendors again this year.

Maybe next year we will reevaluate this.

Same with other solutions within our stack of products.

2. Settle on a PSA for your business – It's critical.

We started this business, I looked at the big three - Tigerpaw, Autotask and Connectwise – and ultimately we selected ConnectWise.

Not that it's the best but it works for us, and every other MSP you talk to is going to say they're ok with the solution they're using,

But there's probably a lot to be desired.

Ultimately, it tracks all of your time, ticketing.

We run our marketing through it.

We track client lists, invoicing, accounts receivable.

Everything goes through our ticketing system: sales time, marketing time, tracking, billing, payroll.

There's not really a way to see the savings right away, but only after you've used the product for some time.

When I started the business, I felt like I didn't want to spend money for the training – and the software licensing to get it set up, and now I have this monthly recurring fee that's going to go on, but I followed advice of someone who ran an MSP.

Without a doubt, we can't run our business as smoothly as we do today without having a PSA in place.

3. Look to the future – Keep an eye on what's happening in the news and make sure you focus your business on what's in the eye of the people.

Security being such a big aspect today, if I were to start over today, I'd focus a tremendous amount of efforts in the security space: security auditing, security assessments, compliance requirements – whether it comes to HIPAA or PCI.

I think there's a huge untapped space on the small business side of things when it comes to security.

It's being pushed so much into their field of vision right now that they're really starting to want to pay more for some of those services, when I feel like they weren't in the past.

This isn't only about the security though.

Don't be afraid to work on newer technologies.

Don't be afraid to go to the cloud or run a security practice.

Just because when you get into some of those more specialized services, there's a lot less competition in that space.

When you offer those sets of services, the clients become more "sticky," because it's harder to find another provider providing those same services.

And if you're hosting any services for them, it's much harder for them to leave as well.

 

Editor’s note: Comments are edited to improve readability.

If you’d like to be featured on a future “If I Were Launching an MSP Now,” email us with your name, company name and phone number at MSPmentorNews@Penton.com.

Why Expected Server Lifetime Is in the Eye of the Beholder

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Replacing your servers every five years just because that's what other people do is not necessarily the most cost-effective way to manage hardware.

How long does a server last?

That's the burning question whose answer cost-efficient MSPs need to know.

Here's how to determine the lifespan you should expect from servers.

Computers are Not Cars

To determine server lifespan, it's important to recognize that computers are not like cars or other machines that simply wear out over time.

The difference is this: Most components in your car are mechanical.

Eventually, no matter how well designed those components are or how well you maintain them, they'll break down.

In contrast, most components inside servers are not mechanical.

CPUs, memory and motherboards don't have moving parts that wear out as a result of use.

As long as you cool these components properly, protect them for electrical surges and perform basic maintenance, the non-mechanical parts of a server will continue to function indefinitely.

There is one major part of servers that will wear out sooner or later: Hard disks.

The median life span of a hard drive is about six years.

Fortunately, hard disks are also among the least expensive and easiest components to replace in a server.

Just because your hard disks wear out doesn't mean your server has reached the end of its useful life.

Defining Server Lifespan

That brings us to the main question: How long is the expected lifetime of a production server?

This is a difficult question to answer because there are two distinct ways of thinking about how long a server remains usable:

  • The first involves measuring how long it will keep functioning before critical components break down. As noted above, there is no easy answer to this question. Most of the components in a server are non-mechanical and can last indefinitely. Hard drives are the only big exception.
  • The second way of measuring server lifetime is to think in terms of how long a server remains cost-efficient to maintain. At a certain point, continuing to manage servers that struggle to keep up with modern workloads is less effective than replacing them with new servers. It's easier to manage a single server that can handle a large modern workload, rather than managing three or four legacy servers to support an equal workload.

Legacy servers may also use energy less efficiently, which raises operating costs.

They may take up more space in the data center.

And they may eventually not be compatible with modern operating systems, although that is not a common occurrence.

Linux can run on virtually any server created in the last twenty years, and even Windows has a fair amount of legacy hardware compatibility.

How Long Will Your Server Last?

Most people will tell you that servers will last about five years and should then be replaced.

That's the rule of thumb that has developed in the industry.

As noted above, however, that's not the right way to think about server lifespan.

A server that receives routine maintenance, and whose hard disks are replaced as needed, could continue to run for decades – although it will likely not remain cost-effective for decades.

So, rather than assuming that there is a universal answer for how long a server can last, you should tailor the answer to your situation.

Calculate your maintenance and operating costs for your current servers and determine the point at which those costs become significantly greater than the cost of running more modern hardware.

Replacing your servers every five years just because that's what other people do is not necessarily the most cost-effective way to manage hardware.

It's also not exactly environmentally friendly – if that's important to you.

Avoiding the Question: The Cloud

Of course, you could also migrate all of your workloads to the cloud and stop worrying about server lifetime.

But until we live in a world where everything runs in the cloud, server lifetime still matters.

This article originally appeared on MSPmentor

Why Expected Server Lifetime Is in the Eye of the Beholder... and Other MSP News

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From product releases to perspectives in the field, here's a recap of top headlines from the week of October 1-5.

If I Were Launching an MSP Now | Jan Chapman

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Business advice from industry experts.

Jan Chapman, co-founder and managing director of Melbourne, Australia-based MSP Blueshift, ​shares three suggestions he’d apply if he were launching an MSP from scratch today.

1. Be a niche specialist – There are so many MSPs that the competition is crazy.

You've got to be a specialist in a particular area, as in a vertical market.

Be a specialist. 

Understand that niche: what their requirements are, speak their language, not just the IT side of it, but everything they do, their whole business, what's important to them, what problems they have from the business point of view, rather than technical.

Because everyone does all the technical stuff.

The actual specialist area is the only way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

2. Automate – Get a suite of tools that will do work that you don't have to employ people to do.

Everyone wants to cut costs and get things cheaper, and a lot of people do it through outsourcing or offshoring to low-cost resources.

But automation is the cheapest deal, and it's way more reliable.

All the RMMs and all the bits and pieces that go with it are good to have in place.

Otherwise, you're just not going to compete on cost.

3. Systemize everything – You obviously need people in place, as well as the tools.

You're going to want to know what they're doing all the time.

Create systems for everything.

It might involve using the automation.

It might involve people.

It might involve third parties.

If you don't have a system, put one in.

If something fails, it's the system, rather than the person. 

 

Editor’s note: Comments are edited to improve readability.

If you’d like to be featured on a future “If I Were Launching an MSP Now,” email us with your name, company name and phone number at MSPmentorNews@Penton.com.


SAManage Pays $264K After Unlocked Spreadsheet Exposes 660 SSNs... and Other MSP News

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From product releases to perspectives in the field, here's a recap of top headlines from the week of October 9-13.

Datto-Autotask Merger Rocks MSP Space; Now What?... and Other MSP News

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From product releases to perspectives in the field, here's a recap of top headlines from the week of October 23-27.

Channel Futures Talkin' Cloud 100: 2017 Edition

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Presenting the Channel Futures Talkin' Cloud 100 companies for 2017.

Who are the top 100 cloud services companies for 2017? Click below to view the full Channel Futures Talkin' Cloud 100 list.

Channel Futures Presents the 2017 Talkin’ Cloud 100

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Introducing the top 100 cloud services providers (CSPs) named to the Channel Futures Talkin' Cloud 100.

Each year since 2010 Talkin’ Cloud has recognized the top cloud service providers (CSPs), giving recognition to 100 companies that help transform their clients’ businesses through the combination of innovative cloud services and support. This year’s list is even more exciting as we celebrate a new milestone for Talkin’ Cloud as part of Channel Futures: a new website dedicated to offering business strategy, research, and case studies supporting the new channel.

>>Channel Futures Talkin' Cloud 100: 2017 Edition<< 

This year’s list reflects this changing market as service providers embrace new business models, emerging technologies, and innovative support models.

As in previous years, the ranking has a heavy weighting on recurring cloud revenues, as well as input from our Channel Futures editorial team.

Thank you to those who participated in this year’s survey, and congratulations to the Channel Futures Talkin’ Cloud 100 companies.

To see the full list, please click here.

Did your company make the list? Congratulations! Download the winner logos and press release template here

Looking for the 2016 Talkin' Cloud 100? Click here.

 

 

Coming Soon: 2018 MSP 501 Call for Submissions

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If you’re an MSP with a track record of executing on great ideas, get ready to stand and be counted among the 501 most capable and innovative companies in the industry.

Are you a managed service provider on the leading edge of digital transformation in the channel? If so, get ready to submit your application for the annual MSP 501 rankings and see how you stack up against MSPs around the globe. Now in its 11th year, the MSP 501 is the IT channel’s largest and most comprehensive ranking of leading managed service provider (MSP) organizations worldwide.

This year, the Channel Futures team will join forces with Channel Partners, our sister channel news site owned by our parent company, Informa.

“We are excited to participate in the industry-leading MSP 501 ranking list, which has been held as a standard of benchmarking within the channel industry for more than a decade,” said Lorna Garey, editor-in-chief of Channel Partners Online and Channel Futures. “This year’s 501 will include new awards, deep insights into the channel ecosystem and recognition of the world’s leading managed service providers at our fall Channel Partners Evolution conference, Oct. 9-12, in Philadelphia.”

New awards this year include the Vanguard Award for the company that demonstrates thought leadership in terms of digital transformation; the Lifetime Achievement Award for an executive who has demonstrated commitment, perseverance, creativity and ingenuity over an entire career; the Newcomer Award, bestowed upon a first-time MSP 501er that is shaking things up; and more. Applications for special awards will be in the form of a short, supplementary questionnaire and decided by the Channel Futures/Channel Partners Online editorial team.

“The MSP 501 utilizes unique data analysis that recognizes not all revenue streams are created equally,” said T.C. Doyle, senior content director of Channel Futures. “Revenue from resale carries different profit margins from that of services, for instance. Similarly, cloud-services opportunities present different revenue potential than consulting practices. The study examines the business models, technologies, vertical markets and customer segments that MSP companies engage most.”

The 501 recognizes MSPs with forward-thinking business strategies that anticipate and leverage trends in the fast-moving channel ecosystem. The survey and process are transparent and consistent year after year, so IT service providers can continually measure their progress and benchmark their performance against industry competitors.

This year, Channel Futures will bring the data collection process in-house, as opposed to recent years when we have partnered with Clarity Channel Advisors to aggregate and manage survey responses. Clarity will continue to offer analysis based on the data collected on a pro-bono basis.

As in previous years, applicants will be required to provide 2017 financial results and revenue verification in the form of a statement from a certified financial professional.

The MSP 501 will open for applications later this month.

The 2018 MSP 501 Is Coming. Are You Ready?

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If you’re a managed service provider leading the channel in digital transformation, prepare to submit your application to the 2018 MSP 501 survey.

In just a few weeks, Channel Futures and its sister channel news site, Channel Partners, will open the 11th annual MSP 501 survey for applications. The survey is the IT channel’s largest and most comprehensive ranking of leading managed service providers around the globe. MSPs worldwide will stand and be counted to see where they rank among the top 501 managed service providers.

In addition to the ranking results, this year’s 501 will include a short, supplementary application for special awards such as the Vanguard Award for the company that demonstrates thought leadership in terms of digital transformation; the Lifetime Achievement Award for an executive who has demonstrated commitment, perseverance, creativity and ingenuity over an entire career; the Newcomer Award, bestowed upon a first-time MSP 501er that is shaking things up; and more.

"Our ranking on the MSP 501 and receipt of the Vanguard Award in 2016 are a testament to the hard work of our engineering teams," said Mark Meller, CEO of SWK Technologies. "But most importantly, it gives our clients and our prospective clients a benchmark that shows we hold ourselves to a high level of quality and customer satisfaction."

The 501 uses a unique data analysis that weighs revenue streams according to how forward-thinking the applicant’s business strategy is and how well it anticipates trends in the fast-moving channel ecosystem. In past years, we have partnered with Clarity Channel Advisors to manage the survey data. This year, data will be collected, aggregated and analyzed by the Channel Futures and Channel Partners team, with Clarity continuing to provide analysis on a pro-bono basis.

“MSPs need to focus their efforts on ways to differentiate, especially today with so much competition, commoditization and the relatively low barrier to entry,” says Will Ominsky, managing director of Clarity Channel Advisors. “The 501 list is an important tool to achieve this both internally, as a way of measuring your success with real numbers against your peers and competitors, and externally, for clients and prospects to understand your maturity.”

As in previous years, applicants will be required to provide 2017 financial results and revenue verification in the form of a statement from a certified financial professional.

The MSP 501 will open for applications in just a few weeks, so stay tuned to Channel Futures for updates. You can subscribe to the MSP 501 newsletter, which provides information on the 501 as well as the latest trends in the MSP world, on the MSP 501 homepage here.

Welcome to the 2018 MSP 501

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Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Time: 02:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Duration: 30 minutes

On March 13, join Kris Blackmon of Channel Futures, Will Ominsky of Clarity Channel Advisors, and Mark Meller of SWK Technologies for a live webcast to discuss the launch of the 11th annual MSP 501 survey. You'll hear details on how to apply to be included in the top 501 managed service providers worldwide, learn about new awards and see what our experts have to say about channel trends in 2018. 

Register Now!

If you have already registered, click here to access

 


2017’s Record HIPAA Breach Pace Points to Growing Hacker Threat... And Other MSP News

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From product releases to perspectives in the field, here's a recap of top headlines from the week of September 25-29.

2018 MSP 501 Now Open for Submissions!

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Are you ready to stand and be counted among the top 501 most capable and innovative MSPs in the industry? Submit your application for the 501 today!

The wait is finally over. We are now accepting applications for the 2018 edition of the MSP 501, the IT channel’s largest and most comprehensive ranking of leading managed service provider (MSP) organizations worldwide. 

Now in its 11th year, the 2018 MSP 501 is brought to you by Channel Futures and our sister site, Channel Partners. The survey uses a unique data analysis that recognizes that not all revenue streams are created equally, weighing them according to how how well the applicant's business strategy anticipates trends in the fast-evolving channel ecosystem.

Partners from around the globe will send in their applications in hopes of nabbing a spot on the list and one of the 501's coveted special awards such as the Vanguard Award for the company that demonstrates thought leadership in terms of digital transformation; the Lifetime Achievement Award for an executive who has demonstrated commitment, perseverance, creativity and ingenuity over an entire career; the Newcomer Award, bestowed upon a first-time MSP 501er that is shaking things up; and more.

As in previous years, applicants will be required to provide 2017 financial results and revenue verification in the form of a statement from a certified financial professional. All data analysis will be done in-house by our parent company, Informa. Clarity Channel Advisors, which provided data management for the 501 in previous years, will offer additional analysis on a pro bono basis.

This year, the 501 winners will be honored at a special gala during the Channel Partners Conference and Expo held Oct. 9-12 in Philadelphia. 

On March 13, join Kris Blackmon of Channel Futures, Will Ominsky of Clarity Channel Advisors and Mark Meller of SWK Technologies, our 2016 Vanguard Award winner, for a live webcast to hear details on how to apply to be included in the top 501 managed service providers worldwide. Register here to learn about new awards and see what our experts have to say about channel trends in 2018.

Applications close at 11:59pm on Thursday, May 31, so get started today. Get ready to stand and be counted among the industries best and brightest managed service providers! Still curious about the survey? Check out the 2017 MSP 501 Worldwide Rankings here.

 

 

If I Were Launching an MSP Now: Netsurion's Guy Cunningham

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Guy Cunningham, vice president​ of alliances and distribution for Netsurion, shares three suggestions he’d apply if he were launching an MSP from scratch today.

1. Pick your tech vendors intelligently. Whether it’s your RMM vendor, your backup technology provider or your security provider, you need to go through a very thorough vetting process so you don’t end up having to change products after a year or two. This causes operational headaches, which are a huge pain and should be avoided. At all costs.

A lot of the time, when someone is getting started as an MSP, it’s tempting to go with the least expensive products. There are several reasons for that.

At the beginning, companies don’t have the name brand recognition, or many customers to give references on their behalf, so they tend to compete on price. But have patience. If you want to be successful in growing the business, then it’s going to take awhile to mature in your technology choices as your operations mature and your customer expectations increase.

2. Don’t try to do everything yourself. It’s simple: Find the things you’re good at as a technology service provider, and then find other organizations to partner with that do the things that aren't your forté.

For example, as an MSP, I might be really good at selling. So I’m going to focus on growing my business through customer acquisitions, but will opt to outsource my help desk, my backup strategy and my security strategies to other partners.

Another scenario is an MSP that is a technologist. They have the network and help-desk functionalities down cold and can win customers that way, but would opt to outsource their backup strategy and security.

Those are just two examples.

Essentially, if you only rely on organic growth, it’s going to be a slow road. This is simply due to the fact that when you start from scratch, you don’t have a lot of people at your disposal inside your organization.

Find the areas where you can add value, and then find other companies that you can partner with to fill in the gaps. If you want to grow at a decent pace, you need to find places to expand your capabilities beyond what you have behind your own doors.

3. Create as much process and standardization as possible. The ideal MSPs are the ones that are run like a professional company. They have come up with a way to market their services in an easy-to-consume manner.

The most successful companies that I’ve seen have a package model — sort of a “silver,” “gold” and “platinum” range of options. For example, silver includes X, Y and Z; gold includes X, Y and Z plus A, B and C; and platinum includes the white glove treatment — the whole shebang. And of course, there are varying services included in each one of those options.

If everything is custom and unique, it adds layer upon layer of complexity for all parties involved. Nobody knows what the answers are, there is a lot of needless research involved, and it leads to customer dissatisfaction.

This standardization is the essential part. It makes it much easier for your customers to understand exactly what they get with each offering and for your support people (your staff) to understand what they are supposed to be delivering.

Guy Cunningham is vice president, alliances and distribution, for both Netsurion and EventTracker. Cunningham helps resellers, managed service providers (MSPs), and distributors realize the full potential of Netsurion and EventTracker’s offerings for small to midsize organizations. In his prior positions, he expertly managed not only internal relationships but partnerships with other companies as well. Most recently, he served as director of global alliances for Veritas Technologies, managing the relationships for both Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Hitachi Data Systems.

Click Here for the 2018 MSP 501 Survey

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Welcome to the 2018 MSP 501!

To apply for the MSP 501, click here.

To access a PDF of the survey, click the Download button at the bottom of this page.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • Can I save my progress and return to finish later?

    The survey platform defaults to "save." As long as the applicant has cookies enabled, the user can come back at a later time to complete the survey/form.

  • Can I edit my answers?

    Applicants can back up in the survey and adjust data as needed before clicking on the Submit button. 

  • Will I receive a copy of my answers?

    Upon submittal, applicants will receive a confirmation email to the email address provided that contains a PDF copy of their responses.

  • When does the survey close?

    The 2018 MSP 501 will close for applications at 11:59pm on Thursday, May 31.

  • Where can I learn more?

    There will be an informative live webcast on Tuesday, March 13 at 2:00pm ET. Channel Futures editor Kris Blackmon will be joined by Will Ominsky of Clarity Channel Advisors and Kevin Snyder of SWK Technologies. Register here to attend.

Datto Exec on What ‘Managed Security’ Actually Entails

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Henry Washburn of Datto sat down with Channel Futures to talk about the managed-security services opportunity and what it takes to earn the title MSSP.

If there’s one thing IT experts agree on, it’s that there’s big money to be made in security over the next few years as the world learns to deal with the risks associated with constant connectivity. Within the channel, that means there’s a lot of talk among traditional managed service providers (MSPs) evolving into managed security service providers (MSSPs) to take advantage of this top-of-mind opportunity.

It’s green fields, especially among SMBs, which are just now beginning to invest in robust cybersecurity solutions. These business owners and managers are coming to realize the devastation a breach can cause. Enterprises usually have resources to deal with malicious attacks after the fact, but if an SMB gets hit, it could very well mean the end of their business.

In addition, global regulations such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the U.S. require many businesses to comply with strict cybersecurity rules. While some SMBs might think their businesses aren’t impacted by such regulations, managed service providers know that it’s to their customers’ benefit to ensure the highest level of compliance possible.

“I’ve read the whole, wonderful page turner that GDPR is,” says Henry Washburn, senior competitive intelligence manager at data-protection provider Datto.

Washburn says it’s important for MSSPs to keep governance in a managed-service mindset because none of us really understand the full impact these regulations will have yet.

“You don’t even know how evolved GDPR will be because it isn’t out in the world yet. It hasn’t been litigated by any means ... an MSSP shouldn’t be blindsided by that.”

The risks associated with the Internet of Things (IoT) and trends such as bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies present additional opportunities for MSSPs to provide value to customers. Business owners and managers can’t keep an eye out for every single endpoint and what’s outside of the protected bubble of a network defense, so they’re turning to partners to fill that need. That opens a door for traditional MSPs looking to transition to managed security, says Washburn.

“In the short term, straight MSPs already do some level of management and monitoring. That means they’re managing the desktops and servers and other endpoints. Let’s take it on the opposite side. Does that RMM software know when there’s something left unmanaged? If there is, how new is that on the network? Is it a potential threat?”

This type of security evaluation is something MSPs can dive into and show the value their expertise can provide without having to invest a ton of resources into technical training or additional certifications. Washburn says pointing out existing holes in customers’ security is low-hanging fruit for managed service providers. MSPs should already be doing quarterly business reviews to demonstrate their value and identify areas where they can beef up their service offerings, but as the security opportunity grows, partners can expand into a whole security service, complete with firewalls, threat detection and response, backup and disaster recovery (BDR) and security awareness training.

While the definition of managed-security service provider is still vague enough to be claimed by any partner that provides a firewall and access control, there are a few things that in Washburn’s opinion really differentiate MSSPs from their traditional managed-service provider brethren: education, hardware and software protection, and some sort of restoration procedure in case of a breach.

“I think [that definition is] a moving target,” says Washburn. “There’s no hard and fast, XYZ answer. It took a number of years before just ‘managed service provider’ was a well known term.”

Like cloud and AI, then, managed security is a term we can expect to see liberally used in the IT world. In the end, the definition doesn’t matter as much as the results do.

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