https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Tech Services Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Information Center
    • 2021 MSP 501 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2022 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Top Gun 51
    • Channel Partners 101 (CP 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Tech Services Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Information Center
    • 2021 MSP 501 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2022 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Top Gun 51
    • Channel Partners 101 (CP 101)
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

Business Models


MSP Entrepreneur Drives Avaya Enterprise Managed Services

  • Written by Joe Panettieri 1
  • March 14, 2012
Most MSPs struggle to build $5 million businesses. In stark contrast, Ed Nalbandian built a $30 million managed services business, sold it to Cognizant Technology Solutions (the big IT application consulting firm) and ultimately moved onto a new opportunity.

Most MSPs struggle to build $5 million businesses. In stark contrast, Ed Nalbandian built a $30 million managed services business, sold it to Cognizant Technology Solutions (the big IT application consulting firm) and ultimately moved onto a new opportunity. Nalbandian’s destination: Avaya, where he’s VP of operations services — a fancy term for managed services. Instead of focusing on the SMB market, Nalbandian is marching into the enterprise. Who is Nalbandian — and why is he obsessed with enterprise managed services? Here are the answers.

Nalbandian is a long-time veteran of the MSP market. He started selling managed services for IBM in 1982 – yes, 30 years ago — then he drove AT&T’s managed services efforts during the age of Frame Relay. By 2000, Nalbandian launched his own MSP — AimNet Solutions Inc., which grew to about $30 million in revenues and more than 100 employees within six years.

“Everyone thinks it’s the easiest thing in the world to start an MSP,” said Nalbandian. “Actually, it really is easy to launch such a company. But making it successful? Now that’s one of the most difficult things you can do.”

Apparently, Nalbandian succeeded. Cognizant snapped up AimNet in 2006, and Nalbandian stuck around through 2008 or so to make sure the business performed well. Fast forward to the present, and Nalbandian is trying to capture lightning in a bottle again — this time driving Avaya’s enterprise managed services push.

Avaya Enterprise Managed Services: The Strategy

Nalbandian explained the nuts-and-bolts of Avaya’s enterprise managed services strategy in February 2012. The services, known as Avaya Communications Outsourcing Solutions, basically boils down to these points:

  • It’s designed for large enterprises with aging IT, particularly aging communications equipment.
  • Some enterprises with aging IT want everything upgraded and managed for an ongoing monthly fee.
  • Other enterprises with aging IT want to stick with their existing infrastructure but still need it managed.

Either way, Avaya claims that it stands ready to help — even if the managed service needs to blanket third-party hardware that wasn’t built by Avaya. Indeed, Avaya has quietly tested and rolled out the Communications Outsourcing Solutions for about a year. “I’m not sure the market has quite realized how much the demand for voice and communications management has gone up,” said Nalbandian.

To meet that demand, Avaya launched Matrix, a cloud-based managed services platform that cost $15 million to build.

Where Partners Fit In

On the one hand, Avaya is selling its managed services directly into enterprise accounts. But Avaya partners are empowered to resell those Avaya services as part of their ongoing IT projects with customers. Also, Avaya has a lengthy list of managed services that MSPs can offer into the mid-market.

Still, Nalbandian — armed with Avaya Communications Outsourcing Solutions — is focused entirely on the enterprise, where sales cycles can be six months or more, and each managed services win typically includes extensive customization. This isn’t the land of SMB managed services. And Nalbandian knows it.

 


Tags: Agents Cloud Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Business Models

Most Recent


  • hire
    Kinka Joins Bridgepointe to Spur Charlesbank-Backed Organic Growth
    Scott Kinka made a name for himself in the channel working at Evolve IP.
  • Departures
    Partners Speak to Microsoft’s Rodney Clark Departure and New Requirements Controversy
    Our MSPs weigh in on Clark’s sudden exit, and the shakeups and challenges the new NCE program has presented.
  • 6 Takeaways from the Ingram Micro Executive Panel
    “Ingram's role is to be the enabler of an ecosystem,” one panelist said.
  • Veeam CEO Anand Eswaran at VeeamON 2022
    Veeam's New CEO Wants 'Outsized' Data Protection Software Market Share
    Veeam CEO Anand Eswaran shares ambitious goal at VeeamON conference, where he also shared alarming ransomware trends.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Conflict Boxing Gloves
    Channel Conflict, Controversy: SolarWinds Hack, Racism, Layoffs, Zoom-RingCentral
  • Data management platform
    IBM Acquires Catalogic Software's Copy Data Management Business
  • Social media smartphone
    Social Media Roundup: Partners Talk Crypto, Security Hiring
  • Europe skyline
    The Master Agent Model Is Taking Off in Europe

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Europe

June 14, 2022 - June 15, 2022

MSP Summit

September 13, 2022 - September 16, 2022

Galleries

View all

Partners Speak to Microsoft’s Rodney Clark Departure and New Requirements Controversy

May 18, 2022

The CF List: 2022’s 20 Top SD-WAN Providers You Should Know

May 18, 2022

Marketing All-Stars Share Their Focus for 2022 and Beyond

May 18, 2022

Industry Perspectives

View all

A Sneak Peek at the 2022 BrightCloud Threat Report

May 17, 2022

Build Customers for Life with CX and Lifecycle Selling

May 16, 2022

Voice Analytics Are a Must-Have as Companies Evolve COVID-Rushed Tech

May 12, 2022

Webinars

View all

Simplifying SaaS Security for MSPs

April 27, 2022

How to Supercharge The Network to Support Your IT Superhero Moves

May 3, 2022

The 2022 MSP Challenge: Scale Service Delivery Despite the Talent Gap

April 21, 2022

White Papers

View all

The New Bottom Line: How MSPs Can Meet the Healthcare Crisis While Evolving Their Businesses

April 19, 2022

How to build a Security Operations Center (on a budget)

April 4, 2022

The AT&T Cybersecurity Incident Response Toolkit

April 4, 2022

Channel Futures TV

View all

AT&T, Microsoft, Cisco, ThreatLocker on Unlocking Partner Potential

Agents Share ‘Secrets,’ Industry Opportunity

May 11, 2022

Vonage Addresses Potential Partner Opportunity via Acquisition by Ericsson

May 5, 2022

Lumen Technologies ‘Built for Growth and Scale’

May 4, 2022

Twitter

ChannelFutures

.@threatx_inc rolls out first partner program. #APIprotection dlvr.it/SQd3Pd https://t.co/X6cvbgpijr

May 18, 2022
ChannelFutures

Our MSPs weigh in on @Microsoft's Rodney Clark’s sudden exit, and the shakeups and challenges the new NCE program h… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 18, 2022
ChannelFutures

[email protected] now reaches 177 countries — 80 more regions for the channel to target. And #AWS has a new #publicsector… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 18, 2022
ChannelFutures

Our CMO roundtable series concludes with members’ predictions on what their primary focus will be in the months ahe… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 18, 2022
ChannelFutures

“@IngramMicroInc's role is to be the enabler of an ecosystem,” @SahooSanj said at the company's cloud summit.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 18, 2022
ChannelFutures

Take a sneak peak at BrightCloud's 2022 Threat Report. #Channel Partners #CyberThreats @Webroot… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 18, 2022
ChannelFutures

#GoogleCloudSummit unveils new solutions for #zerotrust, supply chain security. @googlecloud dlvr.it/SQZ2By https://t.co/37buEDQ030

May 18, 2022
ChannelFutures

.@Veeam CEO @anandeswaran is gunning for outsized share of data protection market at #veeamOn2022… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 18, 2022

MSSP Insider

Business advice for MSSPs and news from the broader security channel.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X