Trusted Partnerships: When Parts are Greater Than the Whole
IT professionals from engineers to directors are fighting to stay relevant because, in the new service-led model, the stakes for everyone have never been higher, the need to innovate never greater and the speed of change never faster. It is for the same reason that the IT decision maker will base decisions on trust, not on proverbs, which is why expertise is once again a difference worth highlighting. Equally important is trust between partners.
MSPs, who long led the development and maturity for cloud computing, have a unique perspective on the space – but with that closeness comes the possibility that they may be falling short in some aspects important to customers. Those customers are enjoying a perpetual buyer’s market atmosphere, but it’s a confusing one, with MSPs offering services which can seem very comparable to one another.
Customers are faced with various models to consider. MSPs distinguish themselves on everything from price to service but in the end there is a huge difference between offering a low cost solution and another with partner-supported redundancies and extras built in. It pays to spell out the advantages of a comprehensive, partner-supported solution because it only takes one problem, caused by a technical fault or a natural disaster, for customers to begin shopping around. This is why the smart MSPs know that it’s important to partner with a team of experts who will back them every step of the way to head off customer data loss.
Use the Right Partnership to Differentiate
MSPs can set themselves apart from the competition by managing their brand in the region they operate and by identifying the services there. Partnerships based on a risk management strategy can also help elevate one service provider over another. Being able to establish a disaster recovery, business continuity, and testing process, or implement a faster, more automated DR, back-up and restoration of the data over the cloud – either could make the difference to customers seeking to combine several key needs into one service agreement. If a catastrophe or regional disruption occurs, an MSP’s partnerships could ensure that customers’ key business systems stay up and running and that their data is securely backed up and quickly recovered. MSPs are solid in the cloud space. The right partnerships make them even better.
Think You Know Your Business? We Do Too.
MSPs should be looking beyond risk management to attract and retain customers. The right partnership can bring critical tools such as a dedicated point of contact, the opportunity to bundle technologies under a private label arrangement, discounted software and special pricing. Marketing support through joint collateral and proactive campaigns will all contribute to helping MSPs to differentiate and grow their businesses.
MSPs need the confidence that they are offering best of breed solutions to their customers but for everyone involved in data management a situation that values expertise and the idea that ‘two heads are better than one’ creates the collaborative solutions oriented atmosphere customers are seeking.
John Gorsin is manager of North America channel sales at EVault, the online backup provider. Monthly guest blogs such as this one are part of MSPmentor’s annual platinum sponsorship. Read all EVault guest blogs here.
