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
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • NextGen 101 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
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • 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
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • NextGen 101 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
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • 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

MSP 501


Shutterstock

Best-in-class IT

MSP 501 Profile: How DLC Technology Brings Best-in-Class IT to SMBs

  • Written by Buffy Naylor
  • November 23, 2020
This is what happens when expertise and entrepreneurship get together and form a company.

Company Name: DLC Technology
Company MSP 501 Rank: 326
Founder & President: Darren Crane
Headquartered: Marlton, NJ
Primary Services:

  • Managed IT services
  • Security
  • Health care, legal and financial compliance

Twitter: @dlctechnology

DLC Technology's Darren Crane

DLC Technology’s Darren Crane

For the past 15 years, DLC Technology has focused on providing SMBs with best-in-class IT solutions and support. Darren Crane, the company’s founder and president, has the soul of an entrepreneur and an extensive background in IT. After more than a decade of working as a consultant for other companies, he had an opportunity to strike out on his own — and hasn’t looked back.

Crane takes delight in providing best-in-class IT and making technology “do things the vendors said was impossible.” DLC focuses on providing clients with technology aligned to their particular business needs. Crane says he wishes vendors would do the same with their partner models.

Channel Futures: What is the one thing you wish vendors would do that they don’t?

Darren Crane: Vendors have a fundamental misunderstanding of the MSP business model.  Most vendors have a traditional partner or reseller model that they attempt to apply to MSPs. But the model simply does not align with the goals or business strategy of the typical managed service provider.

Vendor partnership models are usually aligned against volumes of sales of their particular widget — be it number of devices sold or under management or number of licenses billed monthly, etc. — with special incentives to sell/buy more and get higher margins, marketing assistance, employee training, etc. They even run specials like “Buy two widgets get a third one free!” and so forth. What these vendors fail to understand is that the average MSP is not out there selling products a la carte!

The 2020 MSP 501 recognizes the top managed service providers in the world. See the full list. Then check out our brand-new Hot 101.

MSPs focus on finding customers that will be placed under their management for all things technology. Part of that management is a standard stack of solutions developed by the MSP itself. So, for example, if the standard backup and disaster recovery device is from vendor X, then acquiring that new customer will likely result in the purchase of one device from vendor X. If vendor X wants another sale, the MSP needs another new customer.

Vendors need to understand this model intimately and change their partnership model, incentives and goals. A more logical partnership model for an MSP would be one where MSPs are rewarded for things like:

  • Exclusively using that vendor’s products for that area of their stack (track percentage of customers with that product, for example)
  • Maximizing the use of all the vendor’s products throughout the MSP’s existing customer base

In addition, the vendor’s MSP partner model should focus on marketing services and materials that help the MSP get new customers as well as providing good neutral, brandable materials on their products and services. The materials should focus on why their widget is best-in-class and a good fit within the standard technology stack of the MSP.

CF: What new opportunities and challenges came with the global COVID-19 pandemic?

DC: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted us like most MSPs. Customers that had limited remote access capabilities suddenly needed it for all end users, and they realized that their 15-year-old phone system just couldn’t be used remotely. There was a burst of work at the start caused by remote work requirements, but we quickly got everything deployed. Some vendors offered solutions that helped, but having standards and virtualized environments that could be expanded quickly was key.

Initially there were several significant challenges:

  • Would our customers stay in business?
  • Would they continue to pay us?
  • How can we service them safely?

We analyzed our customers and spoke with them all. That allowed us to understand and plan. In some cases, we adjusted or rewrote agreements on the spot to allow our services to flex with the size of the customer’s workforce. In the end, we were just plain lucky that our customers were primarily in health care, legal and other verticals that continued to operate.

As COVID continued we faced additional challenges. How do you:

  • Market in this environment? What do you say on social media?
  • Get new customers when you can’t do networking events and other marketing activities?
  • Continue to have a corporate culture when your staff is always at home and never in-person?
  • Onboard and train our new employees?

Our staff and company culture were and continue to be a constant focus for us. We do…

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
Tags: MSPs MSP 501 Best Practices Business Models New/Changing Channel Programs Security Specialty Practices Strategy

Most Recent


  • how to sell more
    Learn How to Sell More Solutions to Clients
    A conversation with MSP Marketing Edge's Paul Green.
  • Partner Program
    Coalesce Partners Gain Revamped Partner Program with Expanded Training, Resources
    Coalesce's data transformation solution is built exclusively for Snowflake Data Cloud.
  • ransomware attacks
    Survey: Backups Are Prime Targets for Ransomware Attacks, Most Remain Exposed
    Veeam’s 2023 Ransomware Trends Report shows many pay ransom but don’t always recover.
  • call for speakers
    Channel Futures Leadership Summit Call for Speakers Open
    Speaker applications for “The New Style of Leadership” are open until July 3.

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

  • Depressed frustrated trader tired of overwork or stressed by bankruptcy, sad shocked investor desperate about financial crisis or money loss, upset businessman having headache massaging nose bridge
    Partner Pain Points: MSPs on Cybersecurity 'Nightmares', War for Talent
  • Online Survey
    Channel Futures Quarterly MSP Survey: Uptick in Recurring Revenue, Strong Cloud Sales
  • FastChat - An Inside Look at the 2021 MSP 501 With Ingram Micro
  • Coffee with Craig and James w/Craig Weir, Ingram Micro
    Coffee with Craig and James Episode No. 95: Ingram Micro, MSP 501

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Europe

June 13, 2023 - June 14, 2023

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

March 11, 2024 - March 14, 2024

Galleries

View all

Survey: Backups Are Prime Targets for Ransomware Attacks, Most Remain Exposed

May 26, 2023

Faces of the Partner: 6 New Tech Advisors Entering the Channel

May 26, 2023

Broadcom-VMware, Alibaba Cloud, Red Hat, Google Cloud: A Hefty Roundup

May 24, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Dell Technologies World: Dell Apex Expanded Across On-Premises, Cloud and Edge

May 22, 2023

Identity Is Increasingly Valuable – and Targeted

May 18, 2023

Gaining a Competitive Advantage through AV Managed Services

May 10, 2023

Webinars

View all

From Problem to Profit: Mastering the Science of Selling Using Business Outcomes

May 9, 2023

Meet the 2023 Channel Futures Channel Influencers

April 13, 2023

DE&I Dialogue: How the Right DE&I Initiatives Can Propel Your Business

April 5, 2023

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode No. 123: MartinWolf M&A Advisors, CP Expo Preview

UScellular Takes On Rivals with Partner Program Simplicity

April 21, 2023

OpenText Simplifying Deal Registration, Doubling Down on MDF

April 21, 2023

Everything-as-a-Service: CloudBlue Touts Critical Customer Transition

April 18, 2023

Twitter

ChannelFutures

Who has been a diversity, equity & inclusion role model in your career? Take a moment to honor their initiatives in… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 29, 2023
ChannelFutures

Paul Green @msp_voice will help MSPs gain more #customers and #sales at @ChannelEurop June 13.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@coalesceIO unveils revamped partner program. #datatransformation dlvr.it/SphJm4 https://t.co/s7fYAVmFGD

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@Veeam #Ransomeware survey: backups are not adequately protected, 85% suffered at least 1 attack in past year… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@MSPSummit call for speakers is open now through July 3. The theme for this year’s summit is “The New Style of Lea… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

Channel Futures interviewed six individuals who started an agency in the last two years. dlvr.it/SpgV6l https://t.co/JXKhJcw31A

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

Channel Futures interviewed six individuals who started an agency in the last two years. dlvr.it/SpgTQg https://t.co/7eIp0XgwQ2

May 26, 2023
ChannelFutures

Channel Futures interviewed six individuals who started an agency in the last two years. dlvr.it/Spg7JZ https://t.co/ETaeFysCYO

May 26, 2023

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

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 © 2023 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