https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501 Application
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501 Application
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Digital Service Providers
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • CHANNEL PARTNERS ONLINE
 Channel Futures

MSP 501


MSP 501 Multiyear

New MSP 501 Functionality Makes Submission Easier for Some Applicants

  • Written by Kris Blackmon
  • March 20, 2019
Some 2018 applicants will get a partially pre-populated survey to make life easier.

Year after year, managed service providers (MSPs) around the globe apply for the Channel Futures MSP 501 ranking list and survey. Some applicants can trace their submission history back to the days when the list was the MSPmentor 250 more than a decade ago.

Every year, these MSPs sign up to provide us with a trove of information about their companies. We collect information about hiring trends, pricing models, customer demographics and, of course, financial performance. The MSP 501 is not a quick and dirty application. It delves into the inner workings of managed-service businesses around the world. We don’t take our rankings lightly. They aren’t a popularity contest or based on frivolous metrics. This is the real deal.

But there’s a lot of information repeat applicants have provided us over the years that isn’t all that nuanced. It isn’t difficult to enter your company name, address and every social handle you can think of, but it’s admittedly tedious and not exactly quick. We need this information, obviously, but we also hate that our applicants have to spend time typing the same data in the same fields every year.

Basic company info isn’t the only repetitive data that can take up time to report. Every year, we ask questions about company performance metrics for the preceding two years in order to calculate year-over-year results for a wide array of data. We ask about the number of customers, endpoints and devices applicants support each year. We want to know about employee headcount and how it grew or shrank over 12 months. And, of course, we want to know both year-over-year total and recurring revenues in order to help give us an idea of the health of the business.

This information is often not just sitting there at applicants’ fingertips. Take the 2019 application, for instance. It’s been a year since the last time these MSPs applied; who can remember exactly how many virtual machines they managed in 2017? How many network devices? How many physical servers? Digging up that information is often time-consuming and frustrating. Many applicants email us asking for a copy of last year’s submission just so they can make sure they’re reporting consistent figures.

The Channel Futures MSP 501 team’s goal for this year was to find ways to simplify the application process. Editorial, data research, marketing, compliance and many other departments brainstormed and finally hit upon an idea we hope will make the 2019 application the easiest one ever for MSPs to fill out.

“As with most technology, we are trying our best to utilize our tools to make a sometimes tedious task a bit easier by pre-populating this year’s MSP 501 form with much of the data you provided us with last year,” says Scott Grau, senior market research manager at Informa, which owns Channel Futures.

Grau explains that we know many MSPs are doing their best to adapt to the changing channel landscape. Very little about a managed-service business stays static, and we know our applicants will have their hands full gathering up the dynamic data we need to calculate our rankings. So we extracted the information from the submissions we received in 2018 and parsed it down to the data we felt was least likely to change from year to year.

The 2018 data was then uploaded to a secure server where each record was assigned a randomly generated four- to six-digit code number, which we then embedded into a URL unique to each 2018 applicant. That code number triggers …

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
Tags: MSPs Channel Research MSP 501 Strategy

Related


  • Hottest Ticket in Town
    Channel Partners Virtual 2021 Is the Hottest Ticket in Town
    And that means any town, since it’s 100% online. Will you be there?
  • strong customer relationship
    Datto Partners with ThreatLocker for Secure MSP Business Operations
    MSPs have seen increased security risks for clients amid COVID-19.
  • Brexit
    Now That a Brexit Deal is Done, What's Next for the UK Channel?
    There's an Increased need for virtual services and video conferencing, and a focus on security moving forward.
  • Partner Program Update
    Palo Alto Networks Rolls Out Latest NextWave Partner Program
    NextWave 3.0 will help partners differentiate their services.

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

  • BlackBerry Research: MSSPs Increasingly Targeted by Hacker-for-Hire Groups
  • Three Ways MSPs Can Improve Supply Chain Security
  • Devo Technology Unveils First Partner Program for Resellers, MSSPs, SIs
  • Atera Investment to Help Company Assist More MSPs, IT Pros

Galleries

View all

From The Second City: How to Use Improv as a Business Tool

March 3, 2021

Industry Perspectives

View all

5 Ways XDR Can Improve Operational Efficiency for MSPs

March 4, 2021

Multi-Cloud: Strategy or Inevitable Outcome? (or both?)

March 3, 2021

Backup Vulnerability: 4 Targets Hackers Might Utilize to Infiltrate Your Backup Solution

March 2, 2021

Webinars

View all

A Partner’s Perspective on Channel Success in 2021

March 23, 2021

XDR and Why it Matters to MSPs

March 24, 2021

Top Security Trends Impacting Technology Security Providers In 2021

March 25, 2021
  • 1

White Papers

View all

Why Fortinet for my MSSP?

March 2, 2021

Small and Mid-Size Business Security: 4 Steps to Success

March 2, 2021

How SMBs Can Secure Endpoints and Remote Workers for the Long Haul

March 2, 2021

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

November 1, 2021 - November 4, 2021

Videos and Fastchats

View all

FASTCHAT: How SOAR Eliminates Security Challenges and Elevates Service Provider Revenues

January 6, 2021

Happy Holidays from Channel Partners & Channel Futures!

December 21, 2020

FASTCHAT: How Old, Unpatched Technologies Are Creating New Security Threats for MSPs and Their Customers

December 3, 2020

Twitter

ChannelFutures

Chinese hacker group #HAFNIUM exploits critical @MSFTExchange Server vulnerability, could impact thousands.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 7, 2021
ChannelFutures

Our latest #Cybersecurity Roundup highlights #CPVirtual, @Huntresslabs, @Entrust_Corp and @InsightEnt.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 5, 2021
ChannelFutures

RT @Channel_Expo: A HUGE thank you to our amazing #CPVirtual sponsors and exhibitors! 👏 @ATTBusiness @DellTech @8x8 @lumentechco @telarus @…

March 5, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@okta acquiring rival @auth0 in $6.5 billion all-stock transaction. #security dlvr.it/Rtzwdp https://t.co/4LvHCJuwsR

March 4, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@MicrosoftTeams features are coming to @MSFTDynamics365, the company announced at @MS_Ignite. #MicrosoftIgnite… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 4, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@PreciselyData acquired by Clearlake Capital, @TAAssociates. #digitaltransformation dlvr.it/RtzbKg https://t.co/1rNYnTScxq

March 4, 2021
ChannelFutures

Thanks for attending #CPVirtual. Here's a Day 3 wrap and a look ahead to #CPExpo Homecoming in November!… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 4, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@Veeam announces six annual Impact Partner Awards, with @SHI_Intl, @LogicalisUS, more. #cloud… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 4, 2021

MSSP Insider

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.

Channel Partners Online

Want more? Find more channel news and analysis on our sister site, Channel Partners.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Online
  • Channel Partners Events
  • MSP 501
  • MSSP Insider
  • IoT World Today
  • Webhostingtalk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 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