When we decided to evolve our MSP 501 judgement criteria and methodology this year, the main goal was for it to reflect the state of the market and the modern, mature channel. The 2020 list, we believe, accomplished that goal.

As part of the updated criteria and subsequent modified list, we broke out two brand new lists this year — the Hot 101 and the NextGen 101.

The NextGen 101, an MSP 501 list, recognizes diversified partners with growing MSP practices and annual recurring revenues under 20% of total revenue. These partners offer managed services, but they’re also resellers, system integrators and shops that do project work. The 501 needed to be a list of businesses that primarily identify as MSPs. These more diversified shops deserved to be recognized for what they are in their own list. 

Now, “new” is never easy. The list was new, the criteria was new, the application process was new … just a whole lot of “new” happening. If 2020 has taught us anything, it is how to adapt. We took our new methodology, and really homed in on resellers, system integrators, consultants and other partners with recurring revenues from business models that are diversified beyond managed or cloud services. What we ended up with were 69 extremely qualified partners. These are folks dedicating resources to building out their practices — all while maintaining the integrity of their core businesses. 

This, we believe, reflects the current market, and represents the MSP powerhouses of the future.

You can access the full 2020 NextGen 101 rankings now. Congratulations to everyone who can say they’re a #101er this year!