Why MSP Software Companies Show Peer Groups So Much Love
Question: How can software companies and hardware companies quickly engage managed services providers? One obvious answer: Start hanging out with MSP-centric peer groups like HTG Peer Groups. Over the past two years or so, dozens of hardware, software and cloud companies have showed HTG and other peer groups lots of love — in hopes of winning more business with leading MSPs. The latest example: Kaseya has launched a Kaseya Champs Group in conjunction with HTG. Here’s the update — and a reality check on MSP software adoption within peer groups.
Let’s start with the news. According to a prepared statement, the Kaseya Champs Group will provide key HTG members with product resources, including training and best practices, as well as offer a venue for Kaseya to gain valuable customer feedback and guidance. The group will be available to members of HTG in the first quarter of 2011. Kaseya has been a vendor partner of HTG since 2008 and recently upgraded to the platinum vendor sponsor level within HTG, which is the highest level of commitment to the group, according to the prepared statement.
The Bigger Story
Truth be told, sit in a peer group and you’ll understand the business value to MSPs within moments. The discussions can be fantastic. Moreover, peer groups can influence how scores of MSPs — and maybe even hundreds of MSPs — build their businesses for years to come. Most of the peer group discussions involve business chatter — finance, sales, marketing, HR, etc. But the peer group discussions also involve IT platform considerations, automation tips and more.
With that market reality in mind, dozens of hardware and software companies work closely with HTG. Perhaps most notably, ConnectWise has built a deep relationship with HTG Peer Groups, and most HTG members have standardized on ConnectWise’s PSA (professional services automation) software. On the flip side, Kaseya is best known as a remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform for MSPs — though Kaseya has been developing a PSA platform of its own. Numerous HTG members use ConnectWise and Kaseya in tandem. But I’ll be curious to see if Kaseya attempts to educate HTG members about its own PSA plans.
The Big Challenge
Generally speaking, it sounds like the HTG-ConnectWise relationship has been successful; standardizing on a single PSA platform has allowed most HTG members to make apples-to-apples business comparisons during quarterly meetings.
Still, relationships between vendors and MSP organizations sometimes don’t work out. A prime example: I’m aware of a U.S.-based reseller franchise that tried to standardize hundreds of VARs on a single RMM platform. But the uptake has been extremely low because the RMM prices are too high, and each reseller had a slightly different remote monitoring and management need. (I’m still trying to get folks involved with this project to talk on the record…)
Bottom line: Peer groups and franchise organizations can be great ways for VARs and MSPs to compare business notes and improve their performance. And vendor-peer group relations can be extremely valuable, especially when negotiating volume licenses and sharing best software practices. But just because there’s a relationship in place that doesn’t mean the peer groups will standardize on a vendor’s product.
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The HTG Community is amazing. As a Platform Partner, we get excited at the amount of entrenchment we receive with our own Champs Group…and I know SonicWall and Microsoft have also had success with their Champs initiatives as well. We’re excited to see other Platinum Partners taking advantage of the Champs opportunity HTG provides.
j. 🙂
Jeannine Edwards
ConnectWise
I agree that HTG is a tremendous platform and peer group. And I also believe that standardizing on Connectwise is very smart because how we run our business and operate daily usually centers around the tools we use, with Connectwise being such an important tool.
Good post Joe! Hopefully it encourages more MSPs to join Peer Group. It helps our entire industry if we all learn from each other.
Brian
Compuquip Technologies
Joe
Thanks for helping point out the value of our HTG champs program. We do have a number of these that have been in place for over a year and they have been a great connection point between our sponsors and members.
Kaseya is our latest Platinum sponsor in the RMM space, but we also have other great sponsors serving that area for us as well – Zenith Infotech was our first sponsor many years back and have continued as a Platinum sponsor ever since. Most recently, Zenith has worked with us to create the new MSPtv series on our SWOT process called Expert Exchange which just featured our first in a series as we traveled to Santa Barbara to cover our work with LANSPEED.
We also are working with LabTech who is a recent Platinum sponsor. Just because the question inevitably comes up – HTG is not going to align with an RMM company like we have with ConnectWise on the PSA side. Our relationship with ConnectWise is what we consider a platform relationship – where our members literally run their very MSP businesses – and for us to share meaningful information we had to make a choice to align with one product.
We do not see that being the case with any other area of our business. There are no other products that literally are core to what we do every day like ConnectWise is. All you have to do is watch the continual change of RMM tools to know that changing from one to another is not core or it would not happen as frequently as it does. So we will work to help members get the most value of any and all RMM tool providers with our platform partner – ConnectWise as the foundation.
You certainly point out the key value to HTG – sharing of information. From best practices to vendor experience to improving performance and profitability – that is the value of HTG. We will continue to be true to that mission – helping our members with business and personal growth driven by execution!
Thanks for all you do Joe! May you and your team have a Merry Christmas!
Thanks for the comments across the board. No need to thank me. I really enjoy the industry and the dialog.
Readers: I’m not a peer group member but I have sat in on a few peer groups to help shape the issues we cover on MSPmentor and our sister sites. Hard to believe, but sometimes I do stop blogging long enough to listen to what people are really saying. And they say quite a lot in the peer settings.
-jp
We are very excited about the Champ group and our new level of sponsorship. The atmosphere of collaboration and improvement surrounding HTG members is fantastic and enviable. We’re really looking forward to 2011!