The importance of staying up to date in the rapidly evolving MSP market

The MSP market is growing at a rapid pace. Organisations are increasingly outsourcing their IT, creating high growth opportunities for MSPs. That’s the good news.

On the other hand, these opportunities have attracted more players, which means more competition. Meanwhile, broader economic turbulence is impacting the market in all sorts of ways.

MSPs’ customers may be less willing (or able) to spend on products unless they demonstrably add value. And as new products and competitors proliferate, everyone needs to work on customer retention.

Evolving businesses and changing customers

As IT becomes more valuable and integral to organisations, it can be overwhelming to organise and manage in house. Meanwhile, compliance, networking and security requirements are ever more complex. This, of course, is where MSPs add value – by filling those gaps in their customers’ IT infrastructure.?

As rapidly as the market is developing, so are customer expectations and experiences. These changes present challenges for MSPs. Not only are demands more complex, but the MSP space is highly competitive.

Complexity and competition

The implications are plain: you have to be able to add value, offer great service and solve complex problems. It’s not even enough to do all that. You also need to show customers that you’re doing all this. Otherwise, the harsh reality is that customers are willing to drop services and switch to other providers.

MSPs depend on the stability that comes from monthly recurring revenue. With this model, retaining existing customers is as important as acquiring new ones. And there’s no escaping the need for great service in that ongoing mission. This is where choosing the right partners can help.

Using the channel

My view is that the channel should be about mutual benefit. We all have our place in it. Vendors develop solutions. Distributors offer them a sales network in partnership with MSPs. End users should then benefit from the collective expertise of the channel – which in turn benefits by generating recurring revenue streams.

The trouble is that the channel doesn’t always work like that. Some MSPs don’t use the resources that distributors make available. Some distributors and vendors offer limited support and don’t take feedback on board. In these scenarios, those mutual benefits simply won’t be realised.

The question for all of us is how we ensure that the channel adds value. And here, it’s all about picking the right partners, and making the best use of them. My advice to MSPs, in a nutshell: lean on your partners! If they’re reliable, they will help you overcome your challenges, whether they’re technical or sales-related. I’m proud to say that that’s exactly what we’re committed to at Brigantia.

Brigantia – a reliable partner

It’s clear that choosing the right partner is important, and I believe that we’re a unique proposition in the cybersecurity space. We’ve created a genuinely comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity solutions, which we rigorously test for quality.

As for MSPs, we make sure the whole team understands the challenges they face and we’re here to assist. This is how.

Reasons to partner with us.

1.??????We understand partnership

A good partnership depends on personal relationships. We approach account management on that basis. That’s why all our partners have a single point of contact for account management. That means you have one contact for everything from billing and sales to marketing and tech support.

This allows us to build a genuine rapport with our partners. Not only is this the right approach from a personal point of view – it also offers real business benefits. You know who to contact whenever you need, whatever the issue. And over time, your account manager will get to know your business and priorities, allowing us to tailor the service to your needs and processes.

2.??????Our Technical knowledge

My attitude here is simple, and the whole team’s on board. If we’re going to be providing technology, we should understand it. Our product specialists are leading experts, both in cybersecurity solutions and the market. But it’s not enough to concentrate expertise in one place. That’s why we train everyone in our team, whatever their role, in the solutions we provide.

How does this benefit MSPs? For one, if you have a technical question, chances are that we’ll be able to answer it first time. But it also allows us to support you in your sales efforts as well as in tech support and problem solving.

Our team are experts in providing end user demonstrations, exhibitions, webinars and bespoke marketing materials. We’ve discussed how MSPs need to be technically skilled and provide excellent service. The team’s knowledge and dedication allow us to make a direct, meaningful contribution to both.

3.??????The solutions we provide

Of course, all this depends on quality products, services and solutions. How can I vouch for ours? Well, to be blunt, we are very picky when it comes to vendors!

We’re not interested in name recognition. Instead, we apply a rigorous testing process with each vendor. These are some of the questions we’re asking:

·??????Does it overlap with other solutions in our portfolio? We don’t want an over-complicated, over-long list of solutions competing with each other. In part this is for the benefit of vendors, but it also makes it easier for MSPs to assess our portfolio.

·??????Does it solve a real problem? We’re not interested in gimmicks, or products that won’t last. Cybersecurity is a real need. Threats are real and ever-changing. We’re only interested in real solutions to real problems.

·??????Does it work? This is the big one! We need to know that it does what it says. Our product experts apply a long, detailed QA process to every single solution we offer.

I’m confident about this approach, and I believe that our seal of approval should give confidence to MSPs. We want to make the channel work for everyone. Great solutions, great service and great relationships are the key.

Final thoughts

The MSP space is dynamic and competitive. This makes it an exciting, but challenging sector. I think the channel offers the potential to benefit everyone, but this depends on mutual support. Productive partnerships are fundamental, and everyone at Brigantia is committed to making those happen.

I’d love to hear from any MSPs who share these values, so feel free to get in touch.