Enabling cloud-based outcomes with future-ready MSPs
Small and medium businesses (SMBs) are changing their approach to cloud, and this means MSPs have to change as well. A recent research study by Forrester reports accelerating use of cloud services across the small and medium business (SMB) landscape. The survey reveals: “more than 3 in 4 SMEs agree that cloud-based operations is a linchpin of their organisation’s digital transformation efforts.”
This is no surprise as it reflects what my team and I are seeing in the market every day. We’re seeing SMBs expand their use of cloud across their operations, with the driving factor being cost savings through migrating from expensive legacy systems to cloud. Security concerns are also a driver as businesses look to harden the extended networks that have sprung up due to work from home (WFH) following COVID-19.
“But SMBs have challenges moving to cloud. They often don’t really have the in-house skills to build a cloud strategy, nor select the most suitable services, nor migrate to and manage their cloud architecture.”
We are offering our Microsoft CSP partners the opportunity to access funding for Azure cloud migrations. Learn more about the Azure Migrate and Modernise (AMM) program here.
Skills gaps - recognise any?
Many SMBs not only lack in-house technology skills, they often have limited resources to manage change, analyse data to define issues, design a solution, then put a plan in place to deliver it and keep optimising it. This skills gap is especially true for the “S” in SMB. MSPs with these skills are well-placed to win customers and keep them – to the detriment of service providers who don’t.
That’s where the 3,500 partners that we work with across APAC come in. The most successful MSPs have the ability to understand an SMB’s business, design relevant solutions using the cloud products and services available through us and become valuable and long-term partners and advisors to their clients. These MSPs share several defining characteristics that keep them ahead of the crowd. They are future ready MSPs (see box).
Characteristics of a Future-Ready MSP
Don't sell to everyone:
instead, they focus on 1-to-3 industry verticals
Don’t simply push products at problems:
they start a conversation and flesh out the real issues and opportunity
Deeply understand their target markets’ challenges:
crafting solutions to solve these specific issues
Understand their customer's journey:
using their marketing programs to educate and nurture prospects
Reach their targets:
marketing programs are designed to speak in the customers’ language
Build intellectual property (IP) in the process of delivering solutions:
and use the knowledge acquired to repeat similar solutions for other clients in the target segments
Invest in talent:
and build further IP through adding certifications
Build skills and solutions across 6 key cloud areas:
so they can continue to offer higher-value services after the initial cloud adoption/migration phase
We are on a mission
Our mission is to help our MSP partners transition from selling commodity products to delivering valuable solutions. Solutions based on specialised industry vertical knowledge, IP gained from prior projects and experienced and certified technology professionals. Often MSPs don’t invest enough in the people and the skills and certifications that can give them a competitive edge – that’s a false economy.
At the same time we also want to help those MSPs who are already Future-Ready to continue to prosper and grow.
We’ve done our homework, and the research, evidence and expert opinion we’ve reviewed confirms that successful MSPs that grow and become profitable have similarities. Above all, they specialise so they can offer differentiated services and value. They repeatedly add IP, solutions, skills/certifications and help clients solve specific problems with specific solutions.
We’ve recently reimagined our approach to assist MSP partners in the journey towards Future-Ready, developing two strategic initiatives:
- Strategic repositioning support to assist your MSP become more specialised and more valuable
- A wider range of solutions across more cloud domains that map to SMB cloud requirements.
