The N-able Promise: A Focus on MSP Partners
- 25 May, 2021 08:32
It can be hard to go alone in the MSP business. Whether just starting out by offering break/fix, transitioning into a decent number of managed services contracts, or running a healthy business with a team of technicians, there’s potential for growth at all stages—especially with the right help.
That’s why SolarWinds MSP is becoming N-able. The move signals an even greater commitment to the MSP channel, allowing the company to focus its efforts exclusively on serving its 25,000+ MSP partners who support more than 500,000 SMBs around the globe.
The company believes this focus on MSP partners will pay off in the long run. As its MSP partners succeed and grow, N-able shares in their success. As N-able CEO John Pagliuca puts it, “The truth is we don’t think in terms of winning a customer for six months; we focus on building relationships with true partners for five or 10 years (or more). That requires trust and a true spirit of serving the MSP.”
Investing in the local market
Part of this shift involves anticipated growth and presence in local markets, including the Asia-Pacific market. The company has grown its Sydney, Australia, team to more than 25 people. Growing its roster of employees in the region shows a commitment to serving the market and allows N-able to host and attend local events, remain connected to local market needs, and support customers in their own time zones.
Nowhere does this commitment show more than the company’s investment in partner success managers. These employees aren’t on commission—their entire job revolves around enhancing the relationship between N-able and its MSP partners. These employees focus on training, demonstrating new product advancements, and enhancing the MSP’s service offerings. The team has tripled the number of partner success managers—from three to nine—since March of 2020, showing an important commitment to supporting MSP partners.
Jamie Deveaux, director of sales for the APAC region, puts it like this: “As MSPs grow, it’s a smaller space, so there’s more room for commoditisation. These businesses need to think of the future in terms of their growth. N-able is doing the right thing by putting partner success managers in place that have a dedicated role to helping them grow.”
Additionally, Deveaux highlighted the hiring of new security-focused team members. As cybersecurity becomes an increasingly important part of MSP service offerings, having dedicated team members to help MSPs navigate these waters is crucial. Deveaux says, “As we move into the future, we’ve dedicated headcount to security solutions to help ensure customers understand new products we have in security.”
These shifts tie into larger efforts from the company. MSP partners of N-able have full access to extensive training and educational resources in the partner success centre, virtual and in-person events (depending on local guidelines), and frequent trainings from N-able experts. In particular, it has recently increased the members of the Head Nerds team, who use their decades of experience to offer MSP partners specialised training across security, automation, sales and marketing, and business operations. Whether the goal is to boost efficiency, improve team performance, or level up technical know-how, N-able will continue investing in educational resources and support to help make it happen for its MSPs.
A long-term commitment
The company has long believed its success will only come via long-term investments in the success of MSP partners. Becoming N-able is expected to further enhance the company’s presence in the MSP market and provide long-term value that empowers partner growth—and wins customers for life.
