MSP Pricing Best Practices

There are many types of managed services pricing models being used today. Whatever model you use, risk should be accounted for somewhere in your pricing of managed services offerings. Towards that goal, risk-based pricing is an effective overlay to your existing pricing scheme and something every MSP should evaluate. Put differently, risk-based pricing is a necessary ingredient to whatever pricing model you happen to use.
If you use per user/seat pricing, risk-based modeling can be overlaid; if you use per device pricing, same thing.
Risk-based pricing is protection for our MSP practice. It insulates it from risky clients unaware of what they should be doing, or unconcerned that their risky behavior is negatively impacting their MSP (and all the other client’s the MSP manages).

IoT Managed Services...Coming Soon to an MSP Near You

For those of you not already delivering managed services around "IoT" devices, it might be ready for you to consider doing so. The market for IoT and security are projected to increase steadily over the next several years. Market demand for these services will further be fueled by increased remote worker environments globally. 
MSPs need to be preparing for the following: 
Remote worker support
IoT impact on remote work environments
Security implications from remote work clients
Security implications for MSP employee remote work environments
Either way, IoT will be playing a significant role in the management of global organizations of all sizes in the next few months and years. Is your MSP practice ready for this opportunity? 

MSP Loan Funding - Part 2

In an update from our previous episode on the CARES Act, The MSP Zone speaks with Courtney LaLone, principal with Bernard Robinson & Company, on how the program is doing and whether MSPs should seek out funding. In this episode we discuss the following: 
2nd tranche of funding for the PPP program
Which banks are more likely to fund PPP applications
Forgiveness planning for MSPs
Cash flow planning for Spring and Summer
MSP Zone Guest: Courtney LaLone, principal with Bernard Robinson & Company

Shorter Contracts for MSPs?

The MSP Zone talks with Stephen Sweett, president of Buchanan Technologies, an MSP with headquarters in Grapevine, TX, about the shift to remote work, the growth of their MSP help desk, and the outlook for MSPs in the next few months. 
One of the discussion points includes the potential for MSPs to see shorter term contracts with clients, not because of weak demand for managed services, but because of a lack of knowledge concerning what IT needs they will have beyond a year from now. 
MSP Zone Guest: Stephen Sweett, president of Buchanan Technologies

Augmentt Aims to Disrupt MSP Platform Tools

This is not your father's RMM tool. The phrase could be the unofficial tagline for Augmentt, a new company with deep ties to N-able. 
In this episode of the MSP Zone, Derik Belair, CEO of Augmentt, discusses his deep experience in RMM software companies such as N-able and SolarWinds, and describes how monitoring and management of SaaS applications demands a new breed of MSP tools. 
Belair offers his opinions on the last twenty years of the managed services profession and where we are headed in the future. 
Today's MSP Zone Guest is: Derik Belair, CEO of Augmentt

3 Security Training Topics Every MSP Should Offer to Clients

There are many ways an MSP can serve its customers. Education and training are a few examples of services which will have meaningful benefits to the clients and to the MSP. 
Security training and education can be important tools for the MSP to service existing clients and win new ones. In this episode of the MSP Zone, we talk to cybersecurity expert Craig Taylor from CyberHoot about his top three cybersecurity training topics he believes all MSPs should be offering to customers. 
The MSP Zone Guest: Craig Taylor, CyberHoot

Is it Time to Tear Up Your Master Service Agreement?

MSPs have been using contracts for many years to structure and codify their managed services relationships with clients. One of the tools MSPs have been using quite effectively in the last 10-15 years is the master service agreement (MSA). 
As MSAs have been more frequently employed in managed services relationships, there is undeniable change occurring in the MSP profession and specifically how MSA are being implemented during the sales process. MSP use of quoting tools, proposal generation, and obtaining signatures, are all forcing change within the sales process, ultimately challenging how we use MSAs. 
Today's MSP Zone guest is Rob Scott, lawyer and partner with Scott & Scott LLP, a Texas based law firm specializing in cloud and managed services law, among other areas. Rob presents a new model for utilizing MSAs for the modern day MSP. One of the most significant changes to the MSA and how it is used by MSPs is the practice of putting it online. MSP Zone discusses the risks and benefits of uploading your MSA, what needs to change in order to accomplish this goal, and how it could benefit your sales process. 
MSP Zone Guest: Rob Scott, partner at Scott & Scott, LLP

How are MSPs Doing in the Fight Against COVID-19?

John Burgess, president of Mainstream Technologies, discusses the impact of COVID-19 and how he and other MSPs are doing. Inevitably, the economic recovery from quarantine will begin and we discuss this eventuality as well, and how MSPs should be positioned for success. 
MSP Zone Guest: John Burgess, president of Mainstream Technologies

Are Changes Coming for MSP Growth?

MSPs are facing a lot of change in the next few months. As MSPs are handling an increase in IT support requests by many clients, there could be a coming shake up within the break/fix community as these organizations struggle with cash flow and clients facing their own uncertain futures. One of the possible outcomes of this pandemic is that wages for managed services employees could be going down as more unemployed IT (and non-IT) workers are laid off or furloughed. 
MSP Zone speaks with Peter Kujawa, division president of Locknet, an EO Johnson Company, and gets his thoughts on the pandemic, its impact on managed service providers, and how wages may be affected. 
Guest: Peter Kujawa, division president of Locknet, an EO Johnson Company

Education is Crucial to Winning the Cybersecurity Fight

Winning managed services deals means beginning with education. Education of clients and prospects is what will create the indelible bond and proverbial "trusted advisor" relationship between client and MSP. 
Listen as we discuss:
whether MSPs can afford to not be involved in security
how MSPs can win more business through educating prospects
what the future cybersecurity landscape will look like for MSPs
The MSP Zone guests include: 
Tim Martin, Neoscope
Craig Taylor, Cyberhoot