The MSP Zone

MSP Best Practices Series: Picking the Right Tools

In part 2 of our MSP best practices series, we look at the selection of tools during the initial stages of creating an MSP practice. The right tools are critical to your success in delivering managed services.  
Armed with a thorough business plan, selecting the appropriate hardware and software technologies can become easier, although it should still be a process you undertake with a high degree of seriousness.  
 
Highlights:  
MSP tool selection philosophies 
Questions to ask your MSP tool vendor 
Integration Considerations  

MSP Best Practices Series: The Business Plan

So you want to become an MSP. Maybe you are already an MSP and just want to get better. The managed services profession is an exciting, vibrant, and important community serving tens of thousands of customer organizations all over the world.  
Being a great MSP takes practice, patience, and a good amount of planning. That’s why we decided to create this series of short, instructional videos to help guide newer MSP organizations navigate the often complicated world of managed services.  
This series will take you through the very early stages of a pre-revenue MSP business model, all the way through some of the more advanced stages of delivering a managed service offering. We hope you find these videos insightful and helpful. 
Enjoy. 
The Business Plan 
Most people don't like to hear this but the very first step you should take when deciding to become an MSP is develop and write a business plan.  
Highlights:  
Provides structure for your MSP goals 
Prevents missteps and waisted resources 
Eliminates a lot of effort downstream 
Faster time to market 

The MSP Perspective on the Kaseya-Datto Deal

Now that we have had some time to digest the news about Kaseya buying Datto, it is time to get the MSP on the street perspective. Travis Springer of Sagiss, joins MSPZone and shares his thoughts on the deal, the likely reaction from MSPs and vendors alike, and ultimately whether the deal will be good, bad, or neutral for the managed services profession.  
 
Highlights:  
Analysis of the deal 
Why did the deal take place?  
Will vendor consolidation drive or stifle innovation? 
How do other MSPs feel about it? 
What reaction, if any, will this cause from the remaining "big 4" companies? 
With guest Travis Springer, Vice President of Sagiss 

Are We Winning or Losing against Cybercrime

Are we winning or losing the ongoing war against cybercrime? Today's guests have an answer. You may not like the answer, but it does reflect two professional opinions from people who know a lot about the cybersecurity war.  
More importantly, our guests understand what it takes to win that war and the role MSPs will play in achieving that victory.  
Join Scott Augenbaum - Supervisory Special Agent FBI retired, and Corey Munson from PC Matic, as they discuss this important topic.  
 
Highlights:  
We need good technology but it needs to be applied properly.  
Do MSPs know how to sell security? 
Are end-users doing enough to participate in their own survival? 

Analysis of Kaseya Acquisition of Datto

The big 4 become the big 3. Yesterday, Datto announced that it is going to be purchased by Kaseya. The deal has huge potential for the global MSP marketplace and we will analyze what those outcomes might be in this podcast.  
What is impressive is to see a company like Kaseya who less than a year ago suffered a significant cyber attack rebound and pull off a deal like this one. There are bound to be questions and speculations about how this acquisition will impact the global MSP market. This is to be expected. The responses, furthermore, won't be limited just to the MSPs, but will include the MSP tool vendors such as ConnectWise and N-able.  
Highlights:  
Reverse IPO?  
Objective of deal 
SMB managed services impact 
ConnectWise & N-able response 
MSP channel reaction 
Secondary market reaction 
 
MSPZone Reading Materials:
https://investors.datto.com/news/news-details/2022/Datto-to-be-Acquired-by-Kaseya-for-6.2-Billion-with-Funding-Led-by-Insight-Partners/default.aspx
https://mspalliance.com/my-thoughts-on-the-kaseya-breach/
https://mspalliance.com/private-equity-is-moving-on-the-managed-services-profession/
https://mspalliance.com/msp-rmm-vendor-datto-files-for-ipo/ 
https://mspalliance.com/msp-tool-decentralization/ 

The MSP Compliance Officer

Mature (i.e., larger sized) managed service organizations often will have a chief compliance officer (or team) dedicate to maintaining proper internal compliance for the company. These compliance individuals play an important role in the company. For smaller MSP organizations, however, having a compliance officer may not be feasible.  
Yet, compliance impacts large and small MSPs alike. So, what should a smaller MSP organization do?  
 
Highlights:  
The role of the modern MSP compliance officer 
Advice for smaller MSP organizations 
Team based compliance 
Sponsored by: Webroot: https://www.webroot.com/MSPsolutions

Finally, Some Good News on MSP Cyber Insurance

WOM: Low
 
MSPs have been seeing increases in their cyber insurance premiums for several years now. As cyber threats and attacks continue to increase, paying more to get and maintain cyber insurance has been a reality for MSPs across the globe. But, there is hope.  
One MSP business owner joins MSPZone and talks about his past several years of experience with his insurance broker, his increasing rates, and how he got his MSP cyber insurance premium to actually lower in 2022.  
Join MSP owner Karl Springer of Sagiss as he walks us through the process he used that led to a lowering of his insurance premium and could be a path for many other MSPs to follow.  
 
Highlights:  
MSPCV as a certification is different than SOC 2 
MSPCV helped Sagiss lower its cyber insurance premium 
Cyber Insurance for MSPs ought to standardize on MSPCV 
 
Sponsored by Acronis Backup Protection - Cyber Protection Solutions - Acronis

Peer Groups, Insurance, and MSP Growth

WOM: Low
I had the opportunity to speak to a lot of MSPs at MSPWorld last week and, as usual, learned a lot. While there were a lot of topics on the agenda, there are always standout issues which seem to take on a life and momentum of their own. That’s exactly what happened this time.  
Here are some of my highlights and takeaways from MSPWorld. 
 
Highlights: 
MSPAlliance Peer Groups 
Cyber Insurance Update 
M&A and Growth Update 
 
This episode is sponsored by: Aparavi Data Intelligence Software & Storage Automation Platform (aparavi.com)
 

ConnectWise Talks Security

MSPs are not alone in the ongoing fight against cybersecurity. On this episode of MSPZone, we speak with Raffael Marty, general manager, cybersecurity, with ConnectWise.  
Raffael discusses some of the latest announcements from the company concerning Intel, how ConnectWise is helping MSPs face the persistent issue of cyber attacks, and what MSPs need to do in order to remain one step ahead of the cyber underworld.  
MSPZone Reading Material: https://www.connectwise.com/company/press/releases/connectwise-expands-collaboration-with-intel-to-further-strengthen-cybersecurity-for-smbs 

Why Standards Matter in Managed Services

WOM: Medium
It has been a longstanding issue at the MSPAlliance that we have standards for the MSP profession. While this may have been a philosophical issue early on, it is no longer merely an academic matter. Today, standards matter.  
The UK government is now taking matters into their own hands regarding MSP standards and practices. Why does this matter? Because the UK (and many other governments) are now acting without the benefit of any working knowledge about MSPs, and doing so believing the MSPs have no formalized standard of their own.  
 
Highlights:  
MSPs do have standards 
Governmental action is legitimate, but be warned not to overreach 
Do not mistake lack of enforcement for lack of a standard 
 
MSPZone Reading Material: https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=3022e31f-a8d1-4dd1-87d4-e6c10f284b9b 
 
Sponsored by Nerdio: Nerdio | Microsoft Azure & Virtual Desktop Management (getnerdio.com)