Broadline distributor Tech Data announced it has entered into a strategic MSP enablement agreement with N-able Technologies, a managed services software platform vendor.
Under the agreement, announced at the distributor's TechSelect partner conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, N-able will be Tech Data's preferred service provider and the Clearwater, Fla.-based distributor will proactively market N-able's Momentum System and its Velocity System products to its customer base.
Previously, Tech Data offered the software to members of its Tech Select community, but with this agreement, the distributor will market and promote them to its wider customer base. Under the non-exclusive aggreement, N-able will also be working with Tech Data partners interested in developing MSP practices.
"Our view and our vision going forward right now is to enable the channel. We want to open up a lot of our best practices and our programs. A big part of our offering is a business transformation process, and we've been investing aggressively in maturing the portal program that we currently offer where service providers come in and learn how to deliver the product," said Gavin Garbutt, president and CEO of N-able.
Making the transition to MSP is a process that can take resellers several years, Garbutt said, and N-able is looking to develop long-term relationships with solution providers who are willing to make the necessary steps to build successful businesses.
"The cheapest part of managed services is the software. The most expensive part is ensuring you're able to deliver it properly and support your customers properly and to be sure your engineers are delivering it in a standardized way," he said. "It's not because it's making us instant money but we know if we invest in our partners and their success over the long term than we will be more successful also."
The agreement was also not "a revenue grab opportunity" for Tech Data, Garbutt said. "This is about them understanding how they can help the channel deliver better services," he said. "We've worked with them to create a strategic partnership program."
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