The 10 Biggest Challenges Facing MSPs

What Is The Biggest Challenge Facing MSPs?

More than 300 managed service providers gathered at N-able Technologies' annual Partner Summit this month in Scottsdale, Ariz.

CRN asked 10 of the attendees to identify the biggest challenges facing MSPs these days. Here's what they had to say.

Joe Zueger

President
Workplace Technology Center
Sioux Falls, S.D.

"To probably continue to demonstrate the viability of the model, the superiority of the model over traditional T&M [time and materials] arrangements. My belief is the clients are starting to lose patience with that model. They don't want to live that way anymore. The opportunity is there to say, 'That was then, this is now.' "

Jim Drummond

Owner, General Manager
MicroAge IT Solutions
Red Deer, Alberta

"The biggest opportunity is trying to automate desktop and server support for customers. Changing technology that customers took for granted."

Victor Blevons

Consultant
Integricom
Tucker, Ga.

"The biggest opportunity is telephony, VoIP. Managing it. Reselling it. We're in, it but we could be doing more."

Richard Kaeufer

President
Data Applications
Addison, Texas

"The economy is in a place where technology is being kept longer. That's exactly where managed services can show value for what they do for the business. We can demonstrate a higher level of service that companies haven't been able to do by themselves for the last couple years, things like backup, business continuity, disaster recovery. An MSP can do that in a bundle that [end users] can now afford."

David Learmonth

Systems Engineer
Southern Cross Computer Systems
Australia

"It's hard to put a finger on it but there are a lot of new components from the new N-able [N-central platform], a lot of functionality. It's better integrated with new features that we can bring to customers."

Mark Mason

Manager, Schedule Support Services
NPower Pennsylvania

"Integration of services such as online or off-site backup. Managed services as a holistic approach, putting everything under one umbrella is a big thing to take to customers."

Bob O'Malley

CEO
InFocus

"MSPs focusing on the SMB market is real. That whole segment of the industry needs attention and they have an appetite for these solutions. Also, what's happening in the living room needs to happen in the office, such as social networking and visual communication tools. There's a need to drive that into a managed environment."

Joe Popper

Owner
Computer Gallery
Palm Springs, Calif.

"To me, the biggest opportunity is helping companies under financial pressure. Companies are firing their entire IT department and the opportunity is in outsourcing IT to third-party companies."

Wayne Higgins

Senior Solutions Specialist
VISN IT
Staten Island, N.Y.

"Patching. A lot of clients are coming to us and looking for help with patch management because they're falling behind doing it themselves."

Dan Edwards

President
Pact-One
Henderson, Nev.

"More managed services. Companies are getting away from break/fix because they're tired of getting nickel-and-dimed. They see the value in that we can help them get all their issues resolved for one bill."