Logically’s New CEO: The Goal Is To ‘Transform Into A True MSSP’

‘We have a lot of high-level talent that is currently on staff, and we’re also bringing on board some other very strategic senior-level hires that will help us get there. ... Over the next two years, you’re going to see Logically transform into a pure-play cybersecurity company that provides IT solutions,’ Joshua Skeens, who was promoted to CEO Jan. 1, tells CRN.

Portland, Maine-based Logically has named Joshua Skeens as its new CEO and, under his leadership, will have a renewed focus on cybersecurity.

“We’re not leaving the MSP space, we’re just bringing a different twist to it,” Skeens told CRN. “We feel like we’re a couple of years out in front of other MSPs. We have a 70-plus person cybersecurity business unit and we’re probably one of the top MSPs in the U.S. that can say that right now. So we’re really focused on how can we bring a very customer-centric thought leadership approach to this market right now, and we feel like we’ve got a good jump-start on that.”

Skeens, who took over the MSP and MSSP as CEO on Jan. 1, succeeds Michelle Accardi, who had been appointed CEO in fall 2021.

Accardi told CRN she will announce her next plans in the second quarter after a short sabbatical.

“I have tremendous confidence in Josh. He is an amazing technical mind, especially as it relates to cybersecurity, and is a caring people leader,” she told CRN. “I expect he will continue to drive what we started together at Logically, taking it to the next level of success as the leading cybersecurity-focused MSP.”

Skeens joined Logically, which is on CRN’s 2022 Fast Growth 150 list, in 2021 through the acquisition of MSSP Cerdant, where he served as COO and CTO. At Logically, he was responsible for leading managed services, professional services and the project management office, as well as Logically’s Security Business Unit.

With 20 years of cybersecurity expertise and leadership of MSSP and MSP organizations, Skeens said he will be doubling down on cybersecurity.

CRN spoke with Skeens about his new role and where he wants to take Logically in the future.

What will the company look like under your leadership?

So for us, we’re not going to change really. We still provide IT solutions with a heavy focus on customer service and satisfaction. Throughout my career I’ve always felt like that’s been important. Something that is going to change for us, though, is we’re going to be heavy cybersecurity focused. Our goal over the next few years is that Logically is going to transform into a true MSSP in the space. We have a lot of high-level talent that is currently on staff and we’re also bringing on board some other very strategic senior-level hires that will help us get there. There’s more news to come on that as well, but that is where we’re going. Over the next two years, you’re going to see Logically transform into a pure-play cybersecurity company that provides IT solutions.

What are some projects you want to tackle first in your new role?

Customer service, customer service, customer service. I feel like Logically lost its way a little bit and we’re going back to saying that we’re a customer service company first. The only way you add true value in an industry like ours is making sure that you take care of your clients, first and foremost. I’ve said it for many years, I’m carrying it with me at Logically but we’re a customer service company first that provides cybersecurity solutions and IT solutions. We approach our day that way every single day, but then also doubling down on being an employee-centric company. We want to create a culture where people thrive. I have two career goals and values that I bring with me. First and foremost, I want to develop employees personally and professionally where they can go get a job anywhere and they’re highly sought after. Number two is to create a culture and an environment where they don’t want to leave. You create that conflict where something else is out there for me but I really don’t want to leave Logically because it’s such a great place. I feel like I’ve done that throughout my career, and if I continue to do that with Logically then we’ll hit all the goals that we have for ourselves.

What is your strategy in terms of M&A?

Logically has done a lot of M&A. We’re going to continue to look at other businesses that are out there and if we find one, or two or three that we feel fit with our strategy then we’re still in the market for that.

How do you plan on positioning the company to sustain a possible economic downturn?

I think we’re in a really good space. We kind of have been through that before in 2008, 2009. If you think about the MSP and the MSSP space, it actually grew, so we’re very mindful and tactical with what we’re doing. From a business perspective, we’re still expecting to grow, we’re not really pausing. We’re keeping our foot on the gas pedal.

What do you foresee as your biggest challenge this year, and how do you plan on overcoming it?

Ourselves. We’re not really looking at competition or anything like that. But we’ve got to find a way to get out of our own way sometimes. We’re going to do that through a heavy focus this year. Rather than trying to do a ton of things, we’re going to focus on three or four things and do them really, really well.

You talked about culture a little bit. What is the company doing in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives? Do you have plans to grow that?

We actually do. It’s interesting you say that because I had a meeting a couple of weeks ago with HR. I don’t want to dive too deep into it, but I can tell you that it’s a primary initiative for our HR team in the company in 2023.

What are some other long-term goals you have on the horizon?

We just want to be considered one of the top players in the space, and I believe that with the team that we’ve put together and the employees that we have and the culture that we’re creating, we’re going to get there. But that is a goal of ours. We want to become a known entity in the space.

What differentiates Logically from competitors?

We don’t really look at our competition, I think that we are our own competition. That’s probably just a personal view: Don’t look at what others do, just look at yourself. We have to maintain focus in 2023 to do what we have set out to do but also leverage the things that we know we’re really good at. Be a thought leader in the space when it comes to cybersecurity and provide personalized solutions to clients of all sizes­—small, medium, enterprise—we play in every space, which a lot of people in our industry can’t do. We can provide enterprise-level solutions all the way down to a SMB if we have to. With all the knowledge and wisdom that we bring, that’s something that we’re going to have a lot of heavy focus on in 2023.