N-abling A free Trial For Managed Services In The Midmarket

N-able&s MSP Startup program gives any VAR a free 30-day trial to the Ottawa-based vendor&s MonITor Online MSP platform, which can be used to remotely monitor the status and performance of any SMB customer network, said Mark Scott, president and CEO.

During the trial period, participating VARs can add as many customers as they wish to their MSP rolls, then on day 31, N-able begins to charge its standard rate of $99 per month per managed customer for the continued use of the online platform, Scott said.

Once VAR participants sign up at N-able&s Web site, N-able delivers training material that explains things like the best way to price and sell managed services, and how to transform sales targets and billing cycles from project-based models to long-term subscription models, Scott said.

For some VARs, a 30-day window may not be enough time to decide whether or not managed services are a fit, Scott acknowledged. But the MSP Startup program keeps the financial commitment low enough that even if a VAR opts out after 60 days, “if they&ve only added two or three customers their cost is only going to be two or three hundred dollars,” Scott said. And, VARs can opt out “any time.”

After spending several months deciding which MSP-enabler to go with, Jon Nitto, president of The RetroTechs, a 15-person, $3 million per year VAR in Atlanta, was ready to spend about $11,000 on N-able&s high-end server-based monitoring platform, he said. But word of the MSP Startup program made him change his mind.

“We were prepared to make the larger investment because the ROI is incredible,” Nitto said. “But this program lets us come in less expensively, and still gives us the ability to embark as an MSP.”

Nitto said what drove him to select N-able over its competition was “its nurturing attitude, their training, and just good vibes.”

A comprehensive N-able partner program awaits VARs at the conclusion of the 30-day trial period, Scott added.

Also in the MSP space, Singlestep Technologies, Seattle, last week wrapped an MSP program around the latest release of its network workflow monitoring product, Unity 2.5. The vendor hopes to attract MSPs to Unity, and get them to offer the Singlestep service.