As MSPAlliance prepares to celebrate 20 years of operations, MSPs everywhere are facing several profound (mostly positive) changes in the New Year. What makes 2020 unique is not that there is change on the horizon (we’ve faced this almost every year since MSPs have existed), but that the changes we face as a profession are so significant.
So, considering these significant and profound changes facing our profession, I would like to offer up some advice for MSPs everywhere so they may continue the vital work they do every day for their customers.
Transparency Is Upon You
2020 will usher in a new era for MSPs, one in which transparency is no longer a differentiator; it is one of the defining elements of being an MSP. The checklist for being an MSP used to be a short one: get your RMM, ticketing system, and service agreements, add some proactive managed IT services, and you’re magically an MSP.
Today, transparency is going to be one of the most significant factors facing MSPs in the new decade. Demonstrating your transparency is, to be specific, what we are talking about here. If you cannot show your transparency, you will be facing more competition from MSPs who can.
Transparency is one of those ideals which can be hard to grasp for a lot of the technically driven MSP companies precisely because it is not a technical concept. Transparency is a business and professional concept. It is the idea of being proactive in your documentation and communication with customers about how you do what you do.
Understand your Role
Despite the recent attacks on MSPs and the increasing pressure to become more focused on managed security, there is some excellent news regarding the future of managed services. That good news is the role of the MSP has not diminished. The role of the MSP has gotten stronger over the last couple of years and will continue to rise.
Attacks on customer data and IT assets will continue. Nobody disputes this. Organizations unprotected by an MSP are worse off than those with an MSP. Customers may have more choices when it comes to selecting an MSP, but they will still tend to choose an MSP instead of leaving their most precious IT resources unprotected.
Remember your role as the guardians of the customer.
Everyone Knows Who You Are
MSPs are now mainstream. It’s hard to imagine that it wasn’t that long ago when MSPs were still in the shadows, struggling for notoriety and visibility.
