MSPs Can Run with The Big Dogs
As an MSP, it would be tempting to run doomsday scenarios through your head or make a strategic snap judgment when you read or hear about telco-tech conglomerates such as
AT&T getting in on the remote managed services business.
The sky is not falling. While the big dogs on the block such as the aforementioned AT&T, IBM and HP have all moved in on leveraging support services for their products, there is still plenty of room for MSPs to serve similar services to small businesses.
Even HP's own Network Solutions Marketing chief Michael Nielsen admits that the field is at present pretty level, despite big company forays into the market. HP’s Nielsen has even said there is a "blurring of the lines" in capability and functionality that MSPs large and small can roll out at the enterprise level and small businesses.
The good news, straight from Nielsen himself, is that that managed network giants and managed services providers are in a position to compete directly with similar services offered by telcos.
In the end, it comes down to customer and/or client relationships. In the SMB space it’s particularly important to be able to get someone on the phone or have an IM and e-mail query returned promptly. And within the vast SMB space, that kind of immediate service is a trait that small MSPs and IT service shops must have to be able to stay ahead of the pack.
Posted by Jabulani Leffall on May 16, 2011