According to Hulbert, this includes hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, as well as long-term storage strategies that move the data as it ages and grows, and Kubernetes/containers that take the hybrid and multi-cloud approach down to the application development phase. We’re talking complex solutions from multiple vendors, each of which comes with its own training, marketing enablement, and sales support.
“All this to say – we’ll need more people with more skills, in a world where retaining talent and finding skilled staff is getting more challenging every day,” continues Hulbert. “That’s where it pays for MSPs to partner with vendors that can offer a wide range of services – so they continue to serve as the trusted advisor to their customers without having to specialize in any one workload area. [This means] partnering with vendors that have already adopted automation that enables seeing, delivering, and managing more with less.”Â
So, the takeaway here is that it’s essential to look for partnerships that enable your team to deliver reliable end-to-end solutions for enterprise workloads that deliver where, when, and how it needs to be.
Overall, we need to look at the last 24 months and utilize findings to guide the future. The challenges with customers, and thereby partners, can be brought down to a lower level of stress by making sure all remote workers are coordinated with BOTH the business and the IT of their companies. One cannot work in a silo any longer.
The Times They Are A-Changin’
We also asked our MSPs about how the three trends from the survey have changed their business, delivery, and service models over the last 20 months.Â
The big themes? Security, networking, global collaboration, expanded delivery models, and supply chain.Â
“We have launched seven new security products, two cloud telephony solutions, and completed 70 cloud migration projects in the last 20 months,” says Patel. “This trend is going to continue, and we see this as the new norm for many sectors. Although a significantly challenging period, it has enabled us to stay ahead and drive the opportunity to help and support many more businesses.”
Since LAN Infotech’s central vertical are law firms, they have always provided 24/7/365 support. In the past 20 months, clients have been more willing to pay the after-hours rate, whereas in the past, invoices were always up for debate – a happy turn of events.
“Security demands have moved at an exponential rate,” says Goldstein. “Customers are more willing to spend the extra money to ensure that their data remains safe. We have implemented many new features in our stack and will also be adding vulnerability scanning, cloud assessments as well as compliance as a service.”
Cloud growth for the company has increased over 500% as Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop have given customers the ability to have 24/7 accessibility to their applications. For business owners, that means no new hardware plus higher security from anywhere at any time.