For many value-added resellers (VARs) and managed service providers (MSPs) new to the world of cloud computing, it’s difficult deciding which cloud solutions are best for a newly cloud-focused business. You’ve already taken a big step in deciding to move away from on-premise solutions to cloud-based revenue models, but you have to decide which solutions are right for your business. What’s going to be the most profitable for your business? What do your customers WANT you to offer to them?

Do you feel that you should be marketing and promoting your company’s service offerings? Have you taken all the necessary steps to get started? Managed service providers (MSPs) don’t have to be marketing experts, but marketing is a necessary component to running a sustainable business with a consistent stream of new customer prospects. As a business owner, you want to be cost effective, and provide a positive customer experience to new prospects—and marketing is the key.

We all know it’s important to get new sales resources up to speed quickly once hired by a managed service provider (MSP), but there is an opportunity to recognize the unique roles that all departments play throughout the customer journey. The ability to connect each and every new team member within an organization to the role it plays in the market can provide immeasurable differentiation.

Some people, like Microsoft partner sales executive Justin Slagle, are saying that managed service providers (MSPs) need to stop pitching Office 365, which can come as a shock. However, it makes sense. Justin’s point is the importance of differentiation. In today’s market, where resellers are struggling to compete in a crowded market, you can’t just offer the same Office 365 solution as the vendor down the street. Let’s take a quick look at some ways to create a valuable offering for your customers while setting your business apart from competitors.

Complexity brings an opportunity to profit.

What is a customer? If you ask that question to 100 managed service providers (MSPs) you’d probably get many different answers. Attracting customers is the primary goal of MSPs, because it is the customer who creates demand for your goods or services. In the IT Industry, you never want to underestimate the value and reach of your loyal customers. MSPs have to be creative to keep customers coming back for more, so eventually they will bring their friends with them. Here are four tips to remember as an MSP when developing relationships with customers:

This is part one of a weekly blog series to discuss the extremely important topic of cloud security and how the three primary service models in cloud computing,  Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), have differing security strategies—which you should become familiar with to secure and protect your customers’ cloud environments.

The MSP Difference Maker Series explores how best-in-class managed service providers (MSPs) create differentiation in the market. MSP best practices related to sales, technical support, marketing, operations and leadership are brought to life through workshops, exercises, tools and resources.

In today’s fast-paced market, it’s not the big that eats the small; it’s the fast that eats the slow. Speed is arguably the most valued competitive advantage. As managed service providers (MSPs) start to look similar in go-to-market strategy, vendor line card, support offerings and pricing, speed can help widen the gap between service providers and their closest competitors. If executed correctly, speed changes how IT solutions are implemented, which positively impacts MSPs in a major way.

Tech Data is making improvements yet again to StreamOne, Tech Data’s cloud marketplace, to enhance your shopping experience. Three exciting functionalities were released across all countries to ensure the global platform performs even more efficiently as you learn, buy and manage your cloud subscription

Tech Data and ConnectWise CloudConsole + Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) = the ultimate cloud solution provider (CSP) platform for managed service providers (MSPs). Tech Data and ConnectWise recently had some big news around simplifying the journey to become a CSP. So what exactly does all this mean for you?