Managed service providers are a hot commodity for organizations as they look to better manage their IT infrastructure. Experts helping out organizations lower their costs and downtime with cybersecurity, IT support and network management, it’s almost like a no-brainer for organizations to turn to MSPs, especially for SMBs that cannot afford to pay the individual wages of an IT team.
MSPs are taking advantage of the high demand for the services they offer, generating a sizable profit. As more organizations continue to switch to a multi-cloud strategy, that only means the demand for MSPs skyrockets.
With MSPs operating more as organizations means they are looking for ways to streamline operations and find other revenue streams that they can get from their customer base. A company that helps MSPs achieve this is Apptium Technologies , which is a Gold Sponsor at MSP Expo in Meeting Room 11 on Feb. 14-17, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
I recently caught up with Lydia Bode, product manager at Apptium, who gave her thoughts on the growth of the MSP market in a time of economic uncertainty and how Apptium helps MSPs better address their customer needs.
What is your current perception of the Managed Services space? Why is it such a hot market?
MSPs continue to be the trusted solution providers overseeing two key assets: the customer relationship and innovative commercial models. MSPs have established themselves at the point of intersection between products and services, delivering best in class value-adding solutions while embracing the shared services model.
To say the MSP market is hot is an understatement. What does that mean in times of economic uncertainty? It means more growth for MSPs as organizations closely monitor their bottom line, looking for ways to simultaneously streamline operations and generate additional revenue from their customer base. From growth opportunities to cost optimization, SMB’s and large Enterprises need trusted advisers who can provide value and timely solutions.
Lydia Bode,
What’s the biggest opportunity for MSPs to increase their revenues and value to their clients?
Forrester’s 2023 Predictions claim “Fortune Favors the Bold (and Focused).” This rings true for MSPs, particularly those in the high-growth, ever-changing cloud and SaaS services space. Today’s economic climate still presents significant growth opportunity, with 92% of organizations considering a multi-cloud strategy and global public cloud services projected to grow to $935 billion by 2027 . MSPs that make bold, data-driven moves to offer new, configurable solutions to their customers while pursuing back-office process automation and cost reduction opportunities are positioned to see the biggest impact to their bottom line.
Why are you focused on partnering with MSPs?
At Apptium, we set out to enable the chain of commerce, from consumption to subscription to services. We quickly realized the MSP and channel industry has a uniquely complex chain of commerce and required a next-gen platform with ecosystem orchestration and mature billing capabilities. We worked with industry partners to bring our Cloud Commerce Platform to market, and today we work with leading providers, distributors, and MSPs across the globe. We are focused on partnering with MSPs to configure and launch new product lines at scale while providing a great end user experience. We’re invested in supporting MSPs because they play a pivotal role in this ecosystem and are the closest to the end customer’s needs.
Tell us about what you offer MSPs? How are you helping them better address their customers’ needs?
Apptium helps MSPs better address their customer needs by providing a streamlined customer 360 view across providers and product lines, from purchase and provisioning to inventory management, cost management, and reporting. We provide MSPs the ability to scale through aggregation by leveraging a robust platform and tapping into a global ecosystem. MSPs can launch white-label marketplaces and leverage our extensive catalog of pre-configured cloud and SaaS products to define, launch, and manage configurable solutions.
Is there any recent news from your company you would like to share?
It’s an exciting time in the industry – Apptium, in partnership with one of our client partners IDC has acknowledged our position as a leader in the Ecosystem Orchestration Platform (EOP) space and the largest reseller marketplace platform for IaaS. It is an honor to receive recognition for our efforts in ecosystem commerce and product enablement. This distinction, along with working with some of the leading industry solution providers on IoT, Intelligent Edge, Digital services and much more continues to fuel the growth @ APPTIUM.
There’s some exciting news to come, we have a game changing announcement coming in the next few weeks; follow us on LinkedIn , Twitter or Instagram to get the latest!
As MSPs look to build their portfolios, they have many vendor options. Why should they partner with you?
We recognize MSPs have more options today than ever before. As MSPs expand their offerings to include hardware, SaaS and consumption, it becomes increasingly complex to manage delivery and provide a consistent user experience. Data gets scattered across platforms and the cost of engaging with multiple vendors cuts into MSPs margins. If any of this sounds familiar, come talk to us at MSP Expo! We aggregate data across providers so you don’t have to and offer market leading multi-tier commerce, marketplace-as-a-service, billing, and subscription management capabilities.
What differentiates your services or solutions from your competitors?
Apptium differentiates in three main areas – 1.) Domain Expertise in telecom and multi-cloud, uniquely positioning us to provide robust commerce and billing solutions; 2.) Shared Success engagement model – we invest in our partnerships to reduce operational, technical and financial barriers to entry; 3.) Commitment to Innovation – we closely collaborate with technology industry leaders to provide seamless integration for market leading product lines and new, configurable solutions.
What kind of support do you offer your MSP partners throughout the partnership lifecycle (e.g., education, training, marketing, technical support, etc.)?
We offer white-glove onboarding, training, and ongoing technical support for MSP partners using our Cloud Commerce Platform. We facilitate partnerships between MSPs, distributors, and product providers to accelerate go-to-market of new product lines through the channel.
Look into your crystal ball and tell us how you see your market and/or the MSP space changing/evolving in the next few years.
I think we will see rewards for MSPs that avoid the temptation to proceed with business as usual due to economic uncertainty – Fortune Favors the Bold and Focused. Now is the time for MSPs to make bold, data-driven moves to streamline operations, lower cost of ownership, and aggressively seize opportunities to stand out in the future. Successful MSPs will have leveraged ecosystem partnerships and innovative business models to provide differentiated offerings to their customers. On the vendor side, organizations operating in this space must have the ecosystem partnerships and the robust, extensible capabilities not only to support, but to lead and shape this evolution.
Why are you excited about MSP Expo 2023? Why should attendees be sure to stop by your booth in the exhibit hall?
There is tremendous growth and opportunity in this space and we are excited to meet new faces and connect with our existing partners! Please stop by Meeting Room #11 by the VIP lounge or send me a message to connect. You can also schedule a time to meet with directly via this link: https://calendly.com/apptium_events/30min.
If you are speaking at MSP Expo 2023, what is the session and why is it a must-attend session?
I am speaking at 11:15-11:45 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15 on “Best Practices for Multi-Cloud Consumption and SaaS Billing.” If you are just beginning your cloud / SaaS journey or are well into it but looking for ways to scale, this session will focus on tangible ways to introduce more automation and control your margins. Apptium’s Co-Founder & Vice President of Solutions Services Binish Patel will also speak at 1-1:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, on the panel "What do MSPs want from their vendors?” Hope to see you there!
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
