Tell us a little about your MSP…
Managed IT Systems is located in Athens, GA, and our field engineers cover about a 100 mile radius from there. We have been providing top-notch IT support services since 2005.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
Managed IT Systems has been a member of The 20 for just under 2 years.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
We initially partnered with The 20 because of the potential to grow our MID model and be able to offer more features, products, and services than we could alone.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
We have increased our annual revenue by over 35% in only one year. This was possible due to added benefits, especially the help desk. Our prospects see us as a much more complete, larger organization, which means we are able to be more competitive when bidding for services.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The openness of communication between formerly-competing companies is astounding. On any given day, you can count multiple on-going conversations between companies from across the country that are geared toward helping solve a problem, offer a solution, or providing hands-on assistance.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Perseverance. You have to be willing to put forth the same effort day in and day out, regardless of the outcome.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Getting more leads in the door has to be the number 1 challenge for us. Outside of that, struggling with client education – whether it is differentiating our services, explaining why we recommend a specific solution or service, or why they need to change their password regularly – is a challenge that we face each and every day.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Managed IT Systems is going to continue to focus on selling our MID service, but we are also going to push harder on managed security solutions as well as improve our cloud-focused offerings.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Take the leap and commit to becoming an Elite member so that you can take advantage of the help desk. The amount of time your company will gain back will allow you to focus more on new growth, better reporting, and perfecting your services.
What book are you currently reading?
‘How to Secure Office 365’ by Matt Katzer
Favorite blogs / podcasts
Linus Tech Tips – YouTube, MSP Insights
Earlier this month, we saw the first of four ChannelPro SMB Forum events this year that featured presentations from industry experts and some of the top managed service providers in the country!
The event kicked off with a pre-day workshop on The Building Blocks of a Mature MSP.
The 20 hosted this alongside Cytracom, Compliancy Group, and Deep Instinct. The workshop covered the top challenges MSPs face, go-to-market strategy, adding monthly recurring revenue, developing stickier client relationships, and more!
The seminar also included two panel sessions, including one highlighting successful MSP owners: Rob Boles of BLOKWORX, Scott Meeler of Managed IT Systems, Terry Barden of Forward Systems and Paul Redding of Carlin Bradley. The vendor panel session featured Vance Carlaw of Deep Instinct, Dave Goldie of Cytracom, Marc Haskelson of Compliancy Group and Crystal McFerran of The 20.
It was a full house and so much fun.
The theme was Bigger. Better. Business. and the jam-packed event featured presentations from some of the brightest minds in the business who shared their insights on the hottest tech solutions in the SMB marketplace today. IT consultants, VARs, integrators, and managed service providers of all types networked with peers, and got detailed information on the latest technology trends and solutions.
The event concluded with attendees honoring vendor sponsors with the following awards:
Best in Show: Datto
Best Cloud Solution: Datto and SherWeb
Best Hardware Solution: Epson
Best New Solution: Domotz
Most Innovative Solution: Compliancy Group
Best Partner Community: Datto
Best Software Solution: Webroot
Best Revenue Booster: Cytracom
Best IoT Solution: Domotz and SYNNEX
Best Add-On: RapidFire Tools
Best On-Stage Presentation: The 20
Best Solution Presentation (Sapphire, Platinum, Diamond, Gold sponsors): Datto
Best Solution Presentation (Silver sponsors): bvoip
Best Distributor: SYNNEX
Best Silver Selfie: Domotz
The next seminar will be held in Chicago May 1-2!
Spots are filling up fast, so interested attendees should register immediately here!
We hope to see you there!
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Southern Data Solutions, located in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 2005 with the purpose of providing excellent customer service. With a stellar team dedicated to the success of that vision, we have grown our business and looking to expand. Our services and products are now solidified and moving forward is much easier with special thanks to The 20. I have a saying that, “No one drives a Ferrari, until we can all drive a Ferrari,” meaning that the company’s success will be shared among all of the people that contribute to the success of Southern Data Solutions.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
Southern Data Solutions became a partner to The 20 in February of 2017.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
Southern Data Solutions was coming out of a failed relationship with Continuum and was seeking out a new partnership for help desk and NOC services. We continue to be pleasantly surprised by the entire offering from The 20 and signing up was a no brainer.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
The 20 partnership has helped Southern Data Solutions align our business so that we can focus on bigger-picture growth. Simplified, it means that The 20 staff take care of our existing client’s support needs while we can focus on the relationships of existing and new.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
Being around Tim Conkle… LOL! Seriously, it is a breath of fresh air knowing that new products and partnerships are being brought to the group — and the information sharing is the best!
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
I have always been a driven person and the key to success is finding ways to gain back as much of our most precious and valuable asset — TIME! Being proactive with our clients — and having good clients — allows the men and women I work alongside of to be able to spend more quality time with their family and friends.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Our challenges have consisted of bringing in new business on a consistent basis, as well as keeping the clients utilizing our established processes instead of latching on to one person in our organization. Engaging Google AdWords has significantly increased our inbound leads. As for keeping the client on track with our processes (calling the help desk and not the last engineer who helped them), we continually stand united in delivering the message of calling the help desk is faster than putting you, the client, in the queue of one person who has other tasks and tickets ahead of you.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Southern Data Solutions is focused on growth through new business, which will either be through new sales hires and/or acquisition.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Select a focus or goal and stick with it. Manage your time wisely and make sure your team is doing the same! Communication is key with both your employees and clients. Show appreciation to both your employees and clients. In this day and age you can find new clients, but a good employee is hard to find or replace, so always have their back!
What book are you currently reading?
I read the Bible daily and that is all I need.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
The YouVersion Bible app has great reading!
