Managed Service Providers (MSPs) face an increasingly challenging world with their customers facing disruption at every turn. The emergence of AI which according to Gartner will increase massively over the next two or three years, the relentless scourge of cybersecurity threats and increased complexity as new tools come to market means that MSPs must continually adapt.
Successfully navigating these stormy waters relies on forging partnerships that enable MSPs to focus on meeting their customers’ needs without missing out on new opportunities or adding complexity that disrupts their business operations.
Nick Moran, the Associate Evangelism Director at ConnectWise, says these challenges are complex and can be overcome through a systematic approach.
“After running my own MSP business for almost three decades, I understand the pain points service providers face. They don’t need more solutions – they need better solutions that are integrated, simplify processes and enhance data management.”
The balance between delivering new tools, managing security and not adding complexity is one that MSPs face every day. Moran says customers are constantly looking for new ways to improve their businesses.
“End users are screaming for these tools. But ensuring they are integrated into an existing tech stack can be challenging. MSPs need to work with strong partners that can help them bring new tools, like AI and machine learning, into their product offerings in ways that enable end customers to access the tools seamlessly. All while ensuring processes like invoicing and support don’t lag behind.”
Adding to this complexity is the looming shadow of shadow IT. Customers are finding users are accessing these new tools before businesses can safely adopt and integrate them. MSPs play a critical role in safely bringing these new tools to their customers.
Moran’s experience as an MSP is what drew him to ConnectWise and enables him to put himself in their shoes. With new tools and technologies constantly coming to market, MSPs are looking for ways to enhance the range of products and services they can deliver. But that continual tool proliferation can bring unwanted complexity and risk.
“The ConnectWise Asio™ platform makes tools available to MSPs through a secure marketplace that simplifies end-customer billing, data integration without the need to deploy dozens of APIs,” explains Moran. “By taking an integrated approach the security risk is reduced.”
Managing the heightened cyber risk is critical. With the Australian Cyber Security Centre reporting a new attack every 7 minutes, security cannot be an afterthought. ConnectWise Asio™ platform manages security at the infrastructure level – it is not an aftermarket bolt-on.
The ConnectWise Asio™ Platform was launched in Australia at IT Nation Sydney in August 2024. Allaying concerns about data sovereignty, ConnectWise partnered with Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and Snowflake to ensure all customer data is kept on-shore in local data centres.
“Security is a shared responsibility between ConnectWise and its MSP partners,” says Moran. “When we built Asio™, we put security in at the foundations to minimise the risk of successful attacks and to mitigate the risk of data loss or corruption.”
The integrated toolset offered by ConnectWise Asio™ ensures seamless communication between solutions, reducing chaos and creating efficiencies. By leveraging experts on demand, robotic process automation, security and more, businesses can increase their capacity and allow their teams to focus on high-priority tasks.
“ConnectWise is not standing still. We recognise that the world is in continual flux and that MSPs are at the forefront of supporting businesses through change. Our recent acquisitions of Axcient and Skykick are part of our ongoing commitment to ensure we deliver the best possible solutions to our MSP partners,” says Moran.
These strategic acquisitions further expand ConnectWise’s cybersecurity and data protection portfolios. They give the company a full-fledged MSP-focused business continuity and disaster recovery offering that can be accessed through ConnectWise Asio™.
ConnectWise Asio™ also provides strategic business management capabilities, enabling businesses to track and report on their entire operations. With access to valuable insights and analytics, businesses can make informed decisions, enhance client relationships, boost profitability, and optimise team performance.
MSPs are at the forefront of supporting business to deliver value to their end-use customers and the ANZ economy. ConnectWise, through its recently launched Asio™ platform and the acquisitions of Axcient and Skykick, is bolstering services to enable service providers to deliver best of breed services without adding unwanted and unnecessary complexity to their businesses.
Nick Moran is a CRN Channel Chief. You can learn more about him here.
