Public Cloud Predictions for the Year Ahead (2020)

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At Nerdio, as we continue into a new year, we not only like to reflect on the past year and set goals for our company in the year ahead, but we also like to take a hard look at the industry, how it has evolved, and where it is headed.

In the coming weeks we will be sharing some of our predictions for 2020 and advice for how the channel can prepare for the advancements and changes ahead this year.

As we work to empower Managed Service Providers to build successful cloud practices in Microsoft Azure, we think it’s only natural to start by sharing our thoughts and insights into the public cloud in 2020.

Public cloud has reached its tipping point

Cloud adoption has officially become the default option for businesses. While it has taken quite some time for organizations to become more familiar and comfortable with the cloud, they’re now finally considering it as their first, go-to option for their IT environments. According to a recent study from Flexera, 94 percent of respondents are using cloud computing in some form, 91 percent being the public cloud. In fact, 11 percent of SMBs in particular are spending more than $1.2 million on the cloud every year. As for major players in the space, Microsoft Azure has been rapidly gaining market share and in 2020, it will continue to remain the most popular platform for cloud services.

If you haven’t adopted public cloud yet, it’s time

As cloud adoption in general continues to grow in 2020, it’s time to be proactive. It’s alarmingly apparent that if companies are not in the cloud, they’re behind in the skillset and offering mix that customers now expect. In fact, companies are now looking beyond just offering a cloud experience to new cloud-based technologies related to virtual desktop infrastructure. With the introduction of Microsoft’s Azure Virtual Desktop in September 2019, Microsoft legitimized the virtual desktop computing model and made it cost-effective, eliminating every roadblock that previously stopped adoption. While virtual desktops will likely not experience the mass adoption in the next year, like the public cloud, it is certainly catching the eyes of many IT professionals and expected adoption will rise in the next five years.

Investment in the cloud will reduce disaster recovery risk 

Cloud adoption comes with many benefits, but one of the major perks is reduced disaster recovery risks. Investment in disaster recovery is driven by the perceived risk of a user’s primary environment going down from something like a flood or fire. However, as the market trends towards big data centers in the cloud in 2020 and users’ environments become fully virtual, there will no longer be a need to invest in solutions specific for disaster recovery. IT environments aren’t in danger because they are kept safe and updated in near real-time in a public cloud.

If you’re an MSP looking to successfully migrate and build cloud practices in Microsoft Azure this year, it’s time! Nerdio is here to help you seamlessly make that transition and reap the benefits of the public cloud. 

3 Lessons We’ve Learned by Attending MSP Peer Groups

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At Nerdio, our mission is to empower Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to build successful cloud practices in Microsoft Azure, and one of the major investments we make as a company is to participate in MSP Peer Groups—specifically Connectwise’s IT Nation Evolve and the Taylor Business Group’s Business Improvement Groups.  We find peer groups to be a valuable way to connect with partners, receive real-time feedback on our product and company strategy, and integrate in a smart way into the MSP ecosystem.     

We believe every SaaS company looking to play a big role in the MSP ecosystem needs to take advantage of MSP peer groups, and in 2020 you will see us ramp up our activity manifold when it comes to these valuable ecosystem-building events.  Our participation has allowed us to capture some incredible learnings to date and we’d like to share three of those with other industry vendors considering their own participation in MSP peer groups. 

  1. You need to stick with it.  I remember the first peer group we participated in not knowing what to expect, and quite frankly, not even sure what our precise pitch was going to be.  It is important to realize you won’t make the progress you expect in one meeting and maybe not even two.  You need to show up repeatedly and really stick with it so the participants in the peer groups take you seriously and know you are in it for the long-term. Not showing up sends a signal that your company may not be around for the long-term, and it is unlikely an MSP will bet on your technology unless they see a certain consistency from you and your company.  Making a real time investment to show up and let the members know you care will take your company a long way down the path to relevance and respect from peer group members. 
  2. You need a great value proposition.  If your value proposition does not resonate with the peer group members, you are toast.  This is probably the most important thing to think through before your first peer group meeting. How are you, as a SaaS vendor, going to help MSPs succeed?  If you can’t answer that question, you may as well not make the investment in peer groups because you will fall flat and MSPs in the room will tune you out.
    For example, at Nerdio, our value proposition is incredibly strong: we help MSPs build successful cloud practices in Microsoft Azure—something each member has at minimum been thinking about if not already planning to do.  We solve a real challenge MSPs are encountering, so when we enter the room and declare this to be the challenge we are taking on as a company, the majority of participants tune in and engage with us during our session. 
  3. You need to be genuine.  The worst thing you can do when participating in a MSP peer group is to come to the room with a “know it all” mindset where you enter not willing to take feedback — or showing up as if you have the answer to everything. Peer groups are all about sharing, growing, and approaching your meetings as a vendor with a “learn it all” mindset, which will earn you immediate credibility with the members.  It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be confident in your approach—you need to be because you are coming in as subject matter expert.  Who knows your space better than you?  Striking the right balance between being confident but also humble and willing to take feedback will go a long way towards building the trust you need to win over members and continue the conversation well beyond the first meeting.

At Nerdio, we believe regular participation in peer groups is an important investment for any SaaS company looking to play an important role in the MSP ecosystem. If you are an MSP, signing up to take part in a peer group is a great way to measure yourself against others in a friendly and learning-based environment. Our investment in MSP peer groups in 2020 will increase dramatically based on the success we have had and look forward to seeing you at one soon!   

Nerdio’s 3 Commitments to the Channel in 2020

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At Nerdio, our mission is to empower Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to build successful cloud practices in Microsoft Azure. We do this through amazing, best in class technology and the premier Azure content for MSPs across the world. The start of a new year is a time when many people make personal commitments around how they plan to excel in the new year.  Businesses shouldn’t be any different—they too should be introspective and think about what their commitments are to their partners and customers in the new year. We therefore want to share with you three commitments we are making to the MSP channel in 2020. 

  

  1. We will teach you how to build a cloud practice in Microsoft Azure.  At Nerdio, we wake up every day thinking about how we can help MSPs build successful cloud practices in Microsoft Azure. It permeates our culture, the way we design our products, the investments we make in the channel, and how every employee sets their schedule each day.  There is nothing we would not do to pass along the knowledge and experience we have working with thousands of partners and customers to bring them to the public cloud.   We do this every day both by creating a product that is second to none and through the development of amazing content on our Nerdio Academy. We know that as MSPs, you feel that Azure can be complicated and there is some amount of risk in moving from what you know to something brand new. We are here to make it easy for you and will walk down the path with you every step of the way. 
  2. We will double down on participating in MSP industry events.  It was such an incredible pleasure meeting so many MSPs at industry events in 2019. Connectwise IT Nation Connect, Robin Robins, ASCII, Pax8 Mission Briefings, and many more. We loved talking with you and learning from you.  2020 is going to be not just more of the same but much more as we double down on the number of events, peer groups, and lunch and learns that we participate in and tell the Nerdio story. Wherever you go to learn about technology, you can expect to see Nerdio there and we look forward to meeting thousands more MSPs in 2020 at the best industry events on the planet. 
  3. We will continue to offer world-class technical support to our partners.  In this day and age, you simply cannot be an amazing SaaS company if you are not delivering world-class partner support. It is what separates the winners from the pretenders.  At Nerdio, we’ve built our business on providing amazing support and it is what differentiates us from others in the industry.  The number of MSPs who became partners of Nerdio in 2019 and told us they switched to us because of our amazing support are plentiful.

    When you have a customer to bring live, our Partner Solutions team is there on a Friday night to take you through the process when needed. When you email us a question or have something you are simply stuck on, we are there to simplify things for you. We are in it with you every day of the week and that will not change in 2020. It can’t because it is simply how we do business. 

At Nerdio, we are excited about what 2020 is going to bring to the channel. 2020 is going to be a breakthrough year of more MSPs moving their business to the cloud with Microsoft Azure and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with you on that journey.