Recently, I spent a full day in Washington, D.C. attending the sold out inaugural 2013 Datto Partner Conference. The vibe was similar to the first VMware Partner conference I attend years ago.
A keynote from CEO Austin McChord kicked off the event; he is completely unpolished, which is refreshing, as is the obvious fact that he is totally immersed in every detail of his business. He rattles off facts, figures, and details. Technical, business, and sales related data roll off his lips at a rapid-fire pace. What did I learn? Here are some of the key things I took away from his talk:
- Datto is exploding – 200+ employees; 112 of which were hired last year
- Datto has 8000+ partners – wow! Lots more Managed Service Providers (MSP) and IT Service Providers than I thought existed
- The company is totally focused on the channel, particularly the MSP market
- New MSP User Interface has been rolled out, making it easier for us to quickly setup and troubleshoot devices for our clients
- Direct-2-Tech was introduced, this means when you escalate an issue, we go directly to the tech that can solve the problem – this is a great things for NSI, and NSI clients.
- Tech support is 24/7/365, when clients need help, help is there.
- Brand new software allows us to show our clients the incremental changes that are happening
- HIPAA compliance - Datto is compliant and enables NSI to continue offering backup in regulated environments for clients needing this
The summary from Austin’s keynote for me was this – Datto gets it. They understand what we need to be the best possible ITsupport service provider to our clients. Additionally, they enable us to offer enterprise class services to the smallest of businesses; it is as simple as that. Why that’s a big deal:
According to the U.S. Census of 2010:
Forbes.com recently published a list of Tech Solutions for 5 Common Small-Business Problems. Well, NSI is a small business, and we have problems just like anyone else. Sure, we provide IT Support to thousands of businesses throughout New England, but technology is a broad term and we are consumers of tech, just like you.
The Forbes list focuses on five areas of concern for small business owners:
Well, you probably do. Regardless of how skilled your IT Support, Network Admin or Computer Services are, if you are a business owner you will be faced with upgrades. This is the reality of what it takes to run a business in today’s competitive market. What if NSI stopped upgrading? How would we stay in business and maintain our ability to provide services like TotalCare, Data Backup and Recovery, Remote Help Desk Services, On Site Computer Maintenance and Printer Repair? We would stink, and no one would want our antiquated service offerings.
Summer is here, thunderstorms are coming, here are a couple simple tips to protect your business from a serious problem:
