COVID-19 Fuels MSP Cloud Deployments for Remote Work
… that aspect of corporate infrastructure, ServerCentral Turing Group’s Chris Rechsteiner, vice president, said problems will stem from consumer broadband. He said people will experience latency or lag times on their VoIP and video conferencing lines as usage soars.
“Home broadband is one of the largest culprits in degraded … capabilities for real-time communications services,” he said. “Most organizations inherently recognize the impact the change in work environment is having on everyone, yet it is still worth noting that sometimes a little bit of patience will go a long way.”
That advice applies to some in the channel itself, too, where COVID-19 has created another new challenge — the imperative to rethink service delivery methods. Maven Wave, for example, historically sits with its users as technicians deploy G Suite tools. Not so anymore.
“We have reimagined our deployment engagement approach to slim down the in-person consulting and move to a more digital approach,” said Maven Wave’s Foa.
Within other partners, including Unitas Global and AllCloud, most employees already worked remotely or had the tools to shift to 100% virtual quickly, which meant little disruption to processes as COVID-19 has spread. Others, including SADA, are proactively reaching out to clients to show them how to make the most of their remote tools.
Up to the COVID-19 Task, But What’s the Financial Reality for Cloud MSPs?
Overall, cloud MSPs are proving they are more than up to the task of guiding enterprises through unforeseen events. Two of the partners Channel Futures interviewed – 2nd Watch and SADA – even have their own blogs that discuss how to make the most of cloud resources amid the COVID-19 emergency. After that, the question becomes one of individual financial survival.
Again, Chicago-based Maven Wave was the only MSP to directly answer Channel Futures’ questions on this sensitive yet crucial topic. A number of analysts have been citing cloud technology as a key contributor to helping the world’s businesses regain their footing; therefore, it is important to understand the role the channel plays, and will play, in those efforts. Fortunately for Maven Wave, at least, customer payments remain in line with or ahead of pre-COVID-19 times; collections are up, Foa said.
Meanwhile, Avant’s Presti predicts partners may start to receive payments based on their relationships with clients.
“Longstanding customers are bound to be first in line, compared to companies that show up out of nowhere,” he said. “I would anticipate that this same dynamic could impact contract terms, depending on the circumstances.”
In other words, it may be prudent to act as though this will occur, to avoid as much as possible any collateral damage.
Maven Wave also is the sole respondent that reported hiring amid the coronavirus outbreak, which serves as a positive economic indicator. It’s just that, similar to customer deployments, employee onboarding now takes place virtually.
Speaking on a theoretical basis, Avant’s Presti said he would not be surprised if more partners bring on more staff to juggle COVID-19-related demand.
“Those who have an available bench of contractors would be in the best position here,” he said. “In most cases, these contractors might be assigned the less complex engagements, freeing up the core team for engagements that are more complex.”
The changes and challenges brought about, practically overnight, by COVID-19 will continue to materialize and fluctuate. If you are a cloud-focused MSP, VAR, ISV or systems integrator interested in speaking with Channel Futures for poential inclusion in another article addressing the coronavirus’s impact on the channel, contact the reporter, Kelly Teal.