Continuum in late 2016 vowed to accelerate its global MSP platform strategy. Fast forward to present day, and the company is poised to more fully describe its MSP engagements across EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and APAC (Asia Pacific). Listen closely, and you may even hear about some joint work involving Autotask, among others.
Continuum has supported MSPs worldwide for several years. But a more formalized global journey started when the company hired Bob Kocis as chief revenue officer around September 2016. Kocis pieced together a plan to push deeper into the United Kingdom and Ireland; Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and the Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). Also on tap was a new office in Sydney, Australia.
Continuum In Europe
Among the additional names to know: Paul Balkwell, managing director of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Under his leadership, Continuum's UK office has grown to about 15 people and the company is still "recruiting like mad" to hire more talent, Balkwell asserts. MSPs in the region adopted Continuum's RMM (remote monitoring and management) and NOC (network operations center) services first, and are now getting started with BDR (backup and disaster recovery).
With that goal in mind, Continuum in December 2016 launched BDR in IBM's UK-based cloud. So far, so good. But the company also is closely watching Brexit (Britain's pending exit from the European Union). If Brexit forces European MSPs to rethink where they store customer data, Continuum is well-positioned to potentially leverage additional IBM data centers, Balkwell says.
But how exactly is Continuum performing in Europe? "Growth rates are exceeding our expectations," Kocis asserts. It's safe to expect CEO Michael George to provide an update during the company's European Partner Day (March 8, London). As part of that sold out event, Continuum will launch a European Advisory Council featuring partners from across the region. Dee Zepf, VP of partner success, is expected to share details at the event.
Not ending there, a roadshow also is on tap for the Nordics, Kocis says.
Continuum In APAC
Meanwhile, Continuum also is pushing deeper into the APAC region. Among the key moves: Senior Channel Development Manager Frank Bauer has relocated to Sydney, Australia. His core focus: APAC channel development.
Yes, Continuum has partners in Australia. But the more formalized approach -- local feet on the street, plus a local Sydney office -- gives MSPs confidence that the company is committed to the region. To drive home that point, Continuum is hosting an Australian Partner Day on March 16.
Next Stop - Singapore: I believe Kocis will attend both the European and Australian events. But he won't be heading home after that. Instead, Kocis is heading to Singapore to discuss potential distribution partnerships for Asia.
Look a bit further out and you'll notice that Continuum and Autotask are set to host a joint event in Singapore on June 8, Kocis notes.
A Decade-Long Journey
Continuum and Autotask certainly aren't the first U.S.-based MSP software companies to push into Europe, Australia and Singapore. Kaseya and SolarWinds MSP (via the former N-able Technologies) pioneered the early MSP market in Australia (around 2008), Africa and other regions before rivals got serious about global expansion.
Among the landmark moves: Autotask in 2012 localized its software in such languages as French, German, Japanese, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. More recently, ConnectWise has made aggressive international moves. And in the business continuity market, Datto has been expanding aggressively, including a Singapore push as a gateway into Asia.
Back at Continuum, the company's formalized global push has come together rather rapidly. The latest evidence will surface during those conferences in Europe and Australia on March 8 and 16, respectively.
