Datto executives addressed numerous MSP questions about product support, marketing and product development during a DattoCon17 open Q&A today in Denver.
Among those taking questions:
- Chief Revenue Officer Brooks Borcherding
- CTO Robert Gibbons
- Chief Experience Officer Emily Glass
- CEO Austin McChord
Support: One attendee complained about hand-offs between Datto support shifts, but the overall mood on support was steady to upbeat. MSPs seem to realize Datto is growing fast, and growing its support team rapidly. Still, Glass conceded that Datto has more work to do to ensure support calls are not needlessly handed off from one shift to the next. Another partner mentioned that Blue-Level partners are receiving VIP, world-class support.
Marketing: Attendees praised Datto's various marketing tools, though international partners requested localized content and promotional materials for customers. Datto indicated that such developments are on the way.
Datto Drive: An MSP asked about Datto Drive, the company's file sync and sharing alternative to Box and Dropbox. McChord said the company continues to have resources focused on Datto Drive. But based on McChord's tone and choice of words, it sounded to ChannelE2E like this is not a major product focus area for the company going forward.
Datto VDI, IaaS?: Datto yesterday disclosed an R&D project called Datto Desktops -- essentially VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) managed by the company's cloud. An MSP asked if the company plans to introduce full-blown workspace as a service (WaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS). McChord pointed out that the company hasn't confirmed any product plans for Datto Desktops. I don't think he mentioned whether the company would pursue WaaS and IaaS.
Datto Hardware as a Service?: An MSP asked about the shift from CapEx to OpEx, and if Datto would ever offer its hardware as part of an as-a-service payment model. In response, Datto plans to introduce a leasing offering from enterprise-class prices. It will be out soon, Borcherding said. Side note: I know GreatAmerica attended this conference but I don't know if the financing firm is associated with
Datto Branding: Will the company ever do TV ads to promote its brand to end-customers? McChord noted that the company tried TV ads and said it didn't produce relevant needs. "Purchasing Super Bowl ad spots is probably not the best use of our resources," McChord added as an extreme hypothetical example. But marketing with partners continues to provide ROI, Borcherding added.
Keep checking this blog. We're covering the panel in real-time.
