SolarWinds MSP Presents Pinot With Pag Episode 1: MSPs Navigate COVID Pandemic

by Joe Panettieri • Jul 23, 2020

Welcome to a new and candid series we’re calling Pinot with Pag and Panettieri. Brought to you by SolarWinds MSP, this video interview is a free flow conversation about the increasingly important role of the MSP and the market trends influencing and impacting business success.

Got a question for SolarWinds MSP President John Pagliuca and/or ChannelE2E Editor Joe Panettieri? Post it in the comment section below. We’ll either reply online or cover your question in our next quarterly conversation. Now, here’s the conversation:

In this edition we cover:

• 0:00 – Intros
• 0:48 – Today’s first Pinot is…
• 3:10 – MSPs — “We call them the Seekers…”
• 3:40 – The state of MSPs: Why John has a glass half full mindset.
• 5:02 – How the coronavirus pandemic forced MSPs to take action & transform.
• 6:45 – The MSP customer conversation.
• 7:20 – How MSP technology consumption evolved as the pandemic spread.
• 8:15 – Two years of digital transformation — in two weeks.
• 9:10 — Which technology paths will MSPs take forward? (UCaaS, security and more).
• 10:20 – Flexible workforce — the trend that’s here to stay, and what it means for MSPs that need to protect users.
• 11:58 – Pricing pressures, talent and expanded services: Where MSPs should focus next.
• 15:00 – How MSPs can measure customer experience (CX) and customer success.
• 19:30 – The top quartile of MSPs with high profit margins vs the rest of the IT solutions provider market: What’s the difference — and where does automation fits in?
• 23:31 – Pinot Number 2: The Crusher
• 25:30 – What technology vendor traits do MSPs value most?
• 30:42 – MSP mergers and acquisitions (M&A): Reality check, latest trends and where private equity can fit in.
• 33:55 – What MSPs should strive to achieve over the next three months: Set goals, revisit your mission and build a plan to achieve those goals.
• 36:33 – Conclusion.

Reminder: Post your questions or comments below, and we’ll either reply online or cover your question in our next quarterly conversation.