A few days ago I decided it might be nice to contact some of the contacts in my "MSP Vendor Black Book"(tm) and get any messages they would like to share with the MSP community.
I asked them to just reflect on 2020 and what we can look forward to in 2020.
Hope you enjoy the words of wisdom....
"As difficult as this year has been, you have been the true hero for your clients. Wear that badge proudly. You kept them connected, regardless of where their desk, table, floor, cafe, sofa, children's bedroom, backyard and car were located...they were able to conduct their business because of you. Thank you for all you do and cheers to what HAS to be a better 2021!!"
Eric "The Great Gatsby of Milwaukee" Torres - Director, Channel Development, Datto
"Thank you to all our Partners and the whole MSP community. Looking forward to meeting you all in person in 2021 and maybe sharing a drink or two.... stay safe!"
Paul Balkwell, VP - International Sales Zix|AppRiver
"There has never been a time when your clients have needed you more than right now - 2021 will be BIG!! - educating and protecting against cybersecurity threats, migrating legacy apps and processes to the cloud to allow for true remote working and driving digital transformation within your client's organisations - exciting prospects to look forward to after such a challenging year.
2020 has brought technology to the top of the agenda and you are the experts your clients will look to in 2021 to take their organisations to the next level. All the hard work you put in and the trust you have built in 2020 and before will come to fruition, and by continuing to collaborate together as a Community, I believe we can learn from each other and be truly successful - a rising tide lifts all boats.
To everyone in the MSP Community - thank you. Thank you for supporting your clients organisations in 2020 - the year that support became financial, tactical and emotional, in addition to technical. I don't want to imagine where the global economy would be without the help, support and guidance of this incredible Community, your skills and commitment allowed your clients to keep doing what they needed to do, regardless of where they needed to do it from.
To all ConnectWise Partners - Thank you also from everyone at ConnectWise for choosing to continue to partner with us. The opportunity to be a part of your journey to success is something we never, ever take for granted. We will never stop striving to enable, facilitate and support your journey in any way that we can, here's to all we will achieve together in 2021.
A very merry Christmas to you all, I wish you and your families a happy, healthy and prosperous 2021"
Dan Scott. IT Nation Community Manager - EMEA, ConnectWise
"2020 was the year of innovation and the year many businesses realised just how important their MSP was to them, 2021 is going to be a great one!"
Alex Ford, Sales Director EMEA, IT Glue
"2021 is when all the leaning out, bolstering, and refining of their MSP businesses from this year really has impact. The business world will begin to normalize in the back half of 2021, and the MSPs will be well positioned to scale in a way they likely haven't been able to before."
Colin Knox, Founder & CEO, Gradient MSP
"2020 presented a monumental challenge. The MSP world tackled it head-on and helped keep SMEs across the globe in business and embrace new ways of doing business, that will change our economies forever. Not all heroes wear capes..."
Ronan Kirby, President & General Manager, EMEA, Kaseya
"For many MSPs 2020 will have allowed them to demonstrate their value to clients like no other year, we have seen great stories of the NHS, public sector and private companies being enabled during 2020 by MSPs. They should be very proud of their contribution in helping deal with the pandemic and keeping businesses working. (Sorry that sounds a bit, Boris) Well done. 👍 In a world of increased remote working enabled by cloud technologies, businesses needing to transform to new business models and an ongoing trend to outsource IT, 2021 is a land of opportunity built for MSPs, have a great year. 😁"
Micheal Breeze, Founder, Marketing Breeze
"Thank you for keeping us safe when the world could not."
Matt Scully, Channel Chief , Mailprotector
"While 2020 may have been a tough year, the perspective of IT changed from being a "necessary evil" to being an "essential service". To all my MSP colleagues who lived through the "Great Working from Home Rush" of March 2020. I salute you! Clients finally realised what we've been telling them for years -- that being that Windows 98SE PC of theirs *definitely* needs upgrading. :-) On a more serious note, I see 2021 as being the year in which MSPs thrive. Businesses of all sizes have come to appreciate the breadth of knowledge and flexibility MSPs bring to the market. Now is the time to reap the rewards!"
Richard Tubb, The IT Business Growth Expert, Tubblog
"2020 has been a tough and challenging year for all, both from business and personal perspective. While 2020 required you to bring your “A” game when looking after your customers, make sure you don’t forget to look at yourself and look out for your co workers. 2021 is almost here and remember “Tough Times don’t last but Tough Teams do”."
Fíona Linehan, Marketing Director, Carbonite/Webroot
2020 would of been a lot more challenging without the MSP community. Thanks to you and the relentless effort made by many MSP's customers were able to quickly get back up and running in the 'new norm' and carry on running their businesses so hats of to every MSP for making 2020 more bearable. Time for a much needed break over the holidays so I wish you all a relaxing and peaceful Christmas and look forward to working with you all in 2021 which I think will be year filled with hope and opportunity for this wonderful community!
Fiona Challis, MSP Sales Expert, Next Gen Sales Academy
"The MSP community has been pulled into a ton of different virtual events, as we vendors had to switch our channel engagement plans once live events were shut down. There are so many webinars, live tradeshows, virtual summits, happy hours, etc., that I'm sure it's overwhelming. Just know that the vendor community appreciates you staying engaged with us, and soon we will be back to face to face conversations, enjoying drinks at the bar, networking and enjoying each other's company."
Christine Gassman, Director of Channel Sales, Cyberfish
"I would just like to say a HUGE well done to the MSP community for keeping the cogs of industry turning and keeping SMBs operational during this lobal health pandemic, amazing job! Thank you for believing in us as a vendor and for your continued business with Datto throughout 2020. We are looking forward to working with you in 2021 and will continue to drive and support the MSP community. Lets hope 2021 is a prosperous year for ALL MSPs!"
Greg Jones, Business Development Director, Datto
"2020 has been without a doubt one of the most challenging years for us all. However despite the doom & gloom, there has been an overwhelming sense of resilience, perseverance, compassion & spirit within the channel & that has been amazing to be part of. Thank you to all our partners & those in the MSP space/community, you have allowed your clients to continue working in the most challenging of times. A true commitment of making a difference when needed the most! Wishing you and your families health & happiness during the holiday season, I look forward to working with you in 2021! "
Laura Swan, International Field Marketing Manager, ConnectWise
So, there you have it. Thanks so much for everyone for taking the time to send me your messages.
Couple of quick comments...
1. Well done to Dan Scott for keeping it brief.
2. No, I'm not sure how old that photo of Matt Scully is either.
3. Thanks to Michael Breeze for helping me with my millennial readership with his use of emojis.
4. This is the order they were submitted in - I'm not ranking anyone here :)
One bit of "bonus content" - I asked all the responders if they would buy me a drink when we next meet.
Can you believe 25% of my so called Channel friends said no :)
All that remains for me to say is Have a great Christmas everyone, enjoy the break and let's all get back on it in 2021 as it's going to be a MUCH better year...Trust me...
Chris