The ChannelPro Network held its Managed Services and Cloud Solutions Online Summit, a full-day live event that focused on revenue-generating ideas and tactical advice for MSPs and cloud service providers, on April 7. It was the first of two such events for 2021.
The lineup of speakers included top channel pros and industry experts offering insights on the hottest managed services and cloud solutions trends. The event also provided opportunities for networking, peer to peer perspectives, and an expo hall with the latest vendor offerings and time for one-on-one conversations.
“The global pandemic and the rush to work from home certainly hastened the move to the cloud, but savvy channel pros had already been positioning for a piece of the cloud services market,” said Rich Freeman, executive editor of The ChannelPro Network. “Indeed, according to our latest State of the Channel Survey, 50% of our readers expect cloud to account for a greater portion of the top line by the end of this year, up from the 44% a year earlier. So, this online summit could not be more timely.”
Educational sessions at the April 7 summit included:
Managing the Cloud – Cloud service providers Shane Monty and Josh Weiss shared their secrets to successfully managing software- and infrastructure-as-a-service environments profitably.
Peer to Peer: Serving Clients Virtually – In two 1:1 Q&As, leading-edge MSPs Amy Babinchak and Juan Fernandez revealed what they learned in the last year about maintaining customer relationships and delivering customer service online.
Standardization, Specialization, Scale: The Three Keys to Managed Services Success – In this panel discussion, IT executives Karl Bickmore, Thomas Douglas, and George Monroy detailed how to turn standard solutions, services specialization, and scalable processes into rocket fuel for growth.
Marketing Plan Success Tips – IT business owner and marketing expert Sitima Fowler presented on why MSPs need a marketing plan and how to build one that gets real results.
The Time Management Profit Engine – Finance expert Rayanne Buchianico and business coach Manuel Palachuk outlined how MSPs can track their time comprehensively and use that data to find wasted opportunities to grow the bottom line.
Next Level Cloud Services – Channel pros Malik Khan and Carl Mazzanti pointed to private cloud solutions, governance consulting, and cloud migration services as profitable offerings IT solution providers should focus on for the future.
In addition, attendees voted to honor vendor sponsors with the following awards:
- Best in Show – Datto
- Best Partner Community – Dell Expert Network
- Best Revenue Booster – N-able
- Most Innovative Solution – Huntress and ThreatLocker (tie)
“ChannelPro’s latest online summit provided our attendees with actionable advice for how to capitalize on cloud trends as well as grow a managed services business through fundamentals of time management, marketing, and more,” said Michael Siggins, president and publisher of The ChannelPro Network. “The slate of experts who shared their insights is a hallmark of ChannelPro events.”
Many thanks to Titanium sponsor Dell Technologies; Platinum sponsor ThreatLocker; Premier Gold sponsor Huntress; Gold sponsors Acronis, Datto, N-able, Sophos, Splashtop, and Webroot; Silver sponsors Duo Security, Liongard, and Trend Micro; and Bronze sponsor Devolutions.
Later in the year, ChannelPro is hosting two additional Online Summits:
- August 4 – Cybersecurity Online Summit: Threat Trends and Opportunities
- December 8 – Managed Services and Cloud Solutions Online Summit: Best Practices for Accelerated Success
Next month on May 6, join ChannelPro for the Midwest ChannelPro SMB Forum event, which is being held online. Find out more here.
Additional regional hybrid ChannelPro SMB Forum events are planned for in-person attendees and will be live streamed through our online event platform to people who prefer a virtual experience. Dates for those events are:
- June 9, 2021 Southwest – Dallas, Texas
- July 8, 2021 Mid-Atlantic – Raleigh, N.C.
- September 2, 2021 New England – Boston, Mass.
- October 6, 2021 Southeast – Atlanta, Ga.
- November 16, 2021 West – Los Angeles, Calif.
For more information on all ChannelPro events, go here.
