Who you do business with matters when it comes to surviving and thriving in the business world. For a managed service provider (MSP) like ATB Technologies, selecting and collaborating with business partners isn’t left to chance. The ATB team chooses vendor partners who offer the best services that fit with their clients’ goals for the future, as well as their budgetary needs. But ATB takes their partnerships a step further, building relationships and a collaborative environment that benefits both ATB’s clients and the vendor partners.
A trip recently taken by Chris Miller, ATB’s Chief Revenue Officer, illustrates the power of this approach to business. One of ATB’s longtime partners is Kaseya, an international information technology software company that provides cybersecurity tools that MSPs and corporate IT departments across the globe use to manage, update, and secure computers and networks from one central place. Miller recently spent a day at Kaseya’s headquarters in Miami meeting with Kaseya CEO Rania Succar and other company executives.
“We talked about our relationship, why we’re looking for a strong partner as opposed to just a vendor within this space—and really, that’s the same thing our clients look for,” Miller said. “Much of the conversation was around how Kaseya will support us in order for us to support our clients.”
Discussions throughout the day centered on building on their partnership, improving efficiencies and advances in AI integration. Miller shared how improvements could be made to enable ATB’s tool stack—including Kaseya’s solutions—to better integrate with other tools and ease the flow of information between systems. Other conversations covered the integration of AI into Kaseya’s tools, how MSPs function as a business, new solutions being developed by Kaseya, and how Kaseya can build the tools MSPs need to support their clients.
“These executive meetings give us the ability to have a voice for our customers,” Miller said. “When our customers are asking for solutions, there are a lot of things that we can do service-wise, but the reality is, we rely on vendors, and it’s important to have their support and for them to be aligned with what we’re trying to do. To be an organization of our size with about 40 employees and to be able to sit down with the CEO of a multi-billion dollar organization speaks to the partnerships we try to build.”
The recent trip to Miami marked the second time Miller was able to meet with Succor since she came on board as Kaseya’s new CEO. Each time, Miller has provided feedback on what ATB sees in the IT market and what their clients need to best succeed.
ATB’s approach to vendor partnerships is similar to how ATB works with its clients, building relationships, understanding their needs, and developing solutions that impact their success.
“Our clients want more from us than to just take tickets and fix issues,” Miller said. “They want us to help them figure out outcomes that drive their business forward.”
Building strong relationships with vendors also helps ATB advocate for pricing that is affordable to various clients, especially nonprofits.
“Having a relationship with a vendor partner means I can spend time with them and help them understand when we have concerns over pricing. Some vendors don’t think about the nonprofit market and the limitations those organizations have. I’ve negotiated lower rates for our nonprofit clients, and that’s a direct benefit of having built those relationships early on,” Miller said.
ATB also looks for partners who can adapt as ATB itself grows and changes.
“We’re thinking about how we build our strategy and how we look at our own growth, and some vendors will grow with us and some won’t,” he said. “We understand there’s a metamorphosis that occurs from a business standpoint, and we constantly have to look at these partnerships and our relationships and reflect on whether this is the right tool or the right partner for us and our clients, and that can change.”
At ATB Technologies, we build strategic partnerships so our clients can focus their time on growing their business. Want to learn more about how our vendor partners can benefit your business? Reach out today for a free consultation at atb-tech.com/contact-us.
About ATB Technologies
ATB Technologies is an award-winning managed service provider (MSP) that helps businesses solve technology problems and navigate which solutions best support their business strategy and goals. Our IT experts help companies maximize their business IT while offering an exceptional level of customer service. We’re ready to help and provide IT support that never lets you down. ATB has been twice recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. Find out more at atb-tech.com.