Garth Hayward

The MSPmentor 100 survey, now in its fifth year, ranks managed service providers (MSPs) according to an index using metrics such as overall managed services revenue, revenue growth, and number of devices managed.

This year’s survey has revealed that the top eight MSPs from the African region are all Kaseya partners.

“To be recognised in this survey is very prestigious,” says Garth Hayward, Kaseya South Africa MD. “Being an independent and worldwide survey, these results are a clear indication that our partners continue to outperform their peers.”

“In addition, two of our partners have been recognised in the top 100 worldwide, which is a huge achievement, and shows that African-based MSPs are able to compete on the global stage with aplomb,” says Hayward.

The Kaseya suite of tools allows MSPs to manage client requirements through a “single pane of glass” architecture, which, says Hayward, gives MSPs extensive access and control of the IT infrastructure. In addition, they offer the benefits of automation, which give Kaseya MSPs the ability to grow their businesses faster, with out the burden of having to find good technical skills each time a new customer is added.

“Our partners’ business practices are leading the way in Africa,” says Hayward. “If one looks at the previous two years’ results, a pattern starts to emerge that clearly shows that our partners are outperforming their peers in terms of both growth and the amount of end points they manage. That translates into our customer base enjoying higher returns from their operartions whilst their customers enjoiy services under SLA’s from our partners at a far more affordable rate.

“It’s also really good to see some new partner names on the list, as more and more African MSPs turn to Kaseya as their ITSM platform of choice – and reap the rewards associated with that decision. The interesting factor is that these award-winning companies service small, medium-sized and large organisations, which shows that our platform is relevant across the business spectrum,” says Hayward.

Kaseya currently partners with over 100 African based MSPs, which in turn, service approximately 4 500 businesses.

“It is clear that African companies are aware of and understand the benefits of the MSP business model,” Hayward says. “The growth of this industry is driven largely by technology such as cloud computing and mobility, coupled with the need to automate repetitive but critical tasks. Demand for a results-based service model instead of the traditional hours-based approach is also having a major impact in the growth of MSPs.”

Kaseya is embarking on a countrywide road show in March, at which leading CEOs will be presenting case studies on how they have developed world-class organisations using the Kaseya platform.

Kaseya continues to invest heavily in the local market through growing the number of staff based locally, increasing training offerings, as well as the provisioning of a locally hosted cloud platform. The company’s partners already service customers in 22 African countries outside of South Africa.

Aside from all the obvious benefi ts, MSPs offer a true partnership with their clients, extending way beyond the typical supplier/buyer relationship.

In recent surveys completed in the US, Australia and Europe it was shown that MSP’s have reduced their clients IT service costs by between 25 and 50%, so there is no question that our partners are delivering a better service for lower cost to the companies they serve.