MSM : How are you able to get people to buy in , and how long does it typically take ?
It takes about a year . We do a lot
RS : of education , hold group meetings , and bring vendors in . We invest in training and encourage people to get certifications in the platforms we ’ re investing in . We also structure compensation and bonuses in a way that allows them to see that they can make more money selling monthly recurring cybersecurity subscriptions than servers and routers . Over time , things start to take shape .
MSM : What is the single biggest change you ’ ve made in the past year ?
We put in a rule that every piece
RS : of hardware sold to a client that doesn ’ t go into our data center hybrid cloud environment has to be approved with a business case . We understand there are exceptions to our next-gen cloud model . A client may have a custom application that has to be on-site . Or they may have made recent significant investments in their own hardware infrastructure . We get it . But when sales and engineering have to take the time to write a business case for a decision like that , they tend to understand that the shift is moving in the other direction , and they need to alter the client conversations accordingly .
MSM : How has company culture affected your growth and your success ?
We ’ ve built a culture around
RS : servicing our clients . If you want a raise , take care of your customers . If you want a bonus , take care of your customers . If you want a promotion , take care of your customers . If you forget rule No . 2 , go back to rule No 1 : Take care of your customers . We also want everyone to get to know each other and have some fun . We do quarterly events like F1 racing , axe throwing , or sharing a nice meal at a restaurant . Every January , we get everyone and their spouses to go down to the casinos in Connecticut to celebrate the year . There ’ s zero percent unemployment in IT right now , and we understand that people get to choose where they work , and we want that choice to be Thrive .
MSM : What are your growth goals for 2019 ?
Our ultimate goal is to expand 30
RS : percent through a combination of acquisitions and organic growth . We have eyes on some of the financial services markets in London , Hong Kong , and Singapore , but our major focus will be on getting more density between New York and Boston and expanding into the mid- Atlantic region near Pennsylvania , Maryland , Delaware , and potentially Washington , D . C .
MSM : Who are some partners that have supported you during your company ’ s growth ?
Kaseya , Fortinet , and Microsoft
RS : are our biggest partners . We use Kaseya VSA exclusively across our company , particularly in our cybersecurity services around patching and vulnerability assessment management . We ’ ve also made a million-dollar investment in Fortinet Cloud firewalls , IDS / IPS , SIEM , and SD-WAN across our data centers . In terms of Microsoft , we ’ re a big Office 365 and Azure shop . Also , Arctic Wolf Networks , Cisco , CloudJumper , Infinidat , and soon to be ServiceNow ( Thrive ’ s new internal and customer portal platform ) are key partnerships that have helped us transform the business to next-gen managed services .
MSM : What business thought leaders have influenced you ?
I don ’ t want to sound like a
RS : dinosaur , but I ’ ve always been a Jack Welch guy . I ’ ve read everything he ’ s put out . More recently , I ’ d say Jeff Bezos . I ’ m amazed at what he ’ s been able to do with Amazon and how he ’ s moved into different businesses and built an amazing supply chain . I love his focus on demanding excellent customer satisfaction .
MSM : Can you recommend a book that can help other MSPs or business owners grow their business ?
“ Extreme Ownership ” is written
RS : by a pair of ex-Navy Seals , Jocko Willink and Leif Babin . It ’ s about teaching everyone in your organization to be accountable for everything they do . Every single person , starting with myself , needs to be measured by the tasks that they own . So , for us , when a ticket comes in , you need to follow that ticket all the way through the process and ensure the client closes that ticket with a smiley face and that it ’ s a good experience . It ’ s A to Z ownership to ensure the proper outcome .
MSM : Any specific advice or words of wisdom to MSPs looking to grow ?
If you ’ ve been unhappy with
RS : the results of your business or if you want to grow , you ’ ve got to really commit to change . Embrace cybersecurity and the cloud . Really try to find innovative new products under the subscription model and get all your employees to jump in and buy into that vision .
MSM : Great . Thank you . Best of luck in 2019 .
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