NinjaRMM, which develops remote monitoring and management (RMM) software for MSPs and IT departments, appears to be enjoying accelerating growth.
Update - March 12, 2020: Summit Partners Invests in NinjaRMM
Indeed, NinjaRMM now has roughly 160 employees -- up from around 40 in 2018, CEO Sal Sferlazza tells ChannelE2E. The company's headcount should grow to roughly 200 people later this year, Sferlazza adds.
That growth aligns with NinjaRMM's expanding MSP customer base -- which now spans more than 4,000 MSPs -- up from about 3,000 MSPs in mid-2019 and roughly 2,000 MSPs as of September 2018.
The current MSP base now includes numerous partners that are each managing 10,000 customer endpoints or more, Sferlazza.
NinjaRMM: A Software Company
What's fueling the growth? This blog from Sferlazza explains the company's sales and business tactics -- which have remained consistent since the company's launch in 2013. On the technology front, Sferlazza points to NinjaRMM's software development team, and a cloud-based monitoring engine that continues to scale even as MSPs add more endpoints to the system, he asserts.
And as we've pointed out before:
- Instead of buying multiple RMM solutions to address PC, server, network, infrastructure and other point needs, NinjaRMM is positioning itself as an all-in-one RMM option for MSPs.
- Moreover, NinjaRMM’s executives and employees have MSP-centric businesses in their DNA. Sferlazza and many of his lieutenants have held key roles or pioneering positions at such firms as SonicWall, PacketTrap Networks, Quest Software and Anchor.
- NinjaRMM in mid-2019 launched a Credential Exchange to help MSPs further automate their businesses in a secure, compliance-minded manner. The approach has caught on with MSPs, Sferlazza adds.
NinjaRMM's Global Expansion
Admittedly, the North American MSP market is now mainly a "rip and place" opportunity for RMM software, rather than an organic growth opportunity. "It's purely an execution play," Sferlazza says. "And we're executing well."
On the international front, NinjaRMM didn't follow the traditional MSP software playbook. While most rivals launch EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) operates in London, NinjaRMM instead opened in Berlin, Germany and hired a multi-lingual staff.
"Berlin is a multi-culture city," Sferlazza says. "We have team members who can shift between three or four languages on the fly -- Russian, Polish, French and German." (And yes, English.) While the United Kingdom and Germany provide a good starting base from which to engage MSPs, the company is rapidly expanding into France, and sees opportunities ahead in Spain and Italy. (We did not discuss if or how the recent coronavirus outbreak will impact some of those plans.)
The EMEA opportunity has triggered a friendly "net new customer" sales battle between NinjaRMM's North America and Europe sales teams, Sferlazza reveals.
And of course, Sferlazza has his long-term eye on Latin and South America, and the company plans to continue its expansion in Australia and New Zealand. The company already has SaaS instances in North America, EMEA and Australia/New Zealand for those efforts.
NinjaRMM: MSP Software Competition
Admittedly, NinjaRMM faces entrenched and emerging competition. The lineup includes:
- Platform providers such as Barracuda Networks, Datto, ConnectWise, Kaseya and SolarWinds MSP. Each of those companies has private equity backers. Datto is rumored to be preparing an IPO, and Kaseya could be publicly held by next year, CEO Fred Voccola has told other media.
- Upstarts such as Auvik Networks (network-focused RMM), Atera (cloud-based RMM and PSA, priced per-technician), and Liongard (overall IT automation).
- Potential disruptors from outside of the traditional MSP market. Areas to keep in mind include RPA (robotic process automation), artificial intelligence and chatbot startups that further automate MSP service desks.
Amid that crowded market, NinjaRMM is still growing. Rapidly. Update: And a new funding round has now been confirmed as of March 12, 2020.
