Reinforcing a recent conversation with ChannelE2E, SolarWinds MSP today confirmed N-able and LogicNow have transitioned to a unified brand. In other words, the "N-able" and "LogicNow" brands are no more -- but their respective products are now positioned under the SolarWinds MSP brand. The company also revealed multiple MSP product roadmap updates.
SolarWinds acquired LogicNow in June 2016. As part of the deal, SolarWinds combined its N-able and LogicNow assets under the new SolarWinds MSP moniker. Moreover, the company says it has completed the following milestones since June:
- Integrating the business operations, marketing, product management, research and development, and support teams;
- cross-training field and inside sales teams on the overall MSP portfolio;
- providing channel partners using N-central Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) with access to MSP Risk Intelligence (formerly MAX Risk Intelligence) and MSP Backup & Recovery (formerly MAX Backup & Disaster Recovery) solutions;
- welcomed more than 300 new partners each month; and
- delivering a new website that provides a unified digital home for all MSP products and resources.
300 New Partners Monthly?
That bullet about signing up more than 300 new partners per month certainly caught my eye. It's difficult to pinpoint the true value of each MSP win since the company didn't disclose which products the partners are embracing. Nor did the company say how much revenue each MSP win represents. After all, some of the wins could involve small MSP engagements for a single point product.
Still, keep these data points in mind: The typical RMM provider wins between 40 and 90 MSP customers per month, ChannelE2E believes. And just yesterday, Barracuda Networks CEO BJ Jenkins said his company won about 160 new MSPs in the company's most recent quarter -- or about 53 per month. The Barracuda product line includes cloud-based backup and security services for MSPs.
With all of those data points in mind, it sounds like the expanded SolarWinds MSP product portfolio has allowed the company to accelerate new MSP engagements faster than market norms. But is that sustainable? We'll be watching to see how the MSP onboarding efforts perform in the weeks and months ahead.
SolarWinds MSP Product Roadmap
On the product front, the company expects to deliver by the end of 2016:
- Launch the next generation on-premises MSP RMM platform, MSP N-central;
- complete integration of MSP Backup & Recovery into the on-premises MSP RMM platform;
- leverage MSP Connect as an additional engine for the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) RMM platform (formerly MAX RM);
- launch Agentless Monitoring to allow customers to manage not only workstations in the cloud, but also routers, printers, and firewalls; and
- integrate MSP Risk Intelligence deeper within the SaaS RMM platform to give customers the ability to easily broaden their managed security services portfolio with a competitive data security offering.
Read between the lines and SolarWinds MSP plans to continue funding R&D across both of its RMM platforms -- N-Central and SaaS platform (formerly MAX RM). But the wording above sort of suggests to me that N-central is the more pressing priority, with MSP Connect positioned as an "additional engine" that MSPs can select. At least that's how I read it... (But perhaps I'm wrong. A few sources have checked in and say my point is wrong and that both RMM platforms continue to receive major emphasis.)
SolarWinds MSP Leadership
The company has also named John Pagliuca as GM of SolarWinds MSP, as ChannelE2E reported in September. Pagliuca filled a key void amid two staff departures. Former LogicNow CEO Walter Scott was originally positioned to run the SolarWinds MSP, but he exited in August. And one of Scott's key lieutenants, Alistair Forbes, exited in September.
Pagliuca has plenty of seasoned veterans on his team -- including: JP Jauvin, SVP of sales and customer operations; Stacy West, VP of marketing; and Mike Cullen driving sales and customer retention.
Deeper details about the SolarWinds MSP product roadmap will surface during the Max 2016 conference next month in the U.K.
