Vendor announces doubling of market development funding and dedicated account management
Following its acquisition with Datto, Kaseya plans to improve its Global Partner Programme through increased investment in account management.
At last week's Kaseya DattoCon Europe in Dublin, CEO Fred Voccola publicly acknowledged the firm’s past mistakes on stage, assuring partners that it is taking concrete steps to rectify service-quality concerns. He stated: "We understand that we have made errors, and we are actively addressing those mistakes."
Kaseya boasts more than 50,000 partners worldwide, with approximately 18,000 associated with Datto, and 45,000 linked directly to Kaseya.
Greg Jones (pictured), Kaseya's VP Business Development EMEA, admitted in a discussion with IT Europa that partners voiced their concern about the absence of a single, dedicated account manager. He noted that the issue of having multiple Kaseya staff handling the same accounts had led to frustration and communication breakdowns.
Communication and partner alignment
Jones stated that Kaseya is addressing these issues by placing a premium on clear communication, easy access to information, and the alignment of partner interests.
“Communication with our partners is key for us,” he says. “Our primary goal, as always, is to invest more into our account managers. There have inevitably been a few hurdles as we merge the two businesses and their systems, but our focus remains unchanged in this area.”
He said the company is focusing on having a single account manager to nurture and promptly assist partners, rather than having multiple people handling the same account.
“The latter simply isn't logical and if we keep going down that path, it's bound to result in more frustration. Like anything in life, people resist change. However, we must endure the growing pains to take our business where we envision it to be.”
Evolving partner programme
Despite concerns, Jones emphasized the positive partner response to the new programme, which merges Datto and Kaseya expenditure, aiding rapid growth and resource access for partners.
"We've significantly expanded our MSP enablement support teams from around 15 to over 60 members. Our MSP enablement budget is now larger than it has ever been," he says.
Jones mentioned that Kaseya's efforts extend beyond just bolstering its MSP enablement team. The firm has also doubled the money allocated for market development and enriched its global partner programme with 20 new features.
“Our MSP enablement department is making a substantial mark in the market. Rather than just focusing on products and services, our goal is to assist and support MSPs in expanding their businesses,” he says.
He said the company is always adapting its partner programme to keep up with the constant changes in the market.
“At Kaseya, our global partner programme isn't set in stone; it's always changing and growing. We have a variety of structures in place, from a CEO Council down to boards for each of our products and services,” he notes.
Jones pointed out that the company also regularly conducts pulse checks to better assist MSPs and address their needs. “During our time here in Dublin, we've completed 180 checks. These allow us to understand the challenges our partners face, and what kind of assistance they require, and then adjust our partner programme accordingly.
“We're on a quest to cultivate the best partner programme that can fully support our partners at each stage of their journey,” Jones concluded.
