Ok, I finally got a chance to listen to the MSP Mentor webcast titled “Dell Managed Services - Before and After the Silverback Deal”.
As I’ve said in previous posts on this site, I’ve been confused as to why an MSP would want to partner with Dell to provide managed services. Dell has clearly never been a supporter of the channel, but is now making some strategic shifts that may make it a channel-friendly vendor. I stress may, because obviously many people are unclear as to if this is true, or if Dell is a sheep in wolf’s clothing. Given this, I’ve never understood why I should jump into bed with them.
That’s what I’m trying to figure out by watching this presentation. Here is what I learned:
- Deal registration - you don’t have to worry about competing with Dell
- Get to use Dell/Silverback technologies and processes, including the “Business Builder” services in which Dell helps you get your managed services practice off the ground if you are not yet a developed MSP
- Sales and marketing materials and training
- Sales and marketing campaign assistance/lead generation
- Dell has a “warchest” of capital that people believe is going to give them and their partners a competitive edge in the marketplace
I think the presentation left me with as many questions as it answered, which doesn’t surprise me too much as you can only go into so much detail in a webinar. If I have the time, I suppose that I will have to contact Dell directly to find out the real details of their offering.
I for one will definitely plan on sitting on the sidelines and watching how everything shakes out, but it seems that Dell’s partners featured in this presentation are happy with their relationship (of course). As Peter Klanian from Dell pointed out in the presentation, Dell’s behavior and track record over time will determine how much the channel trusts them.
I think I will really start giving Dell some real credit is when I’m at a managed services conference and someone runs up to me and says “I’m working with Dell and I’m making so much money - it’s the best!”. Will it happen? We’ll see!
MRC
