Abbott and Costello. Jordan and Pippen. Rum and Coke.

Some of the best productive forces on the planet stem from a partnership that’s fostered over time and honed to perfection. Without “who’s on second”, there could be no, “no, he’s on first.” And without Bacardi, there could be no Cuba Libre.

So too is it with MSPs and their vendors. A managed service is only successful if the service provider and the software developer/vendor have a strong partnership and a mutual commitment for support. If an end-user comes to the software developer looking to use the service, that vendor should refer the end-user to one of their managed service partners. In turn, the MSP should talk up the vendor to other MSPs interested in offering that service to a different market.

When MSPs seek out vendors, they should consider all aspects of the business – is this a company I could work closely with to get the most out of our partnership? Is their support team available if I have unanswerable questions? Will they work to support me or just collect my money?

The product could be outstanding, but the team behind it is just as important. Ensure your service provider has a superb relationship with their vendors.