New Research Addresses Pricing and Profitability Concerns Within Managed Services Marketplace

Report by The 2112 Group, Sponsored by N-able Technologies and NetEnrich, Reveals How Artificial Services Commoditization and Poor Pricing Practices Damage MSP Profitability


OTTAWA and SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 15, 2011) - Building on the success of its "Get More" movement, N-able Technologies® and NetEnrich today announced a new, co-sponsored research report called "Countering Artificial Commoditization and Poor Pricing Practices in Managed Services."

Researched and written by industry veteran Lawrence M. Walsh, president and CEO of IT channel professional services firm, The 2112 Group, the report discusses four key areas: 1) the current state of the managed service provider (MSP) market; 2) the business drivers and poor pricing practices that are stripping away MSP value and violating price integrity; 3) best practices around value-based pricing; and, 4) the short- and long-term consequences poor pricing integrity will have on the IT channel.

"When we announced the 'Get More' campaign with N-able, one of our goals was to provide MSPs with valuable insight on effective business development methodologies to help ease the growing pains many MSPs are facing," says Justin Crotty, senior vice president and general manager, NetEnrich. "We hear a lot about challenges with pricing and commoditization from our partners. This whitepaper shares the knowledge we've gained on MSP market opportunity and pricing pitfalls, plus it offers a logical approach to selling and delivering managed services, which is very different from selling and providing traditional IT solutions -- a challenge the IT industry as whole seems to struggle with."

Lined with valuable takeaways, the research proves that "artificial commoditization is a self-inflicted wound on the IT sales channel that won't heal unless we put a stop to poor pricing practices and the lack of price integrity," says Walsh. "Further, this artificial commoditization of services is robbing the channel of its ability to invest in the future and the only fix is to help MSPs learn the science of value-based pricing and preserve the profits and revenue stream IT services deliver."

The whitepaper is available now to N-able and NetEnrich partners at no cost via the N-able Partner Center and in the partner resource section of NetEnrich's website. Additionally, partners and prospects interested in learning more about value-based pricing are encouraged to watch NetEnrich's Q4 BIZ DEV webinar series which is available on demand, and features special guest panelists including IT sales heavyweight and former CoreBTS CEO Frank Albi, masterIT's Chairman and CEO J. Michael Drake, N-able Technologies' Vice President of Sales Mike Cullen, The 2112 Group's Larry Walsh and WhiteFox Marketing and Communication's President Marie Rourke. All N-able and NetEnrich webinars can be found on the following event websites: http://www.n-able.com/Company/Events and http://www.netenrich.com/bebetter/.

"In order to sustain profits and clearly differentiate their services, MSPs must master the art of value-based pricing and value-driven communications," says JP Jauvin, President and COO, N-able Technologies. "This new whitepaper, combined with the ongoing investments N-able and NetEnrich continue to make in partner development and sales modeling, offer great business-building resources that help MSPs mature their businesses and deliver greater value in the eyes of their customers."

Resellers and MSPs who are interested in partnering with N-able and NetEnrich can contact their Ingram Micro sales representative, visit www.ingrammicrocloud.com or reach out directly via phone at 1-877-655-4689 ext. 331 or +00 800 6225 3000 ext. 331 (N-able Technologies); 1-408-436-5900 (NetEnrich).

Social Media Outlets:
www.facebook.com/NableTechnologies
www.twitter.com/NableMSP
www.facebook.com/NetEnrich
www.twitter.com/netenrich
www.netenrich.com/bebetter
http://the2112group.com
http://channelnomics.com
www.twitter.com/lmwalsh2112
www.facebook.com/lmwalsh

About The 2112 Group
The 2112 Group is professional services firm supporting the technology industry in channel strategy, development and partner communications. The 2112 Group works with IT vendors, carriers, distributors and solution providers in identifying and overcoming obstacles to business success in technology sales, marketing and indirect channels. The 2112 Group's services includes business strategy development, market research, custom content, managed blogs, partner relationship mediation, and technology and analytical services. The 2112 Group publishes the channel strategy blog Channelnomics.

About NetEnrich
NetEnrich transforms the way IT solution providers serve small-and-midsized enterprise businesses. NetEnrich's Remote Operations Center (ROC) offers enterprise-class remote infrastructure management of complex systems and applications, networks, virtual environments, and the cloud, all at a predictable monthly service fee. Partners who use NetEnrich position themselves as strategic IT service providers to mid-market businesses, targeting new growth and business value on the OpEx side of IT budgets. NetEnrich services and technology power a comprehensive suite of remote "Closet to Cloud" managed ser- vices delivered by a secure ISO 27001 IT Operations Center working 24x7x365. Visit us at www.netenrich.com, follow us on Twitter @netenrich, or call 408-436-5900.

About N-able Technologies
N-able Technologies is the global leader in remote monitoring and management automation solutions for managed service providers (MSPs) and IT departments. N-able's award-winning N-central® software and complementary toolsets are proven to reduce IT support costs, improve network performance and increase productivity through the proactive monitoring, management and optimization of IP-enabled devices and IT infrastructure. N-central features an industry-first freemium model that drives down the cost of remote management and accelerates the mass adoption of managed services. With offices in North America, the U.K., the Netherlands and Australia, N-able is 100% channel-friendly and maintains strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Intel, IBM, CA, Cisco and APC, among others.

Contact Information:

Press Contacts:
Marie Rourke
Channel PR
WhiteFox Marketing (for N-able Technologies)

Cell: 1-714-292-2199

Derik Belair
Vice President of Marketing and Business Development
N-able Technologies
Office: 613-592-6676x304
Toll Free: 1-877-655-4689x304 (US/Canada)
00-800-6225-3000 (outside US/Canada)

Suzanne Collier
Suzanne Collier Public Relations (for NetEnrich)
(714) 572-1498