MSP 501 ‘MSP of the Year’ Finalist TeamLogic IT on Adapting to Industry Trends

The award for MSP of the Year highlights shops that demonstrate a willingness to take risks and pivot when necessary, and exhibit a deep familiarity with the MSP market. Our final finalist for this special award, part of the 2020 MSP 501, is none other than TeamLogic IT.

TeamLogic IT, like our other two finalists, represents the modern channel. The company displays excellence in business efficiency and business model innovation. We cannot emphasize enough that these folks have demonstrated the nimbleness necessary to pivot to meet industry trends. They also have guts to make risky moves to well-position the business. Moreover, they have the discipline to structure operations to achieve maximum efficiency in service delivery. 

We sat down with president and COO Dan Shapero to chat about TeamLogic IT’s growth and evolution.

A Business Model in Flux

There has been a rapid adoption of managed IT services in the SMB segment in recent years. This has been fueled by cybersecurity, backup and disaster recovery, and cloud computing. Because of this, TeamLogic IT’s business model has fluctuated and grown over the last five-ish years. It’s not easy to evolve a business model. This is especially true when you factor in industry dynamics, customer needs and emerging tech trends. So, what did TeamLogic IT do, and what is working for them now?

TeamLogic IT’s Dan Shapero

“Our model works so well because we attract seasoned executives ready to invest in the success of their TeamLogic IT franchise,” said Shapero. “Adoption for managed IT services has grown over the past five years to contribute to over 50% of our revenue streams. The ever-growing threat of cybersecurity and the need for cloud services and business continuity have driven business owners to our organization to take advantage of our best practices, standards and nationwide network of managed IT service providers.”

Changing with the Times

As with most business-model shifts, there were specific trends that prompted the decision to evolve. Shapero cites TeamLogic IT’s more than 15-year history of delivering IT services as the key to riding the industry waves.

“We have evolved as the industry has evolved,” said Shapero. “We were an early adopter of remote monitoring and management (RMM) for remote support. By educating the market on the benefits of flat fee IT service from a trusted advisor, we helped shape the trend. We launched a solutions bundle for cybersecurity essentials last year. This was very well received by our franchise network and their clients.”

TeamLogic IT also has a process for tracking trends, conducting R&D and vetting suppliers. When the company brings new services to market, it considers a wide range of variables. Through its relationship with CompTIA, its own internal Technology Insight Committee, other industry research, conversations with customers, budgets and other constraints, TeamLogic IT was able to bring its solution-set “right to market.”

The MSP Market

Of course, a few operational shifts were required as well in order to support this evolved business model. TeamLogic IT’s approach to meeting ever-changing market trends is multifaceted. It includes sales support and training, comprehensive marketing and lead generation, financial management, employment and technology support.

So, what technological or operational developments and transformations has the company been through that required it to be agile and able to pivot?   

“Like many businesses, this year we all worked from home,” said Shapero. “As a result of the pandemic, we put together a comprehensive work-from-home program for our franchise network and for their clients.  We started with health and safety, followed by marketing, sales under the new normal, and work-from-home technology solutions addressing work from anywhere. We developed partnerships and solution bundles to address the work-from-home challenges of communications and security, while working remote.”

Looking Ahead

TeamLogic IT has big plans for further evolving in the MSP market the next two to three years. Many opportunities exist that the company needs to already be planning and preparing for. 

“We continue to see strong demand for our brand and will expand our franchise network accordingly,” said Shapero. “From a technology standpoint, cloud adoption, advanced security for compliance and workforce education will drive demand. The caliber of our franchise owners and their commitment to customer service as a trusted adviser will position us to take advantage of the growing market opportunity.”