Brand Your Own or Promote Your Vendor?

By Datto Guest Blog 2

We have moved on from the question, is BDR necessary for every business and every market?  The answer is yes – and we’ve now evolved to the concept of business continuity.  Positioning business continuity as a service, rather than BDR as a product has allowed managed service providers (MSP) to capitalize on monthly recurring revenue, high profit margins, and a growing client base. 

But, it’s not that simple.  The question that many MSPs are challenged with now is what are branding best practices?  Should MSPs privately brand the continuity solution they’re implementing, or should they promote the vendor brand? Ultimately, it’s a decision that needs careful evaluation from each MSP to determine what’s best for them.  The first decision to be made, however, is working with a vendor that is 100 percent channel-only.  The rest is for you to decide.

Here’s a look at the pros and cons of each approach.

Rebranding your business continuity solution

Pros

Cons

Promoting your vendor brand

Pros

Cons

So, what is the answer? In a survey taken from 15 top preforming Datto Partners, 7 use the Datto brand name, 4 rebrand the solution as their own, and 4 say they do both.  In this sample, 73 percent of resellers promoted the vendor name, whether it is in conjunction with their private brand or exclusive. 

Whichever method you choose, be sure to set clear expectations and realistic SLAs with your clients.  “Powered by Datto” is an expression that can facilitate marrying both private and vendor brands together.  In the end, your relationship with your vendors can make this decision for you. Trust in the solution and confidence in the partnership is the goal for every vendor/reseller relationship. 

Samantha Ciaccia is Channel Engagement Manager at Datto, Inc., a data backup and disaster recovery and intelligent business continuity provider.