CharTec Opens The Doors On MSP Training Facility

I just got back to my hotel room from hardware-as-a-service specialist CharTec’s party in honor of the opening of their new MSP training facility in Bakersfield, Calif. It’s a 10,000-square-foot extension, bringing the total blueprint to 20,000 square feet. The company knows how to throw a party — there were fire dancers, juggling bartenders, and big-screen TVs airing last night’s big Bruins vs. Canucks Stanley Cup final. But I’m more interested to get a few questions answered over the next two days here at CharTec Academy.

Here are some themes I’ll be exploring:

1. Is CharTec seeing more momentum in promoting HaaS to channel partners? CharTec isn’t new to the hardware-as-a-service world by anyone’s standards. But with the launch of Google Chromebooks, the search giant is trying to bring the concept to the masses. How are CharTec and its partners competing?

2. Are channel partners taking advantage of the company’s VoIP and BDR offerings? I spoke with one CharTec-partnered MSP already who says that HaaS is actually a small part of their business – but the demand for BDR (backup and disaster recovery) services is only growing. Is that typical for CharTec’s partner program?

3. What’s the next step in ConnectWise Capital’s investment in CharTec? It’s been well over a year since ConnectWise decided to invest in CharTec’s growth – and the opening of this admittedly swanky new facility seems to indicate that it’s paying off.

4. How does the opening of the new facility tie into CharTec’s overall partner strategy? This facility represents an investment in the success of CharTec’s partners. But what’s the bigger picture here?

If there’s a place to get these questions answered, it’s here at CharTec Academy: dozens of MSPs and VARs are here to mingle with CharTec industry partners like Intel, JoomConnect, and Astaro, not to mention CharTec’s own technical and sales staffs. And I’m looking forward to gaining some insights directly from CharTec CEO Alex Rogers.

By the time you read this, CharTec Academy should be well underway, so keep watching MSPmentor for updates.

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