ConnectWise vs. Autotask Rivalry Shifts to Video

Forget the software market. Now ConnectWise and Autotask are competing in the video market. Sort of. The two PSA (professional services automation) specialists have engaged in a video race involving CompTIA’s Breakaway channel conference. The winner: Viewers, because the videos are pretty hysterical. Here’s the chatter … plus a look at the videos.

The story begins with two high-profile members of the MSP industry:

First up, Jeannine Edwards, director of ConnectWise Community. Over the past few years, Edwards has built ConnectWise user groups across the globe. And those user group meetings often attract 100 or more ConnectWise partners. Edwards is the rare person who’s online — or at conferences — as often as The VAR Guy. Pretty impressive.

Next up: Travis Austin, founder of Rezitech, a managed services provider (MSP) and Autotask customer. During the Autotask Community Live conference in early 2010, Austin emerged as a poster child for Autotask‘s customer base. Active in social media forums, Austin has also launched MSPintegrations — a type of middleware that connects third-party offerings to Autotask.

Showdown On YouTube

Now here’s where things get interesting. In preparation for the CompTIA Breakaway conference, a range of vendors have submitted offbeat videos to CompTIA’s PitchIt video contest. Readers, in turn, can vote for their favorite videos.

No doubt, ConnectWise community members are rallying around Edwards and ConnectWise, giving the ConnectWise video a big thumbs up. And Austin, meanwhile, has gone viral asking friends to weigh in — which has triggered a flood of votes.

Who ultimately wins? Viewers because the videos are a riot. Plus, the videos reinforce the fact that small software companies continue to build loyal, viral followings across the channel, a fact that large software companies should take note of.

You can see all the videos here. The top 4 vote getters  as of 3pm eastern on July 22 are are…

Autotask and Travis Austin

ConnectWise Mobile, iPhone Edition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhFVpHkNSf0

Lenovo

Hello, Jerry…

But wait. The VAR Guy is taking a closer look at the videotape. The big question: Did Travis Austin pull a Jerry Seinfield? You may recall Jerry winning a high-school sprint (and a rematch) because he left the starting blocks before the firing gun actually sounded:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bItwY_0QcDs

And in this case, The VAR Guy recalls seeing Austin’s video back at the Autotask Community Live conference in early 2010. So, did Austin have an artificial head start — pulling old fans back into the well-known video?

Hmmm… In reality The VAR Guy is making something out of nothing here. The videos are less about vendor competition and more about having some fun heading into a conference…

… right?

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