NinjaOne CEO: MSPs Face Big Challenges, But Opportunities Await

It's been a big year for NinjaOne, the provider of unified endpoint management and IT software to managed service providers.

Born in 2014 as NinjaRMM, the company has expanded its product portfolio beyond remote monitoring and management, competing with the likes of Kaseya, ConnectWise and many big-name cybersecurity companies.

After its name change in 2021, NinjaOne has been active raising money, forming new partnerships and integrations, and developing a new channel program.

NinjaOne CEO at MSP Summit

NinjaOne co-founder and CEO Sal Sferlazza will sit down for a one-on-one interview with Channel Futures on the keynote stage at the MSP Summit, Sept. 16-19, in Atlanta. We caught up with him in advance to learn more about NinjaOne's big year and to get a preview of his appearance at the event.

Channel Futures: IT management software is a fast-moving, exciting and competitive space. What is NinjaOne doing to carve its niche in the market?

Sal Sferlazza: Simply put, we were founded on a simple idea — truly putting the customer first. We are (and always have been) a single-stack, cloud-first, easy-to-use platform, and we’ve placed a lot of emphasis on scaling securely over the years. We’ve grown organically, not through acquisition, and we’re constantly innovating, partnering with top-shelf providers, and incorporating feedback from our community and the channel direct into our go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Finally, we overinvest in customer support and it shows with an average response time of under 30 minutes and a customer satisfaction score of more than 98%.

Related:Register Now for The MSP Summit, Sept. 16-19, Atlanta

CF: You announced a new global channel program, NinjaOne Now, this summer. How will this program help partners grow and make their customers more successful?

SS: Endpoint estates are growing, and customers are looking to channel partners to help them manage and secure even more of their clients’ devices. Our NinjaOne Now partner program is designed to make our partners and customers even more successful.

At NinjaOne, we’ve been working with and prioritizing the channel since day one. Between working with MSPs and VARs, one of our cornerstones as a company is to be channel friendly — meaning we respect and protect your customer relationships.

NinjaOne Now is focused on rewarding partners not only on new business but also upsell and renewals, which we find to be rare. Additionally, we’re focused on equipping partners with in-depth product training and always-on support resources to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge they need to scale and grow. Finally, with a robust suite of IT and security integrations, channel partners have exciting new ways to sell multiple products in a single engagement.

Related:NinjaOne Raises $231.5 Million in Latest Funding Round

CF: NinjaOne has announced a number of partnerships and integrations with cybersecurity providers this year. Collectively, how have those improved your company’s security posture and that of your MSP partners?

SS: One of the things that I talk about a lot is having the discipline to know when to build solutions vs. partner with other industry leaders. And for us, that discipline stems from knowing what’s going to best serve our partners and customers in the long term. I’ve always been of the belief that we should focus where we’re strong.

We want to add strategic value to our customers — and that means partnering with top security providers like CrowdStrike and SentinelOne, to bring the best technologies and security solutions direct to customers and partners. Security today is synonymous with resilience, consistency, and ultimately customer and business success — but the ground is always moving. More endpoints equals more risks, new threat vectors, and more time spent securing remote devices. By partnering with industry leaders, we’re better able to help our customers and partners simplify security, reduce risk, and save them time and vital resources while they securely grow their business.

CF: We’re excited to have you on stage at the MSP Summit for a one-on-one interview. If you yourself were an MSP today, what’s the most important thing you would be doing for your business?

SS: MSPs combatting commoditization is a huge challenge today. Execution is how you win. Exceptional support, response time, staff, and best-in-class security — all these things factor into business success and resilience for MSPs.

Outside of that, looking for more opportunities to move upstream, co-manage with large organizations, level up sales engagement and marketing, and focusing on delivering more exceptional services and experiences across the board can set MSPs apart in a competitive market. Most importantly, MSPs need world-class tools to deliver competitive results.

NinjaOne has the highest technician ratios in the market, and we’re constantly partnering with industry-leading players to bring premier technologies direct to our customers and partners. We believe in automating the hardest parts of IT so MSPs can spend more time on tasks that move the business forward. And we believe in 24/7 customer support and success.