Here are some of our team’s takeaways from XChange.
The Channel Company did it again. XChange was great, and we loved talking to everyone in the boardrooms and at our booth. A lot happened in three days, and while we certainly can’t cover it all, we wanted to provide some key highlights and takeaways from the Pax8 team.
Main Stage Keynotes
There were several amazing keynote presentations with valuable information.
The Start of Partner Profitability: Funding the Future
This panel discussion was facilitated by Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. The focus of the discussion was around driving more profitable services with a blend of product, professional services, and managed services. Some of the more profitable types of products discussed included security, systems and network management, business continuity and disaster recovery, as well as BI/analytics. Regarding the types of professional services, they called out application integration, network design, as well as application development and customization. One key recommendation was to focus on growing recurring revenue. Recurring revenue enables MSPs to build steadier bookings and more predictable revenue streams. Lastly, there was a strong emphasis from the panelists on education, especially around security.
Don’t Get Stuck.
Our executive keynote, presented by Chief Operating Officer Ryan Walsh and VP of Global Vendor Alliances Nikki Meyer, was centered around major changes in the global workforce and the IT needs of end customers. In many ways the keynote aligned with what the panelists had said earlier — MSPs should focus on increased profitability and recurring revenue. Pax8 partners have experience with these types of business boosts. Additionally, end user education and enablement are paramount to ensuring that SMB digital transformation efforts are successful. That’s re-enforced by the fact that data from our recent Pax8 + Channelnomics report shows SMBs have cited end user education as the number one way to accelerate their digital transformation efforts. For businesses that have been impacted by the “Great Resignation,” providing education and training to their workforce can help increase the likelihood those employees remain with the company.
Pax8 Boardroom Discussions
There’s nothing better than when we get to talk with a small group of individuals and hear their thoughts. This boardroom discussion included both Pax8 partners, as well as people who simply wanted to get to know us better. In the boardrooms, we saw strong interest in our Help Desk services, Pax8 Academy, our expansive vendor line card, professional services, and our recent ISO 27001 and CCMC2 compliance certifications.
Booth Conversations
Okay, there’s one thing better than small group discussions — one on one conversations. We loved getting to talk to everyone who came by our booth, many of whom just stopped by to say hi and tell us how much they appreciate having in-person events again. A lot of what we heard were concerns and frustrations with Microsoft NCE and the uncertainty surrounding it. We are diligently staying on top of the latest changes. For a more in-depth look check out this Microsoft NCE update blog.
Best Channel Program Award
To finish out this amazing event, we were honored to take home the award for Best Channel Program. We want to thank all the attendees who voted for us but also the amazing channel team at Pax8 for making every event a great one.
That’s a Wrap on XChange. On to the Next Channel Event.
If you didn’t get a chance to see us at XChange, don’t worry. Here are all the channel events we’ll be at in 2022. But why stop at just seeing us out in the channel? Join our Pax8 events, like Bootcamps and Mission Briefings, to learn how to grow your business and further advance your cloud knowledge. Want to talk more about what was covered at XChange or about another upcoming event? Let’s setup some time to chat!
