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On-demand content   |   Instructor-led courses   |   Peer Groups   |   Business Coaching

On-demand

Find answers to your most pressing business questions with our on-demand resources.
Featured courses
The Four Levers of Gross Margin
A discussion of the four levers:
-Engineer Pay Rate
-Billing Rate
-Billable Utilization
-Fixed Fees Effective Ratio
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The 6 Common Operational Mistakes
The top 6 operational mistakes outlined through stories and best practices.
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How to Build Long-Term Business Goals
Understand the journey to success with the help of long-term business goals.
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Setting Up Your Stack
Understand stacks and solutions through concrete standardization examples, so you can build your individual stack offering.
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Partners, sign in to explore all on-demand courses.
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Interactive learning: Instructor-led courses

Solve your most important business problems with real-time, virtual, interactive courses.
Security

Developing Security Policy

Write effective security policies for your MSP or client.

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Applying CIS Controls

Improve and strengthen current security postures.

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Business

Building Your MSP

Learn the key fundamentals of operating in the cloud.

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Contracts and Agreements

Build an understanding of legal best practices.

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Selling to Your Perfect Client

Learn how to define and reach your perfect client.

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Success through Mission and Values

Get tools to identify your purpose, values, and mission.

Course Details

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Getting Your Finances in Order

Make well-informed financial decisions that fuel growth.

Course Details

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Operations for Efficiency and Profitability

Learn best practices to increase your efficiency and profitability.

Course Details

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Jumpstart Your MSP Sales Machine

Help your MSP overcome typical sales obstacles.

Course Details

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So, You Want to Hire a Salesperson?

Why you need sales department, not just a salesperson.

Course Details

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Marketing and Branding Strategy for MSPs 

learn why it’s important to have a strategy and how to create one.

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Tech

Deploying M365 Business Premium

Implement Microsoft Modern Workplace.

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Azure 101: Introduction to Azure

Gain hands-on knowledge of the Azure opportunity.

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Azure 102: Best Practices for MSPs

Learn how to deploy Azure using best practices.

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Azure 103: Azure Environments

Support and manage Azure environments.

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Power Apps and Automate

Learn how to price, sell, and deploy Power Apps and Power Automate solutions.

 

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Team

Service
Management

Grow the service manager role for your MSP. 

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Project Management

Scope, plan, and drive a project to execution. 

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MSP Employee Onboarding

Help new employees find success in their new roles at your MSP.

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Managing Projects in ConnectWise

Easily manage projects from start to finish

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Managing Projects in Autotask

Gain hands-on knowledge managing projects in Autotask.

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Utilizing Service Templates

Transform your business efficiency with service templates. 

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Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“The 'Getting Your Finances in Order' class is well worth your time and will easily pay off in the long term.”

Jeff Peck, Intralinks, Inc.
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“This is a great course on Project Management basics. Gives a nice overview of start to finish projects and all the steps and issues along the way.”

Linda Taylor, Avrem Technologies
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“I found the content to be very relevant and right-on-point for an MSP. The facilitator did a great job explaining the content and topics and made it easy to follow along. Overall, there's a lot of good information here, packaged in a very concise format.”

Wes Henry, True IT
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“This was very valuable in helping a startup gain perspective on the different areas of an MSP. I think it would key to go through prior to startup while in the planning stages or very beginning of the business startup.”

Cory Jenson, Marathon Tech
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“The course was helpful to dial in our stack, vertical markets, and pricing. It is instrumental in building the foundations for a solid MSP.”

Keith Pritchard, Bastet Partners
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“I highly recommend this training for individuals who are new to the MSP space and/or are new to selling. The strategic selling tactic taught in this class has really jump started our new MSP business.”

A.J. Gasswint, SimpleITSM
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“Jeremy Nelson helped cut through the noise of sales and narrowed down a solid approach to generating business for managed service providers.”

Ty Bechel, SimpleITSM
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“Essential information for deploying, selling, and supporting Office 365.”

Ray Young, Technology Support & Solutions INC
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“Security Policy Writing Workshop was a great use of time, very productive learning environment. Instructors were knowledgeable and open to discussions on any topic related to the course I would highly recommend this course to anyone in the Security realm of IT.”

Sean O'Connor, Usherwood Office Technology
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“The MSP Onboarding course was a great experience. There was good discussion between the instructor and the class; Nick created many opportunities for us to learn from each other as well as from him. Nick created a fun and engaging environment while keeping things on topic.”

Carl Schneider, Common Angle
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“The MSP Employee Onboarding course is the perfect way to arm new-hires that lack MSP experience with the foundational knowledge they'll need to orient themselves in the MSP world. The course covers nearly all aspects of the MSP industry in a concise, efficient way.”

Chase Mangham, Premier One
Why Instructor-Led Courses? Hear it in attendees’ own words.
“Ken is a fantastic coach. He made the class interactive and fun. I enjoyed learning all the terms I've heard around, but never quite knew what they meant. The documentation is fantastic to do after course learning!”

Kayla Carline, Immense Networks
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Peer Groups

Gain insights from leaders like you with curated, non-competitive peer groups facilitated by industry experts.
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Featured groups
Owners

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Security

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Sales and Marketing

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Dispatch

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Submit your Peer Group application to get started.

Business Coaching

Get a customized roadmap to success, objective guidance, and accountability from expert MSP coaches.
Learn about Business Coaching
Featured Learning: Security Resources

Is your business defensible?

Pax8 equips partners with world-class expertise, top vendors, and real-time resources.
Sign in to access resources

Find out how to become a partner.

Launch your business into what's possible

Schedule a call to:

  • Find the right track

  • Create a 90-day roadmap

  • Confidently break through barriers

“Our coach was fantastic at challenging the team and leading us through discussions to get everyone on the same page. The results speak for themselves. We achieved a consistent 20%+ net EBITDA”

John Schram
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North America

United States
English
Canada
English Français

Europe, Middle East, Africa

United Kingdom
English
Germany
Deutsch
Austria
Deutsch
Switzerland
Deutsch
Other Europe
English

Asia-Pacific

Australia
English
Other Asia-Pacific
English

Developing security policy

Write effective security policies for your MSP or client.

Gain the information and skills you need to write effective security policies. Having a strong security plan for your company and for your clients is best practice for all MSPs, and this course is designed to set you up for success. By the end of this workshop-style course, you will walk away with two completed security policies for your company.

What you'll learn
  • How to write security policies that meet both the goals of the business and the requirements for security compliance
  • Why it is important to develop policies
  • The key terms and principles in a security policy
  • The necessary elements that should be included in a security policy
Who should enroll
  • MSPs who are looking to develop or strengthen the security policies for their company
  • MSPs who assist or plan to assist clients with developing their security plans
Enroll

Applying CIS controls

Improve and strengthen current security postures.

Gain a strong understanding of the threats to your business and your clients as well as how to communicate those risks to your clients. Learn how to develop your security practice to increase profits and defensibility by aligning to Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls v8.

What you'll learn
  • How to be defensible when securing your own environment
  • The basics of a control framework in relation to both your business and your clients
  • How any control framework increases your defensibility
  • How to explain what security is really all about to your clients
Who should enroll

This course is right for you if you are:

  • An MSP needing guidance to incorporate security offerings for your clients
  • An MSP looking to deepen your cybersecurity knowledge, learn best practices, and evolve your practice
  • An MSP that wants to understand how to position security offerings with your clients
Enroll

Building your MSP

Learn the key fundamentals of operating in the cloud.

This course covers topics critical to running a successful MSP including how to operate in the cloud, selecting the right solution stack, optimizing your internal processes, and positioning your value to prospects.

What you'll learn
  • Establishing your business model and operating in the cloud
  • Choosing products and services to build your solution stack
  • Optimizing internal processes with tools, documents, and security best practices
  • Determining your value, choosing pricing models, and positioning to clients
Who should enroll
  • MSPs who are just getting started
  • Those looking to move from the break-fix model into managed services
  • Those looking to start an MSP business from scratch
  • Small IT business owners wanting to build their first MSP stack
Enroll

Contracts and agreements

Build an understanding of legal best practices

Review the fundamental agreements, documents, and contracts that an MSP uses to define its relationship to its clients and employees. At the completion of this workshop-style course, you’ll learn key legal best practices for your IT services business and see real-world examples of how legal documents can reinforce or undermine protection for MSPs.

 

This course is for informational and educational purposes and does not replace the need for legal advice.

What you'll learn
  • Which types of agreements are critical to successfully protecting an MSP
  • The similarities and differences between internal and external agreements
  • The vocabulary of legal agreements, and what terms mean
  • The relationship between contracts and agreements, and how they can either reinforce or conflict with one another
Who should enroll
  • Owners and senior leaders of MSPs who are looking to protect their businesses from a legal perspective.
Enroll

Selling to your perfect client

Evaluate client fit, define your marketing tactics, messaging, and branding, and generate consistent leads.

As a busy MSP, you may have limited time and budget for selling. By identifying and working with perfect clients, you can use your resources efficiently and make a greater impact on your business.

What you'll learn
  • Define and find your perfect client
  • Develop your elevator pitch
  • Get referrals to your perfect client
Who should enroll
  • MSP owners in charge of sales
  • MSP sales managers and salespeople
  • Any MSP who wants to improve their sales strategy — whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for years
Enroll

Success through mission and values

Get the tools your company needs to identify your purpose, values, and mission.

This four-week, live-instruction, virtual course will give you the tools your company needs to be successful. Whether just starting out or having been in business for years, you need to be able to share who you are and what you do with employees, interviewees, clients, and prospects.

What you'll learn

  • Clearly define your company’s purpose and understand your “why.”

  • Identify your company’s values, match values to behaviors, and ensure the entire company shares those same definitions.

  • Write effective mission and vision statements showcasing the path ahead.

Who should enroll
  • Owners and leadership teams of any size company or growth stage should enroll.
  • We recommend that all leaders at the company attend the workshop together.
Enroll

Getting your finances in order

Make well-informed financial decisions that will fuel your growth.

This four-week, live-instruction, virtual course will give you greater confidence in understanding your business’s finances while empowering you to make better business decisions that will lead to more significant growth.

 

Getting your finances in order is crucial to learning the ins and outs of MSP finance. After completing the course, you’ll have a better understanding of what is happening in your business and how to make it more profitable.

What you'll learn

  • How to determine your MSP growth stage

  • How to accurately track your MSP’s finances

  • How to appropriately set up your chart of accounts

  • How to review your profit and loss statement and calculate gross margin

  • How to take steps to increase profitability

Who should enroll

  • Owners and operators of MSPs of all sizes and growth stages

  • Anyone that wants to get a better understanding of their business finances to increase profitability

Enroll

Operations for efficiency and profitability

Learn best practices to increase your efficiency and profitability.

This four-week, live-instruction, virtual course will provide MSPs with a framework for success wherever they are in their operational journey. The course will cover the four growth stages of Establishment, Enablement, Expansion, and Enhancement that give MSPs insight into where they are now and how to get to the next stage. 

 

By taking this course, you will learn the best practices to operate your company at its most efficient level so you can achieve greater profitability. 

What you'll learn
  • Where your company fits into the MSP operational journey 
  • How to create standard policies and procedures 
  • How to make business decisions using reliable data 
Who should enroll
  • Owners and operators from any growth stage
  • MSPs that want to get a handle on or improve their operations
  • MSPs that want to be more efficient and profitable
Enroll

Jumpstart your MSP sales machine

Help your MSP overcome typical sales obstacles

Get tactical strategies to close the sales that will grow your business. You’ll also learn to focus on topics worth your “daily rate,” remove clutter, and use your time most effectively. We’ll discuss how to network to make the greatest impact on building relationships and getting good referrals.

What you'll learn
  • Reduce clutter to focus on sales and other high-value items
  • Networking best practices and leveraging relationships
  • Properly qualifying prospects
Who should enroll
  • Owners who are leading or responsible for new sales efforts
  • MSPs under $1.5 million in annual revenues
  • MSPs facing challenges with growing their sales
Enroll

So, You Want to Hire a Salesperson?

Why you need sales department, not just a salesperson. 

Get sales off your plate! In this course, you’ll learn what an effective MSP sales department looks like, the roles and responsibilities of each team member, and when to hire each person for maximum value. We’ll discuss how to pay your sales team members to increase motivation and maintain company profits. We will also cover common sales KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for sales roles and using data to measure performance.
What you'll learn
  • When to hire your first salesperson and why it’s important to build up a sales team
  • What an effective sales department looks like including roles, responsibilities, pay, and KPIs
  • Why a Sales Admin should be your first hire for your sales department
  • The differences between Account Managers and sales hunters and why both are needed for client retention and advocacy as well as lead generation and acquiring new clients.
Who should enroll
  • MSP owners who lead sales efforts and want to hire their first salesperson
  • MSP owners who want to be strategic with their sales process and build a sales department
Enroll

Marketing and Branding Strategy for MSPs 

Learn why it’s important to have a strategy and how to create one. 

Learn how to create and execute a marketing strategy while considering the external landscape and customer needs. Segment the market and position your offerings for each segment. Understand the importance of branding and consistent messaging. The course will also cover the role of marketing technologies, including A.I. and social media.
What you'll learn
  • How to define marketing for MSPs — what should you do and what’s not worth it?
  • Understand the importance of a marketing strategy and how to build one
  • Know who your clients and competitors are to position yourself well
  • Discern the components of a successful brand and campaign
  • Leverage technology and tools to make marketing easier
Who should enroll
  • MSPs new to marketing
  • MSPs looking to build a marketing strategy
  • MSPs who would like a brand refresh
Enroll

Deploying M365 business premium

Implement Microsoft Modern Workplace using Azure Active Directory, Intune, and Defender for Office 365

This course covers all the critical tools the suite offers for managing users, devices, and employee experiences to drive Modern Workplace solutions in the SMB arena. Taught by tenured Pax8 engineers.

What you'll learn

  • The build process in a real Microsoft 365 environment

  • Managing devices with Intune

  • Protecting clients from threats with Defender for Office 365

Who should enroll

  • A technical audience looking to learn Microsoft 365 business premium

  • Those with a fundamental knowledge of Office 365

Enroll

Azure 101: introduction to Azure

Gain hands-on knowledge of the Azure opportunity.

Learn why moving your clients’ infrastructure to the cloud is the right fit for your business. Develop the technical fundamentals for pricing, selling, and deploying key Azure technologies. The course is led by tenured Pax8 engineers who deploy and empower Azure resources every day.
What you'll learn
  • Introduction to Cloud and Azure concepts
  • Navigating the Azure Portal and Azure Cost Calculator
  • Azure core components and services
  • Key elements to Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) build outs
Who should enroll
  • Small and medium MSPs looking to learn Azure fundamentals
  • Those wanting to expand into the technical space to serve clients
  • Anyone who has turned down an Azure opportunity because of lack of experience
Enroll

Azure 102: best practices for MSPs

Learn how to deploy Azure using best practices.

Azure best practices for MSPs is a four-session, live-instruction, virtual course that will cover the best practices MSPs need to know when they are deploying an Azure project for their clients.

What you'll learn
  • Best practices for setting up access, permissions, security, and groups
  • Performance, redundancy, and scaling your Azure environment
  • Understanding data, databases, syncing, and lifecycle management
Who should enroll
  • Any partner who has taken Azure 101: introduction to Azure
  • MSPs with a basic understanding of Azure and who are ready to start building projects
Enroll

Azure 103: managing and supporting Azure environments

Learn how to support and manage Azure environments.

Azure 103: managing and supporting Azure environments is a four-week, live-instruction, virtual course that will prepare you to support and manage Azure environments after deployment.

What you'll learn
  • Azure cloud governance, including the management areas
  • Managing security and backups in Azure
  • Azure monitoring tools and configure alerting
  • Planning for operational excellence with policy and cost management
Who should enroll

  • Any partner who has taken Azure 101 and Azure 102

  • MSPs who know Azure but need support with ongoing management
Enroll

Power Apps and Automate

Learn how to price, sell, and deploy Power Apps and Power Automate solutions.

Power Apps and Automate is a 3-week, live-instruction, virtual course that will prepare you to price, sell, and deploy Power Apps and Power Automate solutions. You’ll discover how to eliminate paper processes, scale development activities, and meet customer needs for agile solutions.

What you'll learn
  • Week 1: Overview of Power Apps and Power Automate
  • Week 2: Deeper dive into Power Apps
  • Week 3: Deeper dive into Power Automate
Who should enroll
  • This course is designed for a technical or business analyst audience
  • It is recommended, but not required, that you attend this course with some background in SharePoint forms and workflows
Enroll

Service management

Grow the service manager role for your MSP.

Learn best practices and a practical approach to successfully develop your service manager role along with steps to overcome the common challenges to success in the role.

What you'll learn
  • Defining the role and its boundaries
  • Principles of consistent service delivery and team management
  • Getting team buy in
Who should enroll
  • Current service managers too busy to show a measurable impact
  • Anyone transiting from another role or industry
Enroll

Project management

Scope, plan, and drive a project to execution

Project management is a four-week, live-instruction, virtual course that will lead you through the best practices for scoping, creating, and driving a project to completion — on time and on budget.

What you'll learn
  • Best practices and PMI PMBOK standards for your project management process
  • Review the Project Manager’s Toolkit and map all requisite tools needed to implement a successful project
  • How to develop a scoping process that will allow you to bring estimation and expectations into alignment with execution and delivery, leading to repeat success and higher gross margin
  • How to design a project plan that will provide value with recourse management, communication management, schedule management, quality management, change management, and more
Who should enroll
  • MSPs who are looking to establish a project management process
  • MSPs who already have a process but would like to improve their efficiency and grow their project management skill set.
Enroll

MSP employee onboarding

Help your new employees find success in their new roles at your MSP.

MSP employee onboarding is a four-week, live-instruction, virtual course that will get your new employees ready for their first month by learning how an MSP operates. We will review core MSP tech tools like professional services automations (PSAs), remote monitoring and management (RMM), backups, go over essential technical terms, define roles and the career ladder at a typical MSP, and discuss how time is our product in a service-based business.

What you'll learn

  • How to be ready for your first month working at an MSP and what to expect

  • Understand the core concepts around technical processes and tools

  • How to properly process a ticket and submit time, no matter what PSA is used

  • How time is our product and how your role supports the company’s function and growth

Who should enroll

  • New hires for any role within an MSP (helpdesk, reception, HR, account managers, etc.) who are new to the industry

  • Engineers coming from an enterprise IT background who would like a common MSP language and definitions of technical terms

Enroll

Managing projects in ConnectWise

Easily manage projects from start to finish

Managing projects in ConnectWise is a four-week, live-instruction, virtual course that will guide you through the project management process in the ConnectWise PSA. The course will cover how to easily set up, schedule, and manage a project, and use scoping templates, project plans, and more.

What you'll learn
  • The key to understanding business units in ConnectWise
  • The differences between service boards and project boards
  • Setup security roles, project roles, workflow rules, and more
Who should enroll
  • Project managers who use ConnectWise as their PSA
  • MSPs who have recently started using ConnectWise
  • MSPs wanting to improve their project management with ConnectWise
Enroll

Managing projects in Autotask

Gain hands-on knowledge managing projects in Autotask

Drive a project from start to finish with Autotask. You’ll learn how to set up, schedule, and manage projects directly in the Autotask PSA, including contract, revenue, and resourcing. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to map out your project, manage its phases and tasks, and track ongoing metrics to ensure project success.   
What you'll learn
  • How to manage a project from start to finish
  • How to manage projects by exception using views, dashboards, and workflows
  • The project hierarchy and its phases, tasks, and checklists
  • How to utilize capacity planning within the project team, through task types, workload reporting, and dispatching
  • How to incorporate lines of business to report utilization and profitability
Who should enroll
  • Pax8 partners who have taken the project management course through Pax8 Academy
  • Project managers who use Autotask as their PSA
  • MSPs looking to improve their project management with Autotask
Enroll

Utilizing Service Templates

Transform your business efficiency with service templates.

This 4-session course will provide your company with practical tips and service templates to gain efficiencies in your business. By attending this course, you will know where and how to start the process of templating core service functions. The instructor will show you how templating increases quality, reduces dropped balls, and increases employee and client satisfaction. The course will cover Service Template Optimization through ITIL standardizations of Types, Subtypes, and Items.
What you'll learn
  • Understand why you should use service templates and how to make the most of them
  • How to create proactive and reactive service templates to gain efficiencies in your business
  • How to implement service templates in your business to create cultural change
  • How to mine and use the data you pull from service templates
Who should enroll
  • Service Managers who are new to using service templates
  • MSPs who would like to gain efficiencies with their service team
Enroll