The current networking model is broken, making it difficult for MSPs to effectively serve their customers and grow their business. Vendors are relying on their MSP partners to package disparate components into an “as-a-service” model—an approach that requires partners to invest heavily in significant upfront capital expenditures for hardware, licenses, and installation services. Combined with complex and opaque vendor pricing structures, it can be difficult for partners to maintain healthy margins and provide transparent pricing to their customers.
Why Traditional Approaches Leave MSPs In A Bind
Heavy upfront costs are not the only challenge most networking solutions present to MSPs today. On the technology side, partners often encounter a disparate mix of outdated hardware, software, firmware, and operating systems from vendors. This can lead to significant interoperability issues, overly complex deployments, and the inability to offer their clients the latest technology on the market. On the licensing and support side, many vendors use expensive licensing models that require frequent renewals and maintenance agreements. Over time, this eats into partners’ margins and makes it challenging to build a sustainable, predictable revenue stream. Lastly, they often have to navigate multiple support tiers and providers when troubleshooting issues. This results in slow resolution times and a diminished customer experience.
These misaligned incentives squeeze partner margins and frustrate clients who have their own set of challenges around budget and complexity. The traditional approach is falling short and leaving partners in a bind. They deserve a fundamental change—a modern, flexible, and integrated networking solution that’s designed to streamline operations, improve profitability, and better align with their business goals.
Visibility And Control Without Complexity
An innovative, outcome-based solution, like the one offered by internet infrastructure company Meter, provides a secure, scalable, and streamlined option for MSP partners and their customers. Meter built a vertically integrated networking stack that gives partners complete control and visibility into their clients’ networks without the complexity. All MSPs need is a floor plan and a few details on the space and its intended use. Meter will provide everything needed to deploy and manage a redundant, reliable, enterprise-grade network—all for a predictable monthly fee.
This approach requires zero upfront costs, allowing partners to deliver excellent technology alongside their specialized services with better customer outcomes and partner profitability. Meter constantly monitors a network’s speeds, reliability, and security. Hardware upgrades are included, making it easier for customers to budget and for partners to close deals.
Unlike other vendors, which often involve a patchwork of third-party hardware, software, and services, Meter’s full-stack solution ensures seamless interoperability, making network configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting more efficient and consistent for network managers. This also paves the way for new products and services that are entirely unique and only possible with a full-stack architecture. For example, Meter Command is a generative UI that combines the precision and power of the command line with the ease of a modern dashboard to deliver a product that intuitively understands customer needs and allows them to interact with their network in an entirely new way.
For more on Command, see Meter’s New Product Aims To Simplify Network Management For MSPs
Automate Routine Tasks
Meter partners can use Command to manage routine operations, execute complex tasks, and enhance both the efficiency and volume of networks they manage for their clients. Command helps partners automate elements of network management and reporting, ultimately saving them time to focus on other strategic services. A partner can simply ask Command to “Build a network report for Customer A showing their network performance for the last month.” Command will surface metrics and configure a report that can be shared with anyone—all at the speed of searching on the web.
There’s a new way to sell and deliver networking—one that creates great customer experiences and profitable outcomes for partners on Day 1. Get started with Meter today.