NetEnrich Bolsters SMB Portfolio With Revamped Platform, Services

NetEnrich is furthering its SMB focus with a refreshed partner platform and services offering improved monitoring and management capabilities to enable its partners in the SMB space, the company said Tuesday.

"SMB has been a large portion of our business," said Justin Crotty, vice president of the San Jose, Calif.-based IT infrastructure monitoring and management services provider. "We want partners to be self sufficient in selling services and understanding easily its simple deliverance. It's not a shipped strategy; it's trying to address doing business in a more logical pricing method by giving partners [the ability] to price and quote."

NetEnrich, based on partner feedback, added three different levels of services engagement including SMB Manage, SMB Aid and SMB SmartEscalate, said Crotty. With the services, NetEnrich will handle the triaging, validation, picketing and infrastructure-generated alerts. It is available now through Santa Ana, Calif.-distributor Ingram Micro and NetEnrich, said Crotty.

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"A lot of VARs and MSPs are really struggling with the alerts coming into the infrastructure, regarding what toolset they use," said Crotty. "Having to manage, clean and validate those alerts and ultimately understand what to pay attention to and what not to is time consuming."

NetEnrich has also expanded the technology it offers for SMB solution providers including network infrastructure, storage infrastructure, and tool simplification as well as added flexibility on a recurring revenue basis, said Crotty.

"Our value proposition to a partner solves a couple of big issues," said Crotty. "We can support technologies, offer flexible service engagements and give VARs the ability in scale, efficiency and capability to support the wide range of technologies of enterprise cloud services that are cost effective and drive revenue for the business."

Another important change is the pay-as-you-grow pricing model in which the group of remote infrastructure and desktop managed services is packaged under one flat fee, said Crotty.

"Another feedback was pricing; partners said we were competitively priced but asked us to consider less on these SKUs and more on these SKUs to win competitive deals they are in," said Crotty. "We made an aggressive, competitive, cost-effective deal so they can do a better job in gaining revenue and realizing margin."

NEXT: Pricing Benefits Solution Provider Partner

Warren Finkel, managing partner at solution provider ACE IT, based in Saddle Brook, N.J., and New York City, said NetEnrich has been a channel-friendly partner in terms of pricing and competitiveness.

"We've been a client for four years, and we are taking advantage of every NetEnrich offering," said Finkel. "It makes it more affordable to actually utilize their services in terms of more flexibility, more risk of price structure. Some clients can't afford to have certain equipment monitored, so this allows us to monitor every clients and every budget."

When it comes to managing IT infrastructure, SMB solution providers can become overwhelmed, said NetEnrich's Crotty.

"Scaling is difficult in the SMB space, and you need to be efficient, have processes and capabilities," said Crotty. "They have to look at how they are delivering service; many of them are asked to support a broad range of technology and may not have the internal technical expertise to cross over and they need some help."

It is also important for companies like NetEnrich to help solution provider partners with SMB services, said Crotty.

"It's a huge market; it's highly profitable when done right, effectively and efficiently," said Crotty. "SMB businesses and customers don't have IT expertise and they need solution providers and MSPs that can provide significant value to it."

NetEnrich's is looking to gain partners and believes its dedication to the channel will benefit the company, solution provider and VAR partners, and its customers, said Crotty.

"We are rapidly growing and always striving to meet the needs of our VAR partners. We are looking to roll out partner programs, partner enablement programs and reward programs next year," said Crotty. "We are also adding partners every month and are fairly selective. We want partners that are serious about scaling, growing their recurring revenue and infrastructure management services in the SMB midmarket and enterprise space."

PUBLISHED NOV. 12, 2013