Kaseya has hinted at significant changes to its partner program, aiming to better support managed service providers (MSPs) in Europe. Greg Jones, Vice President of Business Development, EMEA, outlined its broader strategy at its recent Dattocon Europe partner event. The revamped program introduces several new initiatives designed to enhance partner enablement, support, and growth. With over 50,000 MSP partners globally, its newly introduced Kaseya365 Subscription Service will be catalyst for much of this change.
According to Jones, Kaseya has extended its "Partner First Pledge" based on thousands of pulse checks with partners. This pledge includes competitive one-year contracts, allowing partners to choose between one, three, or five-year terms, with month-to-month options for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) devices.
Flex Spend is another feature, enabling partners to allocate their spending across different products within Kaseya's portfolio, ensuring flexibility as their business needs evolve. "We've also introduced something called catastrophic loss prevention which means we're showing the MSP community that we are a true strategic partner," said Jones. The scheme means partners that lose a major client won’t be charged for the associated multi-year contracts.
Jones, who oversees the global program, explained that this overhaul aims to address issues in the current tier structure and enhance value delivery, especially at the top tiers. "We've just revamped it, and it will be revamping again for 2025 to better support our partners," said Jones. "We recognised that, following the acquisition of Datto and the expansion of our portfolio, many of our partners found it easier to reach the highest tiers. To ensure we continue to deliver exceptional value and benefits to our top partners, we have refined our program, taking into account the number of partners we had before the acquisition and tailoring it to better serve their needs,” he adds.
One significant change will be a focus on enabling growth for mid-tier partners. Jones emphasized, "What we are looking to do... is absolutely have a focus on enablement and growth." This will involve adjustments to the Marketing Development Fund (MDF) program, ensuring it is accessible and fair. "We will not be aligning MDF to a direct correlation with their spend. Because that's typically unfair."
Jones also highlighted the importance of supporting innovative ideas from partners of all sizes. "If a partner calls us with something that's an innovative way to win that new client, or to expand their current client base... there's no programmatic roadblock that says they can't do it," he said, indicating a case-by-case review process for new ideas.
The company is also increasing its event participation to enhance partner engagement and support. "We are doing more events than we have ever done in the past," Jones noted, adding that they have already surpassed last year's total by mid-year.
Jones says these planned changes reflect Kaseya's ongoing efforts to adapt its programs to better meet the needs of its global partner community, ensuring they have the necessary resources and flexibility to succeed. "Every program at Kaseya never stays the same because the market and our partners are constantly evolving," he concluded.
