Today, we have a very special launch week interview with Larry Walsh, CEO and chief analyst for The 2112 Group, an analyst firm that focuses on the channel and service provider market.
Prior to founding the The 2112 Group, Larry was a technology journalist and publisher for publications like Channel Insider and Baseline Magazine.
In this interview, we chat about the 800 8,000-pound gorilla that’s in all our faces: Amazon. We talk about the moves Amazon is making into traditional channel space and what that means for you as an MSP.
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Amazon: MSP Threat or Opportunity?
[01:46] How can MSPs position themselves in an Amazon world?
[02:04] The thing that makes Amazon different is that they don’t act like other companies. They aren’t worried about failure, they are worried about inaction and are constantly looking for areas to expand.
[02:57] Amazon wants to be innovative, like a small nimble company.
[03:07] Amazon has a two-pizza rule, which means they don’t create teams larger than can be fed with two pizzas.
[03:27] Amazon always starts with the customer, and asks how anything they do will benefit the customer.
[05:00] The market areas where MSPs should pay attention are the Kindle device and Alexa. Amazon wants Alexa to be the key device in the Internet of Things.
[05:43] There are also rumors they that Amazon is developing an office suite.
[06:22] The opportunities with AWS and the Amazon cloud platform.
[07:48] MSPs can position themselves by extending their skillsets and knowledge into a cloud context.
[11:14] Attributes of Amazon include putting the customer first, removing layers of complexity, expediting decision making, adopting frictionless business models, and seeking commitments not agreements.
[12:10] How Amazon tries to eliminate dependencies.
[13:07] The middle is where MSPs will play because they are local, agile, and know their customers’ businesses better than Amazon ever could.
[14:09] A Day One company sees the world as a place of endless possibilities. Day Two companies are complacent and try to maintain their current state. Day Three companies are the ones that are irrelevant and experiencing pain and death. Amazon is a Day One company; MSPs need to be Day One too.
[17:05] Most MSPs are somewhere between Day Two and Day Three. They need to let go of legacy conventions.
[18:33] The number one thing MSPs can do when it comes to Amazon.
Links from this episode
Interview
- Larry Walsh (LinkedIn)
- Get Used to Living in Amazon’s World
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