Plan For A Learning Curve

Solution providers that have shifted from a focus on reselling products may find it harder to reskill their sales staffs for a recurring revenue model. Two years ago, IT services provider PhoenixNAP offered almost no support services, according to David Brimley, its managing vice president of sales. Now, "we're trying to move into that. It's actually a major focus of our business."

The challenge, Brimley said, is "going from almost nothing" on the services side to covering about 50 to 60 percent of what a comprehensive managed service provider would cover.

"The learning curve is a little more intense and it's a little bit different," he told IT Best Of Breed.