“Today, we are able to proactively address our challenges through strategic planning, transparent communication with ConnectWise, and are reassured by the commitment to fully integrated solutions, which will lead to improved productivity and profitability,”
“By consolidating operations into a single pane of glass, we’ve increased efficiency by at least 5-10%,”
Accelerating Growth Through M&A
Tech MD, formerly known as ICS, is an MSP headquartered in Endicott, New York. The company specializes in cybersecurity and managed IT services for small and medium-sized businesses.
Under the leadership of CEO Kevin Blake, Tech MD has grown both organically and through acquisitions, completing nine acquisitions to date. The most recent acquisition was in Santa Ana, California, where they acquired and rebranded a company as Tech MD.
Tech MD has been a ConnectWise partner since 2006, being one of the early adopters. “I’m fairly certain we were customer #77,” recalls CEO, Kevin Blake. “Our ConnectWise partnership has been foundational Tech MD’s business as the market demands continue to shift.”
Blake joined HTG Peer Groups (now Evolve, owned by ConnectWise), in the same year. It proved to be an accelerant for business growth. “Our Evolve membership has provided invaluable networking and learning opportunities, contributing significantly to our expansion from three employees in 2006 to approximately 300 employees today,” said Blake.
In addition, Blake’s role on the ConnectWise Advisory Council allows Tech MD to influence product development and strategic direction, ensuring that their needs and the needs of similar businesses are considered. “We are fully bought-in to our ConnectWise partnership.”
Challenges and Lessons Learned
Tech MD experienced challenges when they temporarily switched to a competing RMM product, which lacked the full integration offered by ConnectWise. This switch led to increased support issues and inefficiencies.
"We switched to a competing product --- and that was a mistake we made. We ran that product for about 8 months to a year and we pivoted back to ConnectWise RMM™. You know, there's incredible benefit to this next gen [platform]."
The lesson learned was the importance of a fully integrated Asio™ platform, which Tech MD reaffirmed by returning to ConnectWise RMM™.
“The reliance on API integrations with the competing RMM tool created operational challenges and hindered seamless functionality,” Blake emphasized. “After realizing the limitations [of their previous RMM tool], we engaged in transparent discussions with ConnectWise.”
Together, with ConnectWise, they developed a comprehensive project plan, including dedicated project managers and a sandbox environment for testing.
Migration to a ConnectWise Platform
Switching back to ConnectWise RMM improved Tech MD’s efficiency, scalability, and security.
Blake emphasized the importance of a single, integrated platform over disparate systems connected by APIs.
“We are particularly excited about the continued rollout of ConnectWise’s Asio™ platform and other AI-driven products like Sidekick™ and RPA™, which promise to enhance service delivery and operational efficiency.” This approach ensures seamless operations and the ability to scale, whether integrating new acquisitions or onboarding large clients.
“The rollout to 35,000 agents took approximately three months and has been highly successful, with positive feedback from engineers who appreciate the robust features of ConnectWise’s tools, particularly ScreenConnect™, said Blake.
The platform also streamlined operations, eliminating the need for multiple logins, and the team adapted well to the new tools, leading to increased productivity and smoother operations.
“By consolidating operations into a single pane of glass, we’ve increased efficiency by at least 5-10%,” Blake noted.
Security Enhancements
Security remains a top priority for Tech MD. The Asio platform’s built-in security features, including those in the new RMM tool, have provided enhanced protection and visibility. Security 360™ features from ConnectWise are anticipated to further bolster Tech MD’s security posture, providing comprehensive monitoring and response capabilities.
The Future is Integrated
Improved productivity metrics include higher revenue per employee, increased employee utilization rates, better task completion rates, and higher first-call resolution percentages. These metrics demonstrate enhanced efficiency and effectiveness in operations.
“Today, we are able to proactively address our challenges through strategic planning, transparent communication with ConnectWise, and are reassured by the commitment to fully integrated solutions, which will lead to improved productivity and profitability,” said Blake.
