Avoid The RMM Shelfware Trap

Buying IT applications as a suite has become a common business practice, illustrated by Microsoft Office, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access in one packaged offering. And Microsoft’s SaaS offerings, such as Office 365 Business Premium, adds Exchange Online, OneDrive for Business, Skype for Business, and Microsoft Teams to the list.

Buying bundles is good if you use all of the products, or at least if you’re not stuck paying extra for the products you don't use. But business-to-business software bundles are the exception to the rule.

Oftentimes, an MSP may like using one or two solutions in the bundle, but will find the rest of the package unusable. The sad reality, however, is that every time the MSP purchases another customer license, it’s charged for the entire suite — whether it uses all the products or not, which forces the MSP to either pass the higher pricing on to its customers or absorb the expense and accept a lower profit margin.