When it comes to Cloud computing solutions, there are many more options out there than the ‘Big Three’.

The Big Three, (AWS, Google and Microsoft), are what the industry refer to as the ‘hyperscalers’, and while they are bigger, they aren’t always better for the SMB-minded Managed Service Provider.

Smaller providers are able to add a personal touch to their services, and that might be exactly what you need from a cloud provider.

Advantages of Simple Cloud, Security & Being an MSP Champion

Stephen McCormick, MSP Community Manager, speaks to James Steel, Senior Partner Community Advocate of Linode.

In this interview, some of the things discussed include Linode’s new partnership with Akamai and the challenges facing MSPs today. Plus, takeaways from a panel session James chaired at the CompTIA Community meeting in Bristol, and some of the things Linode are doing to engage their partners.

An Interview with James Steel

James Steel is a Senior Partner Community Advocate for Linode, which is now part of Akamai Cloud Computing.

James is an experienced member of the channel. Formerly the Managing Director of a software distributor, James took up the role of Senior Partner Community Advocate with Linode in April 2022. Now James works closely with the Managed Services community to help improve the experience that Linode and Akamai bring to their partners.

He achieves this through attending channel events where he can listen to the concerns of MSPs and the community in general. And he works to improve the partner experience and develop marketing strategies that appeal more to partners.

The Future of Linode’s Cloud, Security and Being an MSP Champion

Linode and Akamai – Exciting Developments Ahead

Linode’s position is that the cloud market has always been to offer an alternative solution to the ‘Big Three’ cloud providers. There are a number of ways they make this choice more desirable to potential partners.

Firstly, they are able to provide a cloud solution that rivals a competitor like AWS at a much lower cost – nearly 30%. And secondly, they focus on quality support from professionally qualified engineers.

Akamai’s acquisition of Linode earlier in the year offers much more in terms of edge computing solutions. Although the first step on the roadmap is to roll out a lot more sites.

Security and the Cloud – How Does Linode Ensure Customer Data Remains Secure?

It’s not just about the DDoS protection and API security, although that is still an integral part of the security stack. There is a lot to be said about user behavioural security as well. Linode has been working with external partners, such as Hackersploit, to provide training and security-targeted content for partners to read up on. This is to maintain a belt and braces approach to security.

Events are Opportunities to Connect and Learn

James has been very busy since he started his role. Not only does he network with partners and channel experts, but he also does interviews with them as well. You can catch some of the interviews he did at CompTIA’s ChannelCon in Chicago in August 2022.

However, in June 2022, at the CompTIA Community Meeting held in Bristol, James led a panel of Managed Service Providers on the subjects of Cybersecurity, Recruitment and Growth. There were some great pieces of advice given by the panel there for MSPs in similar predicaments.

He’s also been to Valencia in Spain for Kubecon, an event all about Kubernetes, as well as the ChannelFutures MSP Summit in Orlando.

You can find links to videos James recorded at some of these events below.

The Monthly Partner Round-ups and Educational Content

Another way James and Linode help their partners and MSPs is through their monthly Partner Round-up videos. This is a great way to share news, events and industry updates with the community.

One of the recent Round-ups reported that they have partnered with KodeCloud to provide accreditations for deploying and maintaining Kubernetes clusters.

This is just one of many initiatives Linode provide to help users get the most out of their cloud infrastructure. In fact, there are many e-books, educational series and guides, and many are produced in-house, many are also in collaboration with other agencies. One of these collaborations was with Richard Tubb himself: The MSPs Guide to Modern Cloud Infrastructure.

What’s Next for James and Linode?

The short answer is: more of the same. He wants to continue to build on the momentum he’s already begun, by attending more MSP events, producing more content and getting Linode’s message across.

Everyone at Linode is excited about the future of the Linode/Akamai partnership and how that will evolve services and infrastructure.

You can find out more about Linode and what they have to offer here.

Get in touch with James via his LinkedIn Profile.

If you enjoyed this interview and want to see more, please subscribe to the Tubblog channel on YouTube here.

Interview Transcript

Transcript – MSP Q&A The Future of Linode’s Cloud, Security and Being an MSP Champion – James Steel

Items Mentioned in this Article and in the Video

MSSP Alert: N-Able Study finds that 90% of MSPs have suffered a successful cyberattack in the last 18 Months

Linode Blog: Cybersecurity, Recruitment, and Growth: Advice from 3 Managed Service Providers

YouTube: Linode Partner Roundup August | Cybercriminals Attack MSPs, ChannelCon, Free K8s Cert and More…

LinkedIn: The Linode ChannelCon Interviews: Talking Marketing, Recruitment, Community, Tech Debt and Cloud First MSPs

CompTIA: Explore CompTIA Communities

Hackersploit: Pentesting and Red Team Training

More Engagement from Vendors in the MSP Community?

Do you think more engagement and personalised services are a good thing for the MSP community? Do you think an alternative cloud provider is a better fit for the niche SMB market your MSP serves? We would love to hear your comments!

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