Volume Five - August 2025
Subject – The benefits of Partnering vs Practice Building for MSPs.
Well hello there, and welcome to volume five of Source Code Conversations. It’s great to have you here with us.
This month we welcome Matt Webb, our Head of Marketing & Operations and lead for our UK partnership with Microsoft. Matt is here to discuss one of the key decisions that MSPs have to make when introducing a new service to their portfolio – whether to partner or build a practice.
Zoe: Hi Matt, I know you’re not new to Source Code Conversations but welcome to the series on ‘the other side of the microphone’ for the first time! For anyone who doesn’t know you, please can you give an introduction to yourself, your background and role at Source Code Control?
Matt: Hi everyone, great to be here as the interviewee for the first time. I’ve been with Source Code Control for 3 years, and I lead the Marketing & Operations for our Cloud Services business, as well as our UK relationship with Microsoft. Before, I worked for different technology vendors. Most recent of which was Microsoft, where I had various roles in Partner Account Management and delivering their Solution Assessments with clients.
Zoe: Thanks a lot for the introduction. And you’re here today to talk about partnering vs practice building for MSPs…please can you tell us more?
Matt: Absolutely. Fundamentally, we talk to a lot of partners who are looking to bring new services to their portfolio, to meet demand they’re seeing from existing and prospective clients. One of the first choices they need to make is whether they want to develop that skillset and capacity within the company, or whether they partner with a complimentary organisation that already possesses that experience, know-how and the relevant certifications.
Zoe: Understood, thank you. So when a partner is looking at their options, what do the main considerations tend to be?
Matt: In my experience, after the obvious point of ensuring a high-quality offering, the two most important things they consider are time and cost. A skilled, certified and scalable new team takes time to hire and train up, especially if talent needs to be attracted from outside the organisation. By the time the new team members have been found, hired and certified, they are looking at a period of months before they are ready to engage with customers. These processes can also be expensive, due to the cost in hiring and employing people. While there are commercial arrangements to put in place with prospective partners, these are typically more straightforward and a working relationship can be established quickly, meaning a much faster time to market.
Zoe: Ok, I think that’s a good explainer of some of the key points to consider. If an MSP is open to exploring partnership options, what are the key things they should be factoring in?
Matt: The first thing to look at is the quality of service from the potential partner. What experience do they have? What certifications do their team hold in the relevant area(s) to prove their knowledge? Which tool(s) do they use to perform any work and why have they chosen them? They should be able to explain and demonstrate all of this and where they’ve delivered these engagements in the past, and with what results.
Alongside this, I think you want to find a company that compliments yours in terms of their culture and business approach. You want to be able to trust them as an extension of your brand and reputation – would you feel comfortable putting them in front of your customers? Also, do they compete with you in any areas of business? Ironing any points like these out up front is key, for sure.
Zoe: Thanks, Matt. We’re having success at Source Code Control when it comes to partnering – can you summarise why MSPs should think about working with us please?
Matt: Absolutely. Existing partners tell us that they value our experience, openness and trustworthiness. A few of our services in particular, like Cloud Spend Management/FinOps, Tech Accessibility and M365 Copilot readiness, are very topical at the moment and are areas where partners are starting to see demand. We have proven expertise in them all.
We’ve been Microsoft’s Solution Assessment delivery partner in the UK, India and South East Europe for several years now and have delivered thousands of customer engagements – so we know the tools and processes intimately. This brings us a lot of credibility, I feel. Importantly, we don’t sell Microsoft licenses or cloud consumption, so partners can rely on us to compliment rather than compete with them.
We also continue to offer assessment types that are no longer available through the Microsoft Solution Assessment program, like Azure Virtual Desktop business cases and M365 Copilot Preparation & Planning. This offers a way of partners continuing to unlock these engagements for their customers.
Zoe: Perfect, thank you. In closing, if partners would like to explore this further, how should they get in touch please?
Matt: Thanks, Zoe. We have a dedicated Partner with us page, please get in touch with us there or via hello@sourcecodecontrol.com. If anyone would like to connect with me on LinkedIn, they can do so here. We are really keen to grow our partnerships and would love the opportunity to discuss any requirements that MSPs have, and to showcase the benefits of working with us.
And that’s a wrap on another volume of Source Code Conversations. Thank you for reading and please do get in touch if you would like to talk to our team about any of the points raised here or in previous editions.
As always, you can read the previous instalments of our series, as well as other content produced by our team, at Blog – Source Code Control
Matt Webb
Interviewee
Zoe Hawkins
Interviewer & Editor
Aaron Wyld
Photographer