Vince Crisler: Navigating A Double SaaS Transformation

"It was a tough transition. But in the end, it's been worth it. Margins are up. We can be running on a network in 10 minutes without having to ship or configure anything. It's completely transformed the business." – Vince Crisler

Transformations are tough. Especially a double transformation. Imagine taking your business model from selling an appliance directly to end customers to selling Software-as-a-Service only through MSPs. That’s the success story that Vince Crisler, CEO of Dark Cubed, tells in my recent Channel Journeys podcast.

Vince has an impressive background as an Air Force Communications Officer who went on to work at the Pentagon, Homeland Security, and the White House. We talked about how he swallowed the XaaS fish to build a channel security business with higher margins and greater customer success.

Key Take-Aways

1. The On-Premise To SaaS Transformation

• The appliance model has multiple challenges including product maintenance, support, and hardware costs.
• Pivoting to the SaaS model is a tough transition. But in the end, it’s worth it. Margins are up and Dark Cubed can be up and running on a network in 10 minutes.
• The SaaS transformation, “swallowing the fish”, takes time, about a year and a half for Dark Cubed.

2. The Direct To Channel Transformation

• Take a data-driven approach to researching the best channel and channel strategy for your business
• Reddit groups can be a great tool for partner recruiting and engagement.
• Provide valuable content, not marketing fluff, to your partners.

Take Action – One Thing You Can Do Today

Check out Reddit as a tool for partner engagement and brutally honest feedback to your posts. And listen to the complete Channel Journeys podcast to learn more about Vince’s double transformation.

About The Author

Rob Spee is founder and CEO of Channel Journeys Consulting and host of the Channel Journeys podcast. Rob applies his channel expertise to help clients create and execute channel strategies to accelerate revenue growth. His global channel experience spans from building channels at startups to vendors and distributors like Arrow, BMC, Carbonite, and SAS. Follow Rob on Twitter and LinkedIn.