How Winter Challenges Can Heat Up Your MSP Business!

In today’s blog, we’re diving into how moving servers to the cloud helps your clients thrive during even the harshest winter weather!

We always talk about how cloud is a powerful solution to many challenges, and winter is no exception. From minor snow days to power outages and damaged infrastructure, winter can cause significant disruptions to the productivity of your clients…

This is your opportunity, as an MSP, to be the hero for your clients—providing them with the tools to stay functional regardless of what’s happening outside! Blizzards and other harsh conditions don’t have to stop operations in their tracks.

Let’s explore the major disruptions that winter brings for businesses and how the cloud alleviates these challenges. These are perfect pain points to discuss with your clients and push a cloud migration!

1. Travel Disruptions

 A storm hits—roads are slick, flights are canceled, and employees can’t make it to the office. How does the cloud solve this problem? It’s all about accessibility.

The first key is ensuring that servers and systems remain up and running. With the cloud, everything is housed in a secure data center, unaffected by local weather conditions. It doesn’t matter if there’s a blizzard outside or power outages in the area— your clients stay online!

The second key is giving employees secure access to systems from wherever they are. If they’re snowed in or unable to reach the office, they can log in from home. Even on public networks, secure remote access ensures data remains safe and productivity continues uninterrupted.

With the cloud, your clients can stay connected and get their work done, no matter where they are or what’s happening outside. It’s a massive benefit that closed our MSP tons of business!

2. Snow Days

Let’s elaborate on those days when getting to the office is impossible because of the roads. In northwest Ohio, for example, we get level three snow emergencies where no one is allowed on the road unless they’re a caregiver, nurse, or doctor!

On those days, employees are stuck at home, and the office grinds to a halt because no one can make it in. So, how does the cloud eliminate this issue?

We know this might sound like a broken record, but it’s all about secure access to systems —anytime, anywhere, including from home!

Back when we were an MSP, we had some clients who proactively prepared for snow days by setting up specific computers in key employees’ homes or offices. However, many clients weren’t as prepared, which led to chaos when snow days hit…

The beauty of the cloud is that it doesn’t matter what device employees use. Whether it’s their home computer—or even, in a pinch, their kid’s computer—they can securely log in and access their work! With a properly configured cloud setup, snow days stop being a disruption. In fact, snow days practically disappear—they become just another regular workday.

3. Recovering From Outages

We once had a client whose office flooded after a pipe burst, and while their servers were technically safe on a rack, the office itself was inaccessible, making the servers useless. Other clients weren’t so lucky, with servers left on the floor and destroyed…

 Events like these led to days of lost productivity, which could have been avoided with proper preparation and a move to the cloud!

After a disaster, it’s easier to have the cloud conversation since the need is clear: unfortunately, the damage is already done. The real opportunity lies in talking to clients beforehand, helping them plan so these disruptions never happen in the first place.

Winter also brings hidden costs for businesses, like increased heating expenses. Clients with larger server setups often require dedicated HVAC systems to secure and maintain their server rooms. This adds complexity and cost that businesses shouldn’t have to deal with anymore!

Moving servers to the cloud eliminates these headaches as well, offering simplicity and reliability.

Time For Your Clients to Say Goodbye to Winter Disruptions!

Planning and preparation are key. Once an issue occurs, it’s easy to sell cloud solutions, but it’s just as effective when you tell a compelling story!

Even in the middle of summer, help your clients picture the challenges of winter, remind them of past experiences, and position the cloud as their safeguard. That approach consistently led to success for our MSP, and it can for yours as well.

Today’s quote is from Jimmy Dean: “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Have a great week, and Merry Christmas!