Scaling Success: Transforming a Small Help Desk into a Powerhouse

Brace yourself to embark on a transformative journey with Robbie Swartenbroekx, of Belgium-based MSP b-inside. Through a captivating conversation, Robbie unravels the unique saga of scaling from a humble four-person help desk into an impressive fifty-person company. As we navigate through Robbie's narrative, we also grasp the pivotal role of automation and the consistent quest for efficiency that has been instrumental in forging their path to success.

This episode promises a treasure trove of insights as Robbie shares how strategic partnerships with companies like N-able and the adoption of game-changing platforms like N-central have redefined their approach to work and customer service. He highlights how the collective wisdom of a community and the power of shared knowledge can be transformative in overcoming obstacles and driving growth. Be prepared to delve into the future of technology, the heightened importance of security, and the exciting realm of AI and machine learning. This conversation with Robbie is not just about his journey to success, but a beacon for those seeking to carve their niche in the managed services sector.

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'Now that's it: Stories of MSP Success,' dives into the journeys of some of the trailblazers in our industry to find out how they used their passion for technology to help turn Managed Services into the thriving sector it is today.

Every episode is packed with the valuable insights, practical strategies, and inspiring anecdotes that lead our guests to the transformative moment when they knew….. Now, that's it.

This podcast provides educational information about issues that may be relevant to information technology service providers.

Nothing in the podcast should be construed as any recommendation or endorsement by N-able, or as legal or any other advice.

The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

Views and opinions expressed by N-able employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the view of N-able or its officers and directors.

The podcast may also contain forward-looking statements regarding future product plans, functionality, or development efforts that should not be interpreted as a commitment from N-able related to any deliverables or timeframe.

All content is based on information available at the time of recording, and N-able has no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:20

This week on. Now That's It. We tried hiring it, but starting six years ago, we thought that wasn't enough for us. We started to do acquisitions, mostly for the customer, but also for the technicians and the in-house knowledge.

Speaker 2: 0:32

Robbie Swartenbrug's of Belgian based MSP be inside reflects on his journey from joining a software company with a four-person help desk to being the go-to guy in what is now a 50-person organisation.

Speaker 1: 0:44

It's the mindset you have to have. See if something can be automated. See where we can do better.

Speaker 2: 0:51

Welcome to Now That's It stories of MSP success, where we dive into the journeys of some of the trailblazers in our industry to find out how they use their passion for technology to help turn managed services into the thriving sector it is today.

Speaker 3: 1:07

Robbie, thank you for being with us today. I really appreciate that you've spent a few minutes to talk to us. When we start off, tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at the inside.

Speaker 1: 1:18

I'm Robbie Swartenbrug. I'm from the BN side, the company of 50 persons now from Belgium. Our company is 25 years old but we started as a software company First for carpets and textile industries here creating your piece. After a few years the questions came can you do also all the rest of our computers? everything's wrong from there. I started in the company about 17 years ago, so I'm really wrong. At the time part of BN side, when I first started, the support team was just four pet versions of those four still. Trio of them are still working with us. That's fantastic. Now we've grown in about 20 to 23 people just alone in the support team itself and then we have some administration, sales and still have the programming team to support the older customers.

Speaker 3: 2:14

That's great. I love the experience. that number one you've been around for a long time and you've been part of the company and you have that longevity that when you employ staff they continue to stay with the company That's fantastic. I ran a four-person service desk back in my past life. What's it been like to take a four or three-person service desk and continue to grow that? What's it been like?

Speaker 1: 2:40

We certainly had struggled sometimes. Yeah, with the four-person desk head, everybody should do it at all. That was our strength. And now with Azure is coming more and more very specialized, hyper-changing stuff coming out. We need to move that fast. So we have now specialized team. We have a cloud team that certainly specializes in Azure and Microsoft 365 and stuff like that. We tried for so long to know everything but in the end seven years ago we decided I know that this is really not going to work for us. We tried hiring it most of the time we did, but starting six years ago, we saw that wasn't enough for us. We started to do acquisitions, mostly for the customer, but also for the technicians and the in-house knowledge of what they were doing.

Speaker 3: 3:33

That's fantastic. You've been at B-Inside for 17 years and I'm sure you've done a number of things. Why don't you talk about your current role and what you do there?

Speaker 1: 3:45

At the moment I'm a little bit the go-to guide everything for Encentral or the other product self-enabled that we are using. I'm also the lavatory engineer for most of the other stuff. I myself specialized myself most in programming PowerShell automating. That's what I like to do the most Automate as much as possible, make life smoother and more consequent for everyone.

Speaker 3: 4:16

Automation is a focus for you guys, then, and you're passionate about it. What's it been like to get the rest of the team on board? Are there things that you do with the technicians to sort of incent them, or just how have you gotten them to automate? Is there any sort of secret sauce to that?

Speaker 1: 4:34

Yeah, nobody can do everything I grant require of them that they should learn PowerShell. There are a few that are very interested into it and they have the possibility like I had the possibility to learn these skills. But it's the mindset you have to have See if something can be automated, see where we can do better. That mindset that everyone needs to have. And if they can automate, maybe someone else from us can help them or automate it if it's possible.

Speaker 3: 5:08

That's great. So you mentioned Encentral and I know you have some other enabled products as well. Talk about how Encentral, from a tool perspective, has really helped your job and the role and servicing your customers.

Speaker 1: 5:24

I like a superior with the team of now 22 or 23 technicians, but we service more than 600 customers Okay, they're not all 300 user customers, but it's a lot of customers and without the tool like Encentral we can't do this. We really cannot. That's just impossible. You don't have an overview over all your devices. That's not workable anymore these days.

Speaker 3: 5:57

Is there a certain feature or piece of Encentral that I think either you or your team?

Speaker 1: 6:03

really love. For me, that's the automation, the possibility to do the automation. There's always room for improvement, there's always something that can be improved in it, but the power it has, and even with the automation manager you can. Even a less skilled person in PowerShell can start doing things and see what is possible there.

Speaker 3: 6:27

That's great. Can you talk a little bit about what it's been like to work with Enable as a partner and just some of the interaction you've had with folks?

Speaker 1: 6:36

When we started there were daily Q&A sessions and I was a regular visitor of those and I learned a lot of them, first of the product itself and also what are others using, because sometimes I didn't have questions, i just joined them and saw what others were doing, what they were asking. Sometimes I engaged also in the conversation, sometimes I could help them. So that community and that community still exists today. I look around here, you see it. There was a time when the community on Enable was a little bit harder. Community created their own Slack, community Slack. There are more than a thousand people on it. right now They're all communicating with each other, helping each other. That's, i think, also the power of Enable and Central. If you want, you can get help. There's mostly someone that is struggling with the same things and willing to help you. That's great.

Speaker 3: 7:39

So what are you most excited for, robby, in the future of technology? I mean, there's a lot of things that are changing and AI and machine learning. What gets you excited? Obviously, you're a scripter and a hard and you want to automate. But what are you really excited about?

Speaker 1: 7:56

Yeah, i, like you said, the AI is very front and edge technology and the technology that's now everyone is talking about chat, gbt, dolly and everything A lot of vendors have or are starting to implement it in their product. But I also like the security part of it. How are you going to do that secure? I see that there will be a lot of changes there and it's very exciting times.

Speaker 3: 8:27

It sure is, robbie. I really thank you very much for being here and sharing some of your insights and your experiences, and I wish you the best of luck. Thank you very much.

Speaker 2: 8:38

To receive updates about future episodes, be sure to subscribe to our podcast on YouTube or your preferred podcast platform and follow enable on LinkedIn. We appreciate your support and encourage you to leave a rating or review, as it helps us reach more listeners who can benefit from the wealth of knowledge shared on this show. Remember, success is not a destination, it's a journey. By immersing yourself in the stories of those who have walked the path before you, you'll gain the tools, inspiration and confidence to achieve your own triumphs. Stay tuned for more exciting episodes of Now That's It. Stories of MSP Success.

Speaker 2: 9:21

This podcast provides educational information about issues that may be relevant to information technology service providers. Nothing in the podcast should be construed as any recommendation or endorsement by enable or as legal or any other advice. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by enable employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the view of enable or his officers and directors. This podcast may also contain forward-looking statements regarding future product plans, functionality or developmental efforts that should not be interpreted as a commitment from enable related to any deliverables or time frame. All content is based on information available at the time of recording and enable has no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.