Automation Nation 2014 Provides Technical — And Business — Training
LabTech Software’s annual partner conference, Automation Nation — scheduled for June 2-4 in Orlando, FL — will focus on education, training, and thought leadership.
John Timko, director of marketing and LabTech Software, says, traditionally, Automation Nation has focused on the technical aspects of LabTech’s remote monitoring and management (RMM) tool. New this year, the event also will offer education tracks geared toward business owners. Timko says LabTech began as an MSP, and understands their pain points. “Some of our smaller partners are both technician and business owner,” Timko explains, adding that information and education on topics such as sales, hiring, and management are valuable to them. “From a technician’s perspective, LabTech is an RMM tool that helps you with efficiency. You can do more with less. But for a business owner, you can also look at it as a revenue generator.”
Breakout sessions, a mix of training and thought leadership, include topics such as “Solidify Your Role as Trusted Advisor in 60 Days,” “Monitoring Best Practices,” “Pricing for Profits,” and “Managing Devices on the Front Lines of Change.”
In his keynote on June 3, Matt Nachtrab, LabTech CEO, will focus on the impact of automating your IT practice. He will also review LabTech’s Roadmap, an overview of plans and priorities that LabTech maintains to make sure the company remains focused on providing the right product features, solutions, and services.
Douglas Merrill, innovation expert and former CIO of Google, will present a second keynote on June 4. Featured speakers at the event are Paul Dippell, founder/CEO of Service Leadership, a solutions provider consultancy and publisher of the Service Leadership Index Benchmarks of solutions provider performance, and Bradley Gross, founding partner of the Law Office of Bradley Gross, P.A., a law firm that focuses exclusively on transactions involving MSPs (managed service providers), VARs, and other solutions providers.
The event also features a solutions pavilion that showcases LabTech’s vendor partners. Timko points out several companies on LabTech’s growing list of vendor partners offer similar products, but, because MSPs and other solutions providers work with a number of verticals, a choice of products is necessary to accommodate different types of businesses.
LabTech is predicting Automation Nation will continue to grow. Last year 350 partners attended, and LabTech is estimating 425 or more will attend next week’s event. Growth at the event is due, in part, to growth in LabTech’s partner community, but also growth in their awareness of the value of networking with peers. “They share ideas, tell how they solved problems, or just provide another way to look at things,” Timko explains.
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