What we cover
MSP Margin covers what most channel media skip: how managed IT providers bill, what they keep, and how the numbers hold up at month end and in a sale. Coverage is filed like a chart of accounts:
- Revenue: agreements, billing, MRR and deferred revenue.
- Cost of service: licensing, pass-throughs, labor and tools.
- Operations: PSA, month-end close and reconciliation.
- Growth & exit: pricing, valuation, diligence and M&A.
- News: what changed in the industry, and what it means for the books.
Who writes it
MSP Margin is written and edited by an independent editorial desk with hands-on experience in the finance function of managed service providers. Articles are published under the desk's name.
Editorial standards
- No vendor money in editorial. Coverage of tools and platforms is never paid for. If we ever run sponsored content, it will be labeled as such.
- Sources you can check. News items link to the original announcement or report, and are summarized in our own words.
- Examples, clearly marked. Sample figures are labeled as illustrations. We never publish client data.
- General information, not advice. For decisions about your own books, taxes or a transaction, work with your CPA, attorney or advisor.
- Corrections. When we get something wrong, we fix it and note the change on the article.
Contact
Story ideas, corrections and questions: editorial@mspmargin.com
Photo credits
Photographs are used under the Unsplash License and shown in black and white. They illustrate the industry in general, not any company we write about.
- Fiber optic cables patched into a network switch in a server rack: Kirill Sh
- A row of servers in a rack with status lights on: Domaintechnik
- Numbered ports on a patch panel with network cables plugged in: Jordan Harrison
- A long data center corridor between glass-walled server rooms: Paul Hanaoka
- Server racks with rows of small lights in a dark room: Krzysztof Kowalik
- An open network rack with patch cables and equipment: Kevin Ache
- Analytics charts on a laptop screen: Luke Chesser
- A laptop showing a dashboard of charts on a glass table: Carlos Muza
- Two people reviewing printed figures next to laptops: Scott Graham
- A line chart of financial data on a computer screen: Chris Liverani
- Rows of white server cabinets in a bright data center: Tony Marinescu
- Lines of code on two monitors at a desk: Jakub Żerdzicki
- An aisle between rows of metal equipment racks: İsmail Enes Ayhan
- Network cables running through server racks: Taylor Vick
- Bundles of network cables connected to a patch panel: Scott Rodgerson