Mike DePalma is no stranger to the managed services community. After nearly a decade of helping MSPs strengthen their businesses in channel leadership roles at Datto and later Kaseya, he joined OpenText earlier this year as vice president of business development. He aimed to build something new — a channel program with MSP feedback at its core.
It also represented a shift in responsibilities for DePalma. His schedule included nearly a dozen channel events during his first six months in the role at OpenText. “What I love about it is it’s back to the old-fashioned, boots on the ground,” DePalma told ChannelPro. “It was just the opportunity to have the autonomy to go out to create a partner program and the messaging. It’s just invigorating.”
Building a Partner Program with MSP Input
OpenText’s goal, DePalma explained, is to rebuild its partner program around MSP needs. “We’re trying to talk to as many MSPs as possible — partners and non-partners — about how we should develop our partner program,” he said. “A lot of it is enablement for our partners, which is the No. 1 thing folks ask for from a partner.”
Rather than deciding everything internally, DePalma’s team emphasizes feedback. “It’s easy to come up with great ideas in a vacuum and say, ‘This is going to be great.’ You go up on stage, do your presentation, and they’re like, ‘That doesn’t move the needle at all,’” he emphasized. “So, getting feedback from the partners has been great.”
Mike DePalma
Navigating AI and the New MSP Role
AI has become one of the biggest opportunities — and concerns — for MSPs. DePalma said many are starting to embrace it, though the channel is still determining how AI fits into their business models.
“It’s a reality; we can’t hide from it,” he said. “The channel really needs to figure out from the vendor space down to the MSPs, how is AI going to help you as an MSP run your business? But also, how will I go to market with that? How am I going to make margin off of these types of things?”
DePalma predicted a shift toward more consultative relationships between MSPs and their clients. Beyond just security, MSPs need to figure out how to make their clients more productive and efficient. “If you position it properly, you’re actually going to be a much stickier partner with those end users.”
Join OpenText Cybersecurity at ChannelPro DEFEND: Irvine on Nov. 12-13 to learn how MSPs can use AI-driven solutions with Microsoft 365 Copilot to simplify operations, boost security and grow recurring revenue — all while gaining insight into the evolving channel program led by Mike DePalma.
Helping Partners Lead on Cybersecurity
OpenText’s approach to cybersecurity is closely tied to partner education and collaboration. “That’s where my team kind of comes in,” DePalma said. “We’re trying to have as many conversations as possible, learning from what we’re seeing in the channel.”
Mike DePalma (right) enjoys chatting with partners at industry events.
He credits his experience working alongside well-known channel leaders for shaping that mindset, including Rob Rae, Dan Tomaszewski, Gary Pica, and Len DiCostanzo. “I’ve been stealing their ideas for 10 years,” DePalma joked. “Being able to provide that type of conversation, that’s what a lot of folks want out of a vendor.”
OpenText also offers ongoing resources to keep partners informed, including a community page with biweekly threat briefings, he said. “We’ve got new stuff coming out. It’s another thing that we’re not promoting well enough. That is such a great resource for people to have.”
A Measured Approach to Innovation
DePalma said OpenText takes a deliberate, partner-first approach to launching new products. As an example, he pointed out that OpenText had begun rolling out an endpoint detection and response capability, with a phased approach focused on reliability and partner readiness.. “We didn’t just make a huge splash. We want to first get it through the folks that are buying through our RMM, to make sure that billing and everything is good there.”
He said the company’s partners appreciated that careful rollout. “We don’t want to release something and have some negative connotation to it. It’s very hard to earn trust back. I love the fact that OpenText is doing it in a regimented way.”
Living in the ‘Golden Age of the Channel’
Despite the rapid change in the industry, DePalma shared his optimism. “The most exciting part is that you can see the maturity with the businesses. They’re actually running their business operationally, and it’s growing so fast. Everybody said it was coming. This is the golden age of the channel. We’re living through it.”
He added that MSPs are finding new ways to stand out. “It’s no longer, ‘I have the greatest stack of products.’ It’s, ‘I’m the expert that’s going to help you utilize these products.’”
That, he said, is OpenText’s role: a vendor helping MSPs deliver more value to customers and build sustainable success. “We’re bringing that all under one single pane of glass, a secure cloud platform,” he said. “And all of it’s done through the lens of making an advancement that the channel’s asking for. We’re solving problems. It’s very refreshing.”
Anjali Fluker is senior channel editor for The ChannelPro Network, where she covers news, trends, and best practices for the MSP community. She specializes in telling the stories that matter to IT providers serving the SMB market. When she’s not reporting on the latest in managed services, she’s connecting with channel pros at industry events across the country.
Images: iStock, OpenText, Anjali Fluker/ChannelPro
