comdivision: Business Needs Should Drive IT, Not The Other Way Around

Among managed services providers, (MSPs), comdivision stands out for many reasons, among them the depth of the company’s work with VMware. Not only is comdivision a VMware Principal Partner that earned the distinguished VMware Cloud Verified distinction, but it’s also the only MSP globally to have earned all eight VMware Master Services Competencies.

Designed to recognize partners with deep expertise in specific VMware solutions areas, each Master Services Competency requires MSPs to attain advanced certifications, not just for the company, but for a set number of employees. References from customers are also required to demonstrate high-level service capabilities and performance.

Earning even one VMware Master Services Competency is difficult – comdivision earned Master Service Competencies in Cloud Management and Automation, Cloud-Native Apps, Data Center Virtualization, Digital Workspace, Network Virtualization, VMware Cloud on AWS, VMware Cloud Foundation, and Software-Defined Wide Area Network, (SD-WAN).

We recently caught up with the Yves Sandfort, CEO of comdivision, to learn how he defines success as an MSP and how the company approaches its client engagements. We also took the opportunity to learn about Yves’s views on the role of IT and where he sees the greatest opportunities for enterprises to improve their relationships with MSPs and professional services partners.

“In comparison to many MSPs, we’re small,” says Sandfort. “But what we lack in size, we make up for in agility. It’s a real differentiator for us. For example, last year we were approached by the CIO of a German car manufacturer that needed to rapidly deploy a Desktop-as-a-Service Solution. We weren’t the only services provider capable of doing the work, but we were the ones that could do it the fastest and do it well. Speed and agility are the hallmarks of success of very experienced, highly knowledgeable, small teams.”

Notably, comdivision offers a full portfolio of highly customizable IT solutions and services. These include everything from the design of next-generation data centers to the development of cloud-native applications and the migration and management of multi-cloud deployments – all backed up by a full range of training services overseen by experienced and certified experts.

Based in Muenster, Germany the company has offices in Munich, and in Vienna, Austria, as well as in the U.S. in Tampa, Florida. Customers around the world rely on comdivision’s multi-faceted and proven cloud services.

“We are extremely flexible so that every customer decides the level of management they want us to oversee,” adds Sandfort. “We approach the cloud in much the same way. We help our customers determine which cloud makes the most sense for them whether that’s a private, public or multi-cloud approach.”

Sandfort stresses that flexibility is a crucial aspect of any client and MSP relationship.

“A managed service should by its very nature be a customized solution, not one hindered by an unchangeable off-the-shelf product or forced into a three-year contract the customer can’t change,” he says. “The pandemic and our collective experience over the past few years showed that IT must adapt to changes quickly. An MSP should help them do that.”

He adds that it’s crucial that enterprises remember that IT is a means to an end, not a result.

“In the end, it’s all about building a solution that matches and completes the customer’s IT and business requirements. That means identifying tasks that do not directly influence business value that can be managed externally so internal IT teams can focus on what really differentiates their business. Too often organizations fail to focus on IT that differentiates their business and helps it grow. For example, if you’re a furniture retailer you may not do better by creating your own exchange from scratch, but you may benefit from a more efficient point-of-sale system that uses the cloud and changes the way you do business. Business needs and desired outcomes should drive IT, not the other way around. Most lackluster or failed client and MSP relationships reflect a disconnect on this point.”

Not surprisingly, comdivision is growing – it is already a multi-million dollar business that is seeing 100% year-over-year growth – but when asked what he enjoys most about his work, Sandfort says it’s the same thing that first led him to comdivision more than 25 years ago.

“I still love it when a client or prospect approaches us with something they believe isn’t doable,” he says. “That’s when we can really shine as a team, think outside of the box and help them achieve their goals. It’s even sweeter when you go the extra strep and deliver an extraordinary customer and user experience.”

Learn more about comdivision and its partnership with VMware here or listen to Kathleen Tandy’s interview with Yves on the VMware Partnership Perspectives podcast.