MSP 501 Flashback: Digital Innovator Logically Keeps Growing, Adding Services

SMB managed IT services provider Logically has been very busy since earning last year’s MSP 501 Digital Innovator of the Year award.

The digital innovator award goes to a company that demonstrates excellence in intellectual property development for a home-grown product or service. Channel Futures unveiled the 2020 MSP 501 last week.

In addition to continuous innovation, Portland, Maine,-based Logically capped off 2019 with two MSP acquisitions. It acquired Raleigh, North Carolina-based Carolinas IT and Reno, Nevada-based IQ Technology Solutions. It now has 300 employees.

Logically’s Mike Cowles

And in May, Logically appointed Mike Cowles as its new CEO, succeeding company co-founder Christopher Claudio. Cowles was most recently the CEO of the Rainmaker Group. He was with that company for over three years, leading it to annual double-digit growth.

Logically received the MSP 501 digital innovator award for its OpLogic self-healing, intelligent MSP platform for SMBs.

In a Q&A with Channel Futures, Cowles gives an update on his company and how the digital innovator is navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Channel Futures: What’s been happening on the innovation front since winning the award?

Mike Cowles: At Logically, we continue to innovate both from a technology and a service offering perspective. Our automated platform, OpLogic, is continuously built upon, as well as newer offerings in SecureCore. Meanwhile, we also continue to innovate non-software services we bring to the market.

CF: Why did you want to become Logically’s CEO?

MC: Understanding the opportunity at Logically let me know that this was an already great company that’s a national MSP platform, which has a history of M&A activity as well as a road map to the future. And continuing to build on that inorganic growth, along with organic growth through some of the innovations, makes this a really exciting opportunity. I look forward to helping to lead the organization as we continue to acquire more and grow our customer base revenue organically.

CF: Logically is now a national MSP?

MC: We have seven local offices. MSPs are generally fairly regional by nature, and those came through acquisitions. We continue to look for new small acquisitions in locations where we already have a presence. Then also, new medium and larger acquisitions in new geographies that we’re not in today.

CF: What’s the significance of the Carolinas IT acquisition?

MC: Carolinas IT was a relatively larger acquisition for us. It also brought some interesting innovations that we’re now able to share with all of our customers, specifically their full-service tech offerings, including most notably security audit and compliance services. In addition to the resources and the customers, that was a great add to the Logically innovation road map.

CF: How has Logically been navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic?

MC: We have offices and employees in seven geographic locations around the country. We’ve been actively working with the local ordinances and guidance, and putting together comprehensive, responsive reopening plans given the nature of what’s happened in the last couple of months. We have modified that plan as appropriate and pushed it out, and polled the staff to understand also what their comfort level is and their desire to return to the offices within the guidelines. And based on that … most of our employees are still working from home and we support that. Some critical employees are coming into the office and following all the guidelines.

CF: How have Logically’s customers been impacted by the pandemic?

MC: Overall we’ve had a very limited impact from a business continuity perspective and from …