‘We are yet to find MSPs like us’: POWER iti on shaking up the French channel
The MSP discusses the importance of transparency, breaking the €1.5m mark, and international ambitions
Launched four years ago, French MSP POWER iti aims to challenge the status quo established in the French channel, thanks to its transparent pricing, cybersecurity solutions, and My Serenity offer.
To understand the company’s disruptive ambitions, development expectations, and international aspirations, CRN sat down with founder Jantien Rault and general manager Antoine Stamati.
Rault explains that POWER iti “was born from the feeling of not being able to support our prospects and clients in the way we wanted to.”
“When you’re an employee in a company, even in a high-responsibility role, you don’t have full control over the strategy.
“The COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to rethink how they operate, and highlighted major security gaps, particularly in how companies protected their IT systems.”
Rault tells CRN that while any businesses had invested in securing their headquarters and branch offices, very little had been done to secure mobile devices or remote employees.
“At that time, I was on the verge of becoming a shareholder in the company where I had worked for ten years.
“However, COVID-19 exposed financial weaknesses in that company, and I realised that now was the right time to change strategy.
“If I was going to start from scratch, I wanted to do it the right way, by choosing the best tools, building a sustainable business model, and focusing on long-term IT service delivery rather than just sales.”
To do so, the company “preselected the best IT solutions” to provide its clients with “the most complete and secure IT environment possible.”
Power iti is primarily a Microsoft partner, but also works with cybersecurity vendors including Threatlocker, ThreatDown, Usecure and Datto.
“Even looking back at the past four years, I know that what we’ve built would have been impossible within our previous companies.
“There was too much resistance to change.
“Today, we’re proud of what we’ve achieved.
“We’re not perfect, but we’re constantly improving. And if we hadn’t taken the leap into entrepreneurship, none of this would have been possible.”
Stamati adds that they both believe that “IT can be done differently.”
“We don’t have to rely on on-premises servers and outdated solutions anymore.
“Instead, we can aggregate services and provide a complete IT solution.
“That’s what led to the creation of ‘My Serenity’, a solution which provides tools for work and remote collaboration, data storage and management, comprehensive cybersecurity protection, unlimited IT support and assistance, and 24/7 IT system supervision.”
Transparency is also a major focus for the company, as the business partners believe that “IT services should be transparent, flexible, and fairly priced.”
“In our market, we are yet to find and MSP as transparent with its pricing as we are.
“We display all our prices upfront; clients can select services online and subscribe directly without needing a sales call.”
Vendors and VADs
In terms of partners, the MSP works “primarily” with Microsoft 365.
“We only purchase from French-speaking distributors, but most of the products we use are American,” the founder tells CRN.
“We work with Microsoft for its Business Premium suite, as well as key players like Trend Micro, ThreatLocker, Usecure, and Datto.
“As for our client portfolio, the majority of our clients are purely French businesses without international subsidiaries.
The company has a revenue mix heavily geared towards services - 98 per cent – with the remainder coming from telecom and print solutions.
Rault adds that in addition to IT services, the MSP “offer professional telecom solutions with a high technical standard and no contractual commitments, as well as printing solutions with transparent pricing.”
“Our approach throughout our business remains consistent: clear pricing, top-tier service, and no hidden surprises. That’s what sets us apart.”
POWER iti also works with various distributors, including “a major player in managed IT services distribution in France: BeMSP,” and Lyon-based distie Hermitage Solutions.
“Both BeMSP and Hermitage Solutions are VADs.
“We also have partnerships with companies like ALSO, TD SYNNEX, and Ingram Micro, and we’ve started discussions with Arrow.
“Another partner we work with is BeCloud, which provides Microsoft licensing.
“Because our business is shifting more toward technical value-added services, we are now considering changing our distribution partnerships to find one that better aligns with our needs.”
Geographic ambitions
The Avignon-based MSP counts clients “all over France” and is working on “strengthening [its] national coverage,” says Rault.
“We are also starting to engage with larger enterprises at a European scale.
“Right now, we have clients in Avignon, Paris, Lyon, Nice, Lille, and Villeneuve-d'Ascq.”
The founder explains that its expansion plans have been facilitated by its managed IT approach, as nearly all of the MSP’s services “can be delivered remotely.”
“That said, in terms of business development, if we wanted to accelerate growth in specific cities like Montpellier or Lyon, we might set up a local commercial presence.”
Regarding Europe, the MSP’s leaders admit they haven’t gotten that far and are yet to give it a proper think.
“Expanding internationally presents unique challenges,” explains Rault.
“From what I’ve observed, Spain and Italy would likely be easier to enter than Germany or the Benelux region.
“That being said, I believe there are major business opportunities outside of Europe as well.”
Rault tells CRN that Africa represents a major opportunity, as he has identified a “huge economic potential there.”
“Both distributors and software vendors are looking to expand into African markets, but many hesitate due to various challenges.
“I see this hesitation as an opportunity.
“If we can understand the local economies and how businesses operate there, we could gain a significant competitive advantage.
“Who knows - by the time we expand internationally, maybe Elon Musk will have colonised Mars, and we’ll have business opportunities there too!”
Stamati adds that the company is currently focusing on France, and that POWER iti needs to become “a strong, recognisable brand among CIOs and business leaders,” before looking outside the country.
“We’ve already demonstrated that we can onboard and support clients remotely, even in the north of France - so distance isn’t a barrier for us.
“If we can establish My Serenity as a leader in France, then we’ll have a real chance at scaling internationally.”
Past, present, and future growth
Despite challenges, the company’s revenue has kept increasing since its foundation.
In its first year, revenue stood around €400K.
In year two, it went up to around €600K.
In 2023, it reached €620K.
In 2024, the revenue climbed up 50 per cent to total €720K (£594.3m).
Rault describes this journey as one “full of learning experiences.”
He initially launched the business with a partner who was not from the IT industry, but this partnership didn’t work out and the associates parted ways.
“That was a very challenging period for me because suddenly, I found myself having to manage everything alone,” explains Rault.
“As a result, POWER iti couldn’t achieve the expected growth in 2023 because the company was in a state of uncertainty.
“For months, I didn’t know if I would be able to keep the company or not.
“It was impossible to focus on commercial development when the future was uncertain.
“Once everything was settled legally, we rolled up our sleeves and got back to work.
“Since then, we’ve had a strong rebound, and our goal for 2024 is to achieve at least 50 per cent growth and go past the €1.5m - €1.8m mark and certainly get past the €2.5m mark the year after.”
To fuel this ambition, Stamati explains that the MSP has made “significant investments in hiring the best talent.”
“Another key factor is that we operate with a recurring revenue model (RRM),which provides us financial stability and predictable growth” he adds.
“At the start of 2024, our baseline recurring revenue was already higher than our entire 2023 revenue.
“This gives us a strong financial foundation and allows us to grow with confidence.”
Customer base and headcount development
In terms of clients, the company aims to deliver its My Serenity offering to “companies with a strong focus on cybersecurity, for whom having the best tools to quickly address requests and issues is essential,” Stamati tells CRN.
The firm’s main customer target consists of “companies with 50 to 150 users that do not have an internal IT department and wish to fully outsource the management of their IT infrastructure.”
POWER iti also provides tools for IT asset supervision, documentation, and management, to organisations that already have a CIO or an in-house IT team.
“We also work with smaller businesses, ranging from five to ten users, that seek a turnkey solution to simplify their IT management,” adds the GM.
“While our clients are diverse, our ideal target remains businesses that are not only aware of cybersecurity challenges but are also genuinely committed to IT management and outsourcing.”
He adds that they often receive feedback from clients who tell them that they have seen a clear before and after when using to My Serenity, as it’s helped grow their business.
“With our solutions, companies can expand, integrate new acquisitions seamlessly, and onboard new employees smoothly.
“This is our real added value.
“It confirms that we’ve chosen the right path - the path of service, management, and being a true MSP and MSSP.
“And that is something we take great pride in.”
To turbocharge its ambitions, the company intends to make some news additions to its “team of ten people.”
The founder wants to hire a “strong second-in-command" on the technical side.
A technical director will also be joining the company in April.
“This will allow me to shift my focus to areas that I enjoy more - like engaging with clients and creating educational content for them,” says Rault.
“We’ve fallen behind on some marketing and client communication projects, and I’m eager to dedicate more time to those.
“By the end of the year, if everything goes as expected, we should be a team of 12 to 13 people.”
The company is also looking to hire an administrative role to support its internal operations, as well as an additional technical role to help develop the new project it is working on.