Koncise Solutions CEO talks 2024 and overcoming the might of Microsoft

Ben Konopinski speaks to CRN about the Mimecast and Arctic Wolf reseller’s 2024 strategy

New business, MDR investments and the power of Microsoft are all on Koncise Solutions' radar going into 2024.

Catching up with CRN, Ben Konopinski, CEO and founder of the Hertfordshire-based reseller gave the lowdown on its plans for next year.

Founded in 2012, Koncise has a headcount of seven people with roots in being a pure Mimecast reseller.

Konopinski tells CRN his company doesn't go "too broad" with its portfolio and works with around ten vendors today.

However, despite not having a roster of hundreds of employees, Koncise is gearing up for a busy 2024.

Konopinski says that while he has no desire to employ masses of people, Koncise is currently going through a growth phase.

"There's a lot of talk with our clients on MDR. We've been partnered with Arctic Wolf on that since they started in the UK.

"We do a lot of work on the email side because that's where we started with Mimecast and that is continuing to grow.

"We're actively seeking new business to grow through net new logo acquisition.

"We'll be working with the vendors we've got, looking at a handful of new ones and new areas. But really it's to continue to offer our clients as good a service as we can, be responsive and bring them new ideas."

Key investment areas

Managed detection & response is one of Koncise's core solution offerings and main investment area over the next 12 months.

"I mentioned MDR before and I think that is still the case. I truly believe the cost of doing something in-house versus the cost of outsourcing it to the MDR offerings out there is completely disproportionate," Konopinski says.

"It will probably take 18 months to two years to set up as a full in-house service. Whereas if you outsource it to your Arctic Wolfs and others, you could be up and running within a matter of a couple of months.

"That is where we're investing a lot of time but I think that's where our clients want a lot of time invested."

Challenges? The might of Microsoft

Konopinski highlights tech powerhouse Microsoft as a challenger, but adds he see this as an opportunity for his group.

"Microsoft is doing a great job. I genuinely believe that, if you look at their cloud offering as a whole, it is really involved particularly on the security side of things.

"I think that is a challenge when a lot of vendor offerings are being eroded.

"Microsoft could do 60 per cent or 70 per cent of what that service does. So how do you come up against that challenge?

"But it also presents an opportunity because you can fill the gaps that isn't doing and find the right solutions."

Konopinski adds that, in a shock plot twist, this UK-based reseller is also finding hiring and recruiting a challenge.

"It's finding good people. There are a lot of good people out there. But if we want to continue to grow at a steady pace, we need to find the right people and that is also going to be a challenge over the next 12 months."