Partner Spotlight: Air IT

Get to know Air IT, a valued ConnectWise partner for the last decade and recent winner of the 2023 UK All-in Partner of the Year WISE Award. This award recognises partners who leverage the most comprehensive selection of ConnectWise solutions and services to better their business and meet the ever-changing needs of their customers. Read on to learn more about Air IT and how their partnership with ConnectWise has enhanced efficiency, streamlined operations, and improved scalability. 

About Air IT

Tell us about your company.

Founded in 2005, Air IT helps small to midsized businesses (SMBs) across the UK grow their business based on a foundation of high-quality managed IT services and support.

From business continuity and the cloud to managed cybersecurity and business intelligence, Air IT provides a comprehensive range of services to support the needs of SMBs across a variety of sectors.

With a team of 500 people across nine UK offices and a dedicated 24/7, follow-the-sun service desk team in Malaysia, Air IT specialises in delivering a local, personal service to UK SMBs as well as those who need round-the-clock availability or support for users in different time zones.

Highly accredited and award-winning, Air IT is independently ranked as one of the top and most progressive managed service providers (MSPs) worldwide and is the only SMB-focused business to hold the coveted 4-star Service Desk Institute certification.

What’s a big win that you’re proud of?

Winning the ConnectWise All-in Partner of the Year WISE Award at IT Nation Connect™ was a real honour, and it marks the end of another exciting year in our development. In the last twelve months, we’ve continued our strong trajectory of organic and M&A-driven growth and included three new acquisitions, which have further enhanced our skillsets, capabilities, and access to new geographical markets.

What’s next for you and your business?

We have some very exciting plans in store over the next 12 months, including further growth and expansion, as well as the use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiencies and augment the levels of service and value we can provide to our clients. We’re also looking at ways to support our clients in adopting new and emerging AI technologies, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot.

About the industry

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the industry?

The rate and complexity of technological advancement is currently at an all-time high. This has been driven by changes to the way we work since the pandemic, as well as evolving cyberthreats and the more recent mass emergence of AI. Coupled with the ongoing skills shortage, this creates a real risk for many MSPs, who may find themselves falling behind and unable to compete in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Is there one piece of advice you’d like to share with other IT solution providers?

As Richard Branson said, “Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” However, as an MSP, this is only true if you’re prepared to invest not only in the well-being of your team but also in their overall development and training as the industry continues to evolve rapidly. Investing in and developing your own people will reap rewards in the long term, particularly as the demand for skilled professionals continues to outpace the available talent pool.

Being a ConnectWise Partner

Why did you choose ConnectWise?

We first became a ConnectWise partner in 2014. As a small but fast-growing organisation at the time, we liked the comprehensive suite of tools it offered, which enabled us to streamline and automate our business. It was a substantial investment, but we knew it was necessary to be able to deliver the highest standards of service to our clients. Ten years later, we still consider ConnectWise a key partner in our business, as well as a leader in the MSP industry as a whole.

What impact has ConnectWise had on your business?

ConnectWise has had a major impact on Air IT’s ability to grow and scale. The flexibility of the platform and its integration with other third-party tools and solutions have enabled us to centralise the way we manage and deliver our services to clients, enhancing their experience and streamlining our processes and overall efficiencies. This has also eased our integration with the 11 businesses we’ve acquired over the past four years.

What is the biggest benefit of your partnership with ConnectWise?

The commitment ConnectWise has to their partners is second to none, and they remain at the forefront of the industry, continually evolving and investing in their portfolio to help partners meet changing needs. Air IT has been working with ConnectWise for almost a decade now, and we can honestly say it’s a collaborative, two-way relationship. They genuinely want to understand our challenges, and we regularly contribute ideas that will help shape the future development of their offerings and the services we can deliver to clients.

What’s something you want people to know about ConnectWise?

Being a ConnectWise partner means you’re also part of a global community of peers and experts. Over the years, we’ve learnt and contributed to many ConnectWise User Groups™ and events, and we’ve never missed a chance to attend IT Nation.

Any product features that were a game changer for you or your team?

The ConnectWise RPA™ and ConnectWise Sidekick™ AI solutions, which were showcased at IT Nation in Orlando in November this year, look to be a real game changer. We’re incredibly excited to see how these new features unfold and how they can help us drive efficiency and client satisfaction in the not-too-distant future.

And now for some fun!

Tell us a fun fact about you or your company.

I’ve been playing squash since I was eight and played for my county for over 25 years. It’s also how I first met Air IT’s founder, Todd McQuilkin, when I refereed a match he was playing.

What’s a country or state you’d like to visit?

There are lots of places I’d like to visit—from the tropical beaches of Hawaii to the green hills of New Zealand and the beech-maple forests of Canada.

What is one of your bucket list items?

In 2022, I ticked off one of my bucket list items by running the London Marathon, which is one of the six major world marathons alongside Boston, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, and Berlin. I feel really lucky to have had the chance to participate, and I raised over £2,000 for The Haemophilia Society.