IT Channel Rock Star Profile
The Strategist Why Datto’s Rob Rae Is Looking Out for Al l of Us T here’s no talking with Rob Rae without his enthusiasm for what he does becoming on the channel right now.” Some of that, he says, is due to headlines. “But it’s also the result of two decades of exponential growth.”
The words “channel” and “MSP” are “close to being household words,” Rob shares. Most of all, though, attention equals vulnerability — to both bad actors and bad press. But what channel vendors are really curious about, at the end of the day, is how things are going to change in the coming year after a highly-turbulent 2020. Rob is in a unique position here because unlike many companies, Datto didn’t slow down as much as it might have. “We looked at the landscape,” he says. “And it was grim! But the more we thought about it and leaned into the things we knew were a given, the clearer the picture got.” The biggest “given”? “Hybrid is the name of the game from here on out, from now until eternity,” Rob laughs. “If you’re selling at a channel event, you’re going to need a strategy for virtual as well as in-person. It’s just not optional anymore.” Rob’s coming at this from the events side of the house as well as the vendor side. At the end of last year, Datto threw their massively successful MSP Tech- nology Day event on our very own BigRedVirtual platform, while they were still coasting on the high of a very successful IPO. Or, as Rob puts it, “It was a busy few months!” And it put into stark relief many of the lessons from 2020. Many vendors had a chance to cut their
evident. But the way he defines “what he does” goes way be- yond his official job title as Se- nior Vice President of Business Development at Datto. It’s clear that he has an eye on the health of the channel as a whole, having watched it grow from his early days with Compaq and then with Level Platforms. “What I really want is to build trust,” Rob says. “When we all trust each other, we all benefit.” It’s work that the pandemic has made difficult because, according to Rob, “Trust is built by looking someone in the eyes.” But when asked what he’s going to do to continue that work, he doesn’t hesitate. “Online or in person, I’m going to do what I always do: Expose wounds on stage.” It’s a dramatic image, but an accurate one. Anybody who’s seen Rob’s personal blend of honesty, vulnerability, and energy come together on stage knows he doesn’t hesitate to point out issues that affect the whole channel or to offer the passion needed to overcome those challenges. “When executive leadership puts itself out there and encourages the channel to come together and solve community problems, we all benefit.” And that’s good because, as Rob points out, “There are a lot of eyes
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