‘My approach is to understand what problem the business is trying to solve and then figure out what tools or combinations of tools might help solve it,’ says Ben Lee, head nerd, Microsoft, at N-able.
N-able has invested deeper into its Microsoft service offerings with an expert who joined the vendor’s “Head Nerds” team.
Ben Lee (pictured above) joined Burlington, Mass.-based vendor N-able as its Microsoft-focused “Head Nerd” and brings more than 15 years of experience to the MSP community. In his role he will be assisting partners with any Microsoft-related questions or challenges.
“We’re looking more at the overlap between N-able’s own tools, like N-central or Cloud Commander, and the Microsoft stack,” Lee told CRN. “It’s not just about deeper knowledge but figuring out how to use that knowledge to improve partner outcomes using both sets of tools.”
The Head Nerds at N-able are a team of expert professionals who support MSPs by offering personalized guidance, training and resources. Their mission is to help MSPs enhance their technical and business capabilities through human connection and hands-on support.
Each Head Nerd specializes in a specific area such as automation, backup, security and now Microsoft solutions.
“We realized there was a huge knowledge gap in understanding the Microsoft stack, its tools, vision and integration paths and how MSPs could make the most of it,” Marc Andre Tanguay, senior manager, head nerds, N-able, told CRN. “We needed someone who lived and breathed Microsoft to help answer the growing number of partner questions in that space.”
CRN spoke further with Lee and Tanguay to discuss what the new role entails, how it benefits partners and why Microsoft knowledge is becoming even more critical in the MSP landscape.
Ben, what does your role entail as the Microsoft-focused Head Nerd?
The short version: make people happy. That’s kind of the Head Nerds’ unofficial mission. But more specifically, I’m bringing a Microsoft lens to the table helping MSPs understand the complexities of Microsoft’s productivity and licensing stack and how those tools overlap or complement N-able’s offerings. My background isn’t from within Microsoft, but I’ve worked closely with their ecosystem for years so I can provide that grounded, outside-in perspective.
Marc Andre, what made you decide to bring on a Microsoft specialist like Ben to the Head Nerds team?
We realized there was a huge knowledge gap in understanding the Microsoft stack, its tools, vision, integration paths and how MSPs could make the most of it. Our other nerds are focused on products or technical specialties like security or automation. We needed someone who lived and breathed Microsoft to help answer the growing number of partner questions in that space.
Ben, what kinds of questions or challenges are partners coming to you with?
A big one is confusion around Microsoft tools: what to use, when and why. I had a session recently where I broke down the different types of Teams meetings. Afterward, people came up to me and said, ‘I had no idea Teams could do all that.’ There’s also interest in tools like Microsoft Loop, but partners often aren’t sure how or where they fit. So there’s a lot of ‘I didn’t know that existed’ and ‘how do I make that work for my clients?’
Is your role more about troubleshooting or strategy?
It’s a bit of both. Some of it is immediate help like troubleshooting or identifying quick wins for partners using Microsoft tools in their environments. But there’s also a lot of thought leadership happening. We’re diving into things like Microsoft Copilot and how MSPs can leverage AI, exploring how to deploy and manage Microsoft tools at scale and doing a lot of enablement work through webinars and content.
Are you serving as a liaison between N-able’s partners and Microsoft?
Kind of. I’m a Microsoft MVP, which means I have NDA access to Microsoft’s roadmap and get to provide feedback to them. So, if partners tell me what’s working, or not working, I can pass that back to Microsoft in a way that might eventually influence change. I’m not doing formal training through Microsoft right now, but we are working with them on joint sessions and looking into certifications and collaborative content.
Who are you mainly working with at the MSP level?
Everyone from techs to C-level execs. My background is in both deep technical work and user adoption, so I’m comfortable talking API integrations one moment and business outcomes the next. My approach is to understand what problem the business is trying to solve and then figure out what tools or combinations of tools might help solve it.
Marc Andre, what are some of the biggest Microsoft-related questions you’re hearing from partners?
User management at scale is a major issue especially across multi-tenant environments. Microsoft has tools like Lighthouse, but they aren’t always efficient or intuitive. Our partners are managing hundreds of customers and they need real, scalable solutions. Ben is already working with our team on how our product Cloud Commander can help solve that.
So where do you want this role to go in the next year?
Fast evolution. I want Ben to be visible across the industry, running webinars, sharing best practices, creating internal and external training. I want partners to know him as the face of Microsoft at N-able. Ultimately, if our partners get better, we get better. That’s what this is all about.
This question is for both of you regarding this new position: what’s your message to partners?
Ben Lee: Don’t be shy. Even if it feels like your question isn’t big enough or maybe out of scope, I still want to hear it. I get excited about these tools, and sometimes just talking through a challenge helps uncover a solution that benefits everyone. I want to know what’s working, but also what’s not. That’s how we make progress.
Marc Andre: Ask us anything. Even if we don’t know the answer immediately, we know where to find it, whether that’s inside Microsoft or within our engineering team. That’s what the Head Nerds are here for, and Ben’s role extends that promise into the Microsoft world.
