Managed Service Providers and Systemhäuser are under pressure to scale efficiently, protect margins, and stand out in a crowded field. Dr Sven Fürth, CFO of netgo group, one of Germany’s leading IT system houses, witnesses this every day.
Drawing on years of deal-making and operational experience, Sven shares practical insights on common mistakes that prevent long-term success in the MSP and Systemhaus market. Don’t miss his M&A panel at MSP GLOBAL for more expert advice.
When you look across the MSP and Systemhaus market, what’s the most common operational mistake you see?
One of the biggest issues is the lack of a clear service definition. Too often, MSPs sell a managed service without the customer really knowing what they’re getting. That creates confusion and destroys value on both sides.
If you don’t have a clear service catalogue and defined SLAs, two things can happen: either you deliver extra services that aren’t priced in—so you lose margin—or the customer expects something you never promised and ends up disappointed. Both outcomes hurt the relationship and make growth harder.
In the SME segment especially, MSPs need to educate their customers on what the service includes, define parameters, establish clear expectations, and make sure those expectations are aligned from day one. A strong sales process, paired with transparent service management, is the foundation for scalable success.
You’ve mentioned scalability and automation as critical. Where do most providers fall short?
Many service providers still deliver work manually that could easily be automated. Take patch management, for example—some organizations handle each environment individually. That means your team is doing the same repetitive work across dozens of clients, which wastes time, eats into margins, and limits scalability.
Automation is essential if you want to run a true service business. Every MSP or Systemhaus that treats managed services like a “product” needs to think about optimization and repeatability. If you can’t scale your operations, you can’t scale your value. And if you can’t scale your value, your growth and M&A potential will always be limited.
Many MSPs have great technology but struggle to differentiate. How can they build stronger customer relationships?
That’s the third big mistake we see—too much focus on the technology itself. Of course, you need strong products and good marketing, but it is hard for these to differentiate you. If you’re just another MSP with similar tech to others, then customers can easily switch to your competitor.
The real differentiator is customer connection. You need a strong service management and customer management function that deeply understands your clients and actively locks in that relationship. If you only focus on technology, then the only factor left is price—and that’s a race to the bottom.
When you have meaningful, ongoing contact with your customers—understanding their challenges, anticipating their needs—you are no longer interchangeable. That’s where loyalty and long-term value are built.
What can attendees expect from your session at MSP GLOBAL?
We’ll be diving deeper into what makes M&A work in the MSP and Systemhaus world—how to prepare for it, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to ensure that your business creates lasting value before, during, and after a deal.
Hear Dr Sven Fürth live at MSP GLOBAL in “Real-Life M&A for MSPs”, where he’ll join a panel of leading investors and executives to discuss how MSPs and Systemhäuser can navigate the M&A landscape, build resilience, and drive long-term profitability. Don’t miss it!
October 22-23, 2025 – 
PortAventura Theme Park (Barcelona), Spain