Championing Channel Excellence: A sit down with our CRO, James Connelly

Today, in an-ever changing market, Harbor Solutions stands out as a channel-focused organisation which is constantly redefining data protection, service excellence and cyber recovery. Ahead of the Channel Awards, we sat down with our Chief Revenue Officer, James Connelly, to discuss Harbor’s remarkable achievements – and growth to complement this.

Harbor is thrilled to have been shortlisted for CRN’s MSP of the Year award, with CRN showcasing this feature on their website, accessible here: https://www.channelweb.co.uk/sponsored/channel-awards-2024-q-a-with-james-connelly-chief-revenue-officer-at-harbor-solutions?itc=refresh

An Introduction to James and the Value of Channel Awards

James joined Harbor seven months ago from Rubrik, where he brings a wealth of experience from – and he played a pivotal role in building the UK business over a period of six years at the firm. His career has spanned across pre-sales, cloud leadership and sales leadership at Rubrik, Microsoft and Dimension Data. As CRO of Harbor, James continues to drive innovation in the channel and the shortlisting of Harbor for the CRN Channel Awards underscores his desire for growth when it comes to the company.

For James, the award holds immense significance, and he states success in being shortlisted is testament to Harbor’s commitment to its partners, and a nod to the company’s unique, vendor-independent approach to delivering tailored solutions. He states, ‘recognition through these awards underscores our influence within the channel community and enhances our brand within this ecosystem’.

Changes in the Channel Landscape

Reflecting on the shifts in the channel over the past year, James highlighted encouraging trends in spending and customer engagement. He observed that after a challenging few years post-COVID, the channel is rebounding financially, particularly in areas like cybersecurity and data protection. He states that ‘organisations are increasingly adopting an agnostic, consultative-led sales approach, and are prioritising customer needs over allegiance to a single technology’. He believes that this evolution aligns with Harbor’s vendor-neutral preference, which he hopes will serve as an opportunity to grow and reinforce the brand’s position as a trusted advisor within the channel.

Over the last year, James says Harbor has ‘doubled’ top-line revenue and ‘achieved remarkable growth’. He points to Harbor’s success with being crowned Rubrik’s Global MSP of the Year for 2024, which he says is ‘testament to our excellence and dedication’. James hopes that, although much success has accompanied the Harbor brand in terms of award wins recently, this will be one of many in the near future.

Looking ahead, James hopes that opportunities in cyber resiliency and AI will serve to push the brand ahead further. He states that customers tend to seek channel partners with particular ‘expertise in topics like cyber resiliency and AI’ – and that Harbor has ‘the knowledge and experience to help customers protect their critical data and keep their businesses operational’; which is a big win in today’s digital-focused world.

Final Thoughts

James’ insights highlight the unique positioning of Harbor within the channel ecosystem; delivering growth, innovation and expertise. Harbor’s achievements over the past year – from award success, to being shortlisted for this award – stand as a gleaming example of what is possible when vision meets execution. When it comes to data protection – whether that be tackling ransomware, championing an independent vendor approach, or driving meaningful growth, Harbor is leading the way in helping organisations thrive in an ever-changing world.