This guide on segmenting by tech stack is part of our ongoing series for vendors selling into the MSP channel.
Most vendors selling into the MSP channel still segment their target list by employee count first — “50-250 employee MSPs” as if that tells you much about fit. It doesn’t. Two MSPs with identical headcounts can be running completely different tech stacks, completely different buyer conversations, and completely different budgets for your category of product. Tech stack is the better filter, and here’s why.
Why “Microsoft Gold Partner” beats employee count
A Microsoft Solutions Partner (formerly “Gold Partner”) MSP has demonstrated ongoing Microsoft 365 and Azure deployment volume, staff certifications, and revenue tied to the Microsoft ecosystem. That single data point tells a Teams-integration vendor, an Azure cost-management vendor, or an M365 backup vendor more about fit than a headcount range ever could. The same logic applies to AWS Advanced/Select tier for cloud-infrastructure vendors, and to CompTIA or vendor-specific security certifications for MSSP-focused sellers.
Employee count still matters — as a second filter, not the first
Size isn’t irrelevant. It affects deal size, sales cycle length, and whether you’re selling to an owner-operator or a dedicated ops team. The mistake is leading with it. Filter by tech stack and specialty first to find MSPs who are a plausible fit for what you sell, then narrow by size to prioritize outreach within that list.
A simple segmentation framework
Start with what you sell, not who you think your buyer is:
• Selling a Microsoft-ecosystem product? Filter by Microsoft partner tier first, then by size and region.
• Selling cloud infrastructure or FinOps tooling? Filter by AWS/Azure partner tier and workloads managed.
• Selling security software or SOC tooling? Filter by MSSP specialty and relevant compliance certifications (SOC 2, HIPAA) before touching company size.
• Selling something genuinely horizontal (a PSA/RMM tool, general business software)? This is the one case where broader Managed IT category plus company size is a reasonable starting filter.
What this looks like in practice
Instead of “MSPs, 50–250 employees, North America” — a list that could be half MSPs your product has no relevance to — try “Microsoft Solutions Partner MSPs managing Azure workloads, North America, any size.” It’s a smaller list, but every contact on it is a plausible fit, which is what actually moves reply rates.
FAQ
Should I ever use company size as my primary filter?
Only if what you sell is genuinely horizontal across every MSP specialty — general business software, insurance, staffing. Otherwise tech stack or specialty should come first.
How do I know which tech-stack filter matches my product?
Ask what platform your buyer is already spending money on that’s adjacent to your product. If you don’t know, our segment finder walks through this in three questions.
Can I combine multiple tech-stack filters?
Yes — Microsoft tier, AWS tier, and specialty (MSSP, cloud migration, etc.) can all be combined into one filtered export.
See the Microsoft partner MSP segment or the AWS partner MSP segment, or request a free sample filtered to your specific tech stack.
A common segmentation mistake
The most common mistake is picking a tech-stack filter that correlates with fit but isn’t the actual reason a prospect buys — for example, filtering by RMM platform for a tool that really depends on client vertical or compliance posture. Before locking in a tech-stack filter, it’s worth checking a handful of your best existing customers and confirming the filter you’re about to use actually describes them, rather than assuming it does.
FAQ
How often should a tech-stack segment be re-verified?
MSPs change RMM, PSA, and security vendors more often than most B2B categories, given frequent M&A activity in the tooling space itself — we re-verify on a rolling basis, and it’s worth treating any tech-stack filter as accurate for a few months at most rather than indefinitely.