The Vertical Advantage

For years, “we support all businesses” was a perfectly good MSP pitch. Mark Whittington took the opposite path. As CEO of Ozdoc, he’s built a business focused almost entirely on healthcare, a vertical where the stakes, the language, and the definition of “critical” are unlike anything a generalist MSP deals with.

We caught up with Mark live at the Catalyst conference, two years on from his first MSPs in Conversation appearance, to see how his thinking on verticalisation has evolved. He shares why the niche only works if you genuinely care about it, how Ozdoc is now extending into governance and compliance, what he’s learned building a sales team from scratch, and his grounded take on the gap between AI hype and real business value.

A short, honest conversation about committing to a vertical and the discipline it takes to do it well.

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Key Takeaways

1

In a Vertical, "Critical" Means Something Different

In healthcare, a priority one issue isn't an inconvenience. A device failing mid-surgery is a genuine emergency. Understanding those stakes is what separates a true specialist from a generalist serving the same clients.

2

Only Pick a Vertical You Care About

Mark's bluntest piece of advice: choosing a niche for no real reason is a mistake. Without genuine drive behind it, you won't deliver what that vertical actually needs.

3

Your Vertical Can Evolve

Specialising doesn't lock you in forever. Born in medical, Ozdoc is now expanding into governance and compliance, building on expertise already ingrained from years in healthcare.

4

Hiring Salespeople Isn't Like Hiring Techs

Moving from owner-led sales to a real team took Ozdoc several attempts. Client success managers became the key, acting as the translation layer between technical detail and what clients actually need to hear.

5

Start With the Problem, Not the AI

Automation and AI aren't the same thing, and the pressure to "just use AI" is everywhere. Mark's view: dabble and learn, but always lead with the business problem you're trying to solve.

Featured Panelists
Ben Town
Hosted Network
Mark Whittington
Ozdoc