At first glance, VMware’s cloud strategy can be difficult for MSPs and VARs to get their arms around. And this week’s VMware Partner Exchange conference will generate a lot of noise from scores of VMware cloud partners. But what do aspiring partners really need to know? I think I can sum-up VMware’s cloud strategy in roughly four sentences…
Question: If you’re a managed service provider that resells laptops and other hardware to your customer base, how do you promote your company brand over the hardware maker’s brand? The answer comes from MJ Shoer, president of Jenaly Technology Group, a managed service provider in New Hampshire.
Here’s a smart move involving Architel, a managed services provider in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Architel says more than 10,000 users now depend on the company’s outsourced IT support services. Question: When was the last time you took a moment to brag (responsibly) about customer trust and company growth?
How can managed services providers formulate merger and acquisition strategies? We’ll find some answers during our next MSPmentor Live webcast, scheduled for February 10. Two CEOs representing top MSPs will discuss their M&A objectives during the webcast. Plus, we’ll unveil the third-annual MSPmentor 100 list during the discussion. Here’s what else we’ll cover.
Talk about timing: BlueLock, which will land on our third annual MSPmentor 100 list later this week, has unveiled a CloudSuite platform at the VMware Partner Exchange conference. Here are some preliminary details, and the implications for managed services providers.
Forgive me for being distracted (again). Our team is busy polishing and posting the MSPmentor 100 report onto a hidden section of our website. The complete report debuts Feb. 10, shortly after a webcast on the topic. In the meantime, here are seven managed services blog entries our team didn’t have the time to write for the week ending Feb. 5, 2010.
A government program rolling out this year provides financial incentives to physicians and hospitals that adopt electronic health records. MSPs may benefit as well as healthcare organizations scramble to meet the program’s deadlines. But this isn’t a run toward easy money. MSPs that chase the healthcare dollars are going to need some key skills and relationships.
In preparation for next week’s third-annual MSPmentor 100 report, I reached out to PEQ Services + Solutions President and CEO Jason Evans for an update on the company’s 2010 strategy. When we spoke earlier today about PEQ’s managed services growth, Evans offered several key insights — including three anecdotes that surprised me.
To follow the ideas I presented in my January blog post, Getting Ready for the Rebound, we’re all looking to do more with less in 2010. That’s easy to say, but executing the concept in your day-to-day-operations can be a challenge. Here are nine questions you need to consider as you strive to make your business more efficient.
We’re officially in the cloud bubble. Plenty of money continues to flow into the cloud market. Some businesses will succeed. Many will fail. We — many readers and the media — are forgetting the lessons of the dot-com and ASP (application service provider) bubbles. It’s time to get back to discussions about profits, earnings and financial fundamentals. Fast. Here’s why.
Sometimes I jump to the wrong conclusions. A few weeks ago, when the MSPAlliance said there was a potentially “urgent” tax issue facing Florida managed services providers, I dismissed the report because sometimes I think the alliance cries wolf. But to the MSPAlliance’s credit, there’s now a healthy, growing discussion around MSP taxation in certain states. Here’s the update.
Google is pushing ever so slightly into the remote management market. Specifically, enterprise administrators can now use Google Apps to remotely manage a growing number of smart phones — like the Apple iPhone, Nokia E series, and Windows Mobile devices. Here’s how.
Savvis Inc. has a message for anyone doubting the cloud computing market: Check out our cloud revenues. Although still a small portion of Savvis’s business pie, cloud revenues at the company nearly doubled in 2009 — getting a boost from new customers and existing media industry clients. Here’s a closer look at Savvis’ cloud revenue trends.
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