MSPmentor

The buzz is loud here at the MSP Alliance conference in San Jose. Up-and-coming MSP platform providers are inking partnerships with each other, and networking with more than 200 VARs and integrators. Clearly, the MSP ecosystem is maturing rapidly. Still, big vendors like Cisco Systems and Symantec are noticeably absent from this small but growing event. Looking ahead, those big players would be wise to follow the leads of Dell and Intel into the MSP market. Read More >

Third Brigade, a security software company led by former Entrust Technologies executives, is opening its arms to managed service providers. During the MSP Alliance conference in San Jose, Third Brigade announced that it has expanded its partner program to support service providers. I’ve got to admit: Third Brigade wasn’t on my radar until I spotted them at the conference. But they’ve got my attention now. Here’s why. Read More >

You’ve got to specialize, specialize, specialize to succeed as a managed service provider. That’s been the key message from vendors for more than a year now. But the vendors are wrong, according to Ziff Davis Enterprise Editorial Director Mike Vizard. Instead, MSPs need to offer a broader range of services. Confused? Don’t be. I worked a bit with Mike back at Ziff Davis, and there’s sound logic behind his thought process. Read More >

This just in: Do IT Smarter has selected LPI Level Platforms’ Collaborative Ecosystem MSP Platform to “drive the growth of their full service offering for solution providers,” according to press release that just hit the wires. The move reinforces several points raised by Do IT Smarter at today’s MSP Alliance conference in San Jose.

Do IT Smarter offers a an outsourced hosting center, remote help desk and sales and marketing support to VARs that are embracing managed services. In contrast, Level Platforms specializes in remote monitoring and management software for solution providers offering managed services to their small and midsize customers. Level Platforms is the latest in a growing list of relationships for Do IT Smarter.

As a general rule, our team holds a lot of business meetings at Starbucks. But today the business chatter started in Kinkos — when I bumped into Todd McKendrick, VP of sales at Do IT Smarter. McKendrick shared several pieces of news about the company, which is working closely with Xerox, MXLogic, SonicWall, Silverback and other MSP platform providers. Read More >

I’m in San Jose for the MSP Alliance Fall Managed Services Conference. It’s my first time at an MSP Alliance event. And frankly, I’m not sure what to see. But I do expect to hear about five key trends at the event. Here’s the rundown.

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Will Dell be your friend or foe in the managed services market? Instead of asking me, you can ask Dell representatives directly during the MSP Alliance summit in San Jose on Sept. 24-25. Dell acquired Silverback Technologies (an MSP platform provider) in July. Silverback’s Web site now carries both a Dell and VARBusiness logo. How’s that for Ironic. This event marks one of the first appearances of Silverback since the Dell deal was announced.

The week of September 24 could represent a tipping point for MSP platform prices. As you know, many VARs and integrators balk when they hear they have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on an MSP platform before they can begin generating recurring monthly revenue.

Apparently, that’s about to change. I hear several companies will discuss new pricing strategies during the MSP Alliance conference in San Jose. And Untangle has already confirmed to me that they will introduce an open source MSP security solution that will require no up-front costs to VARs/customers.

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