MSPmentor

I hope you don’t mind if I brag for a few paragraphs. Back in September, I predicted Cisco would soon unveil a managed services strategy that included new pricing models for partners. The official announcement came today, in the form of the new Cisco Managed Services Channel Program.

The program currently includes AT&T, CDW Berbee, Bell Canada, BT, Calence, Dimension Data, Getronics, NetStar, Sprint, TELUS, Verizon Business and VSNL. The program includes three managed service program levels, Cisco Powered Managed Service, Strategic Managed Service, and Legacy Managed Service. The premium Cisco Powered Managed Service level currently includes designations for Connectivity, Unified Communications, Security, Mobility and Data Center Services. The program’s entry criterion is based on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework of best practices.

By the way, I’ve stated multiple times that ITIL will grow in importance for MSPs. If you’re not familiar with ITIL, it’s time to get up to speed on the standard.

When I first heard about Cisco’s managed services strategy back in September, I wondered if the company planned to launch an MSP platform to compete with Autotask, Kaseya, Level Platforms, N-able and other business process automation companies. However, Cisco insiders repeatedly told me the company did not plan to move into the MSP platform market. Rather, Cisco’s goal is to ensure its product pricing and support models reflect the needs of MSPs.

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Kaseya COO Tim McMullen just disclosed that the company’s managed services platform will soon support Apple’s Mac OS and Linux. McMullen made the comment during a Webcast a few moments ago. Kaseya’s commitment to Apple and Linux reinforces the fact that a small — but influential — piece of the SMB market has made the move to the Macintosh. Support for Mac OS should arrive in early 2008, with Linux support to follow shortly thereafter. I’ve got reason to celebrate: I’m typing this blog entry on my MacBook Pro during a business trip, and heading home to visit my Dell/Linux desktop PC tonight.

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I have spent the past two days at CompTIA’s SMB Summit in Bonita Springs, Florida. Many of the discussions here involved managed services. Here are seven key themes at the event as they relate to running your business.

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Don’t press the panic button. The mood is generally upbeat here at CompTIA’s SMB Summit in Bonita Springs, Fla. But a few attendees have mentioned that they’ve noticed some SMB customers holding more tightly onto their money in recent months. Still, the SMB sector appears to be the most promising market segment for VARs pushing into managed services. Here’s why.

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A growing number of security-focused companies are introducing managed services platforms that support the Payment Card Industry (PCI) standard. Looking ahead, I suspect PCI compliance could emerge as a “check mark” that some customers demand from their managed service providers.

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I often hesitate to publish or quote from research reports, since the data often is designed to hype a market or drive sales of the report. A prime example: Yankee Group says managed security services generated $4 billion in revenue in 2006. Hmmm. What percentage of that revenue went to small managed service providers? And how much of it went to big players like VeriSign, Symantec, EDS, etc.? I don’t have the answer to those important questions. But perhaps the more important piece of Yankee’s research involves market growth. The company says managed security services revenue will grow 14 percent annually through 2010.

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Rewind to January 2004. At the time, Bill Gates predicted the spam problem would be solved within two years. With that single prediction, Gates was wrong, right and misinterpreted all at once. No, the spam problem hasn’t been solved. Yes, there are now tools available to help mitigate spam. And contrary to what many members of the press reported, Gates never said he would rid the world of spam. Instead, he was suggesting that best practices combined with effective tools would largely mitigate the spam problem. With that thought in mind, software companies are promoting anti-spam solutions to managed service providers.A case in point: Engate Technology has introduced a managed email security solution that extends the company’s Anti-Spam Channel Partner Program. The program allows partners to offer customers an on-demand, subscription-based email service that includes anti-spam capabilities. Engate says the program includes technical training and support, lead sharing, incentive programs, co-marketing support and access to an online partner portal.

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As you may know I blog on a range of technology topics. Sometimes, those topics converge into a single blog entry. A case in point: I’m blogging live from MuniWireless 2007: Silicon Valley. One of the hot topics of discussion here is the rise of video surveillance applications within city networks. I can’t help but believe that video surveillance is one of the next big opportunities for managed service providers.

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I got a solid — make that rock solid — tip today that Cisco Systems will announce its managed services strategy any day now. As one source close to the company told me, “the strategy is finally fully baked.”

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The folks at Cognos, one of the leading business intelligence software providers, are in a curious position. Cognos’s rivals are getting acquired by big players like Oracle and SAP AG. And the software industry as a whole is moving toward software as a service (SaaS) — think Salesforce.com and NetSuite.com. So where does that leave Cognos? The BI software provider has to get a better feel for SaaS, managed services and the channel. Fast. Cognos’s CEO is doing exactly that. Here’s how.

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