MSPmentor

I may have underestimated the MSP industry’s disdain for Dell. On the one hand, I’ve personally been a Dell customer for about a decade. But as I speak with managed service providers across the industry, most of them simply don’t trust Dell. Does the PC giant deserve the benefit of the doubt? Or is Dell’s move into the managed service market doomed to fail?First, I’ve got to disclose a bunch of items to you. Yes, my retirement account includes a few shares of Dell — but the total value is less than the cost of a nifty plasma TV. Second, I use a Dell PC running Ubuntu Linux and I love it. Third, all the TVs in my house are from Dell. So, I’m pretty happy with the company.

But on the other hand, I’m not in the channel and I’ve never had to compete with Dell’s direct sales force. When Dell acquired Silverback Technologies a few months ago, I told readers to give the company the benefit of the doubt. Maybe — just maybe — Dell would continue to support MSPs through Silverback. Call me crazy, but I still think that’s possible.

Still, skepticism about Dell is far stronger than I had imagined. During recent conversations with several MSPs, I heard that the Dell-SilverBack may face push back from several industry organizations.

Hmmm. What’s your take on Dell-Silverback. Friend … or foe?