MSPmentor

During a discussion at CompTIA’s recent SMB Summit in Florida, some VARs mentioned that Cox Communications — the cable company — is attempting to push into managed services and develop closer relationships with small and mid-size businesses. Cox isn’t alone. Cable companies across the country are starting to offer managed IP services, which means solutions providers need to maintain face-time — and account control — with their customers. Read More >

Business intelligence. Yawn. A lot of VARs don’t have much interest in the BI market — and even fewer offer BI as a managed service or software as a service (SaaS). Until recently, BI was mostly an opportunity for large integrators targeting big enterprises. But that’s changing.

Yesterday, I mentioned a hosted BI solution from Daptiv, a Seattle-based solutions provider that works closely with Cognos. Today, I spotted a similar offering from Blink Logic Inc., which specializes in on-demand BI solutions. The rise of on-demand BI could be an interesting niche for solutions providers who already have experience with database and CRM-type software.

Blink Logic recently landed a deal to provide hosted BI solutions to Fieldpoint Service Applications Inc. It’s an interesting relationship, because Fieldpoint specializes in help desk, field service, contracts and project management software. If you apply the Blink Logic-Fieldpoint relationship to the VAR market, one could imagine a VAR extending its managed help desk services with BI capabilities.

Doing business in the Middle East can be a tricky endeavor for technology companies. But plenty of IT experts have found success in the region. Sales of enterprise application software across the Arab Middle East and North Africa grew 16 percent in 2005 and roughly another 13 percent in 2006, according to IDC. Now, managed services and software as a service (SaaS) are gaining popularity across the region, too. Read More >

For many managed service providers, hosted email represents a first foray into software as a service (SaaS). But email is a commodity these days — a nice, basic offering that pays decent dividends but won’t make you rich. If you’re looking for growing SaaS opportunities, it might be time to embrace hosted CRM (customer relationship management) or business intelligence. Here’s why.

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What if you launched a new product or service and never bothered to tell anyone? VARs and solutions providers make that mistake over and over again, because they don’t know how to shape their marketing messages, nor are they sure how to get the word out about a new product or service. Some VARs, however, are savvy to free PR and marketing opportunities. One prime example: Total Tech of San Diego knows how to blitz the media (including MSPmentor) with its PR messaging. Here’s a bit about their approach. Read More >

Well, that didn’t take long. Only days after Cisco announced its managed services strategy, a major solutions provider says it has achieved the premium Cisco Powered Managed Service designations in Managed Unified Communications and Managed Security. The company, Getronics, has about 24,000 employees across 25 countries. Read More >

When we launched this site in late September, we assumed that the bulk of our content would focus on managed services for small and mid-size businesses. But as we listen to the MSP marketplace, it’s clear that the managed services movement is pushing deep into large enterprises. And companies like ComBrio and Third Brigade are more than happy to answer the call for enterprise help. Here’s a closer look at the enterprise MSP trend. Read More >

Call it the managed services paradox: Plenty of VARs want to offer managed services, but they often lack deep enough pockets to pay for robust managed services platforms. What’s the solution to this financial shortfall? Here are a few options. Read More >