MSPmentor

Economic concerns continue in the US, but some clear IT spending trends are beginning to surface. If you look at recent financial results from networking companies, PC companies, software specialists and service providers, you can get a better feel for how to shape your managed services practice for the rest of 2008. Read More >

Several dozen VARs are heading to a managed services luncheon today in New York, where they’ll learn about best practices for hardware as a service (HaaS), managed printing and managed security.

I’ve attended a few of these luncheons, which are hosted by Do IT Smarter, MX Logic and Xerox. At some point during today’s event, an attendee will surely ask that magic question: What’s the difference between HaaS and good old leasing? Read More >

As Microsoft launches Windows Server 2008, I’ve noticed a rather interesting market dichotomy: Traditional, mainstream server application providers (BEA Systems, IBM, Oracle, etc.) are falling all over each other to vow support for the new operating system. But managed service platform providers aren’t saying much about Microsoft’s latest server release. Here’s why. Read More >

Digital signage: At first, it was considered a hardware opportunity for VARs. But a second look reveals that it’s a recurring revenue and software-as-a-service (SaaS) opportunity for managed service providers.

MSPmentor said exactly that on February 6. Now comes word that Ingram Micro, the massive distributor, plans to offer a digital signage SaaS solution from BroadSign to more than 35,000 VARs across the U.S. and Canada.

Similarly, Cisco is helping partners to master new opportunities in digital signage.

Salesforce.com  delivered the goods today. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) company announced particularly strong quarterly profits and raised its rest-of-year financial guidance. That’s great news for SaaS and its close cousin, managed services. But let’s not get too giddy.

I told readers a few weeks ago to get ready for SalesForce.com’s results. After all, the company is a true bell weather for the SaaS industry. In its latest quarter, Salesforce.com’s revenue grew 50.4 percent to $216.9 million and net income rose to $7.4 million from about $500,000 in the corresponding quarter last year.

Still, let’s keep things in perspective: Assuming all of today’s SaaS and managed services companies will thrive in 2008 is akin to expecting all PC companies to thrive in the early 1980s. Yes, it’s great to compete in growing, dynamic markets. But long-term tech success requires great business execution, regardless of your core market.

When MSPmentor first wrote about revenue opportunities in digital signage, some managed service providers expressed skepticism. Frankly, we’re feeling a little vindicated today — based on Cisco Systems’ digital signage initiative. Here’s the scoop. Read More >

N-able, the managed service platform provider, is looking to make a splash in Australia. Smart move. A few weeks ago, MSPmentor described how the managed services market is growing more than 20 percent annually in Australia. And N-able CEO Gavin Garbutt (pictured) estimates that there are nearly 2 million small and midsize businesses in Australia, providing fertile ground for managed service providers. Here’s how N-able — and some of its rivals — hope to grow that market.

Read More >

A few weeks ago, I started hearing rumblings about managed service platform providers embracing the virtualization market. One of the first movers in this effort is Nimsoft, which today unveiled automation tools for monitoring VMware environments. But Nimsoft won’t be alone for long. Plenty of companies are looking to convergence virtualization with managed services. Here’s a sampling of what to expect. Read More >