MSPmentor

Much like its rivals, Tech Data is making multiple managed services moves. But so far, those moves have not protected distributors from the economic slowdown. Here’s how distributors are embracing managed services, plus a financial nugget suggesting the North American economic slowdown is starting to impact distributors.

Read More >

Whether you attended — or missed — the February 14 Breakfast on Broadway event in New York, you can download Editorial Director Joe Panettieri’s “Managed Services Reality Check” presentation from the MSPmentor Resource Center (registration required).

Within the center, you’ll also find our complete MSPmentor 100 report, and numerous case studies that help VARs embrace managed services. All downloads from the Resource Center are in PDF format.

Some pundits say managed services will become a commodity. I disagree. Managed services are not a single technology. Rather, managed service provider (MSP) platforms are a way to continually deliver new solutions to customers.

Think of it this way: As one managed service matures (for instance, managed storage) a new managed service will emerge (for instance, video surveillance). In order to show this visually, let’s take a look at Gartner’s famed Hype Cycle chart.

Now stick with me, and I’l quickly explain how I see the MSP market evolving.

Read More >

Big companies — EMC, and soon Symantec — are making big moves into the managed services market. But Vembu Technologies of Chennai (Madras), India, has quietly built a global managed storage business of its own.

More than 550 partners now use StoreGrid, Vembu’s backup and storage solution. And Vembu is seeking to push its global partner network to more than 1,000 companies, according to Lakshmanan Narayan, president of Vembu. Read More >

According to Ziff Davis Enterprise (Bright Future for Managed Service Providers, 2007), the top three issues facing MSPs today include: determining SLAs, pricing and transitioning customers to managed service.

Fortunately, MSPs can turn to key resources to help hone their skills, keep abreast of industry trends and learn from the experts. The unique needs of Managed Service Providers require access to strategic business insight for issues like business transformation, growth management, lead generation, sales training and positioning.

They also need to keep their finger on the pulse of the industry with immediate access to tools and resources that can help them to establish and maintain that competitive edge. Read More >

Venture capital firms are opening their wallets for managed service providers. The two latest examples: NetMagic Solutions has raised $20 million and Voxify has raised $15 million. Both companies specialize in managed services — though their target markets are vastly different. Read More >

In less than a year, Dell has made three key acquisitions to pump up its managed services and software as a service (SaaS) business. The latest acquisition involves MessageOne, which specializes in email continuity, compliance and archiving as a managed service. Here’s the scoop, and the bigger picture on Dell’s managed services push. Read More >

As video moves onto IP networks, managed service providers are exploring new opportunities in TelePresence — the next-generation video conferencing systems that bring distant parties together into a single virtual conference room. Here’s how TelePresence and managed services will converge in 2008 and beyond. Read More >