MSPmentor

Sorry for being so “Dell-centric” on our Web sites today, but a conversation I had with Dell’s Channel VP Greg Davis has triggered multiple posts. The latest: Davis and Michael Menegay, Global Director of Dell Managed Services, today sent a jointly signed letter to managed service providers. The letter provides MSPs with an update on:

1. Dell’s Managed Services Partner Certification, with more details about plans for the Everdream platform
2. Dell’s own Managed Services for small business plans, with more details on Dell’s intention to test managed services with selected small businesses
3. Future communications. Dell is planning a Web seminar the week of April 21 to continue the conversation with partners.

Here is some analysis, along with a link to let you read the entire letter for yourself.

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Channel conflict. Trust. While some VARs and managed service providers continue to fret over those words, more than 6,200 solutions providers have joined Dell’s channel program since its official launch on December 5, according to Greg Davis, the company’s channel chief.

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Many VARs get certified for vendor-specific technology (Microsoft, Cisco, etc.). But a new wave of certifications and accreditations — focused on the managed service provider and software as a service (SaaS) markets — is emerging.

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Web seminars are fantastic for quick, educational tutorials about managed services and business management. Skype and other tools allow us all to connect for free over vast distances.

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You’re a VAR, and you’re nervous about betting your business — and the money in your wallet — on a specific managed services platform. Dan Wilson, president of Waypoint Solutions Group, has some advice for you. Already a successful managed service provider himself, Wilson has 15 tips for choosing an MSP platform. Here they are.

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Ben Yarbrough has seen it. Bob Walters has seen it. And now, hundreds of managed service providers are starting to see it. What exactly is “it”? The simple answer: The convergence of open source with managed services.

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Dell is among the companies attending next week’s managed services conference in Atlanta. But I’ll get a jump on some of that Dell discussion by visiting the PC giant on March 28.

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A few hundred people will likely pack their bags and head to Atlanta, where a managed services conference kicks off March 31. Some companies “wait” to announce news at events like this. But progressive MSP participants like Waypoint Solutions Group are creating marketing buzz before attendees even arrive for the opening keynote.

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Managed services aren’t just for small business. In fact, the managed service providers see ample opportunity in mid-size businesses. But targeting the mid-market often means competing with well-funded, profitable consulting firms that specialize in host ERP (enterprise resource planning) applications.

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Apparently, Do IT Smarter and ZINFI Technologies couldn’t contain their excitement. The duo will officially debut a partnership during next week’s MSP Alliance conference in Atlanta. But Do IT Smarter and ZINFI are already describing their new relationship to the world at large.

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