MSPmentor

Many online events have turned into pure vendor sales pitches. But Microsoft’s Small Business Summit, which kicks off March 24 at noon eastern, caught my attention because it includes extensive sales and marketing guidance for attendees.

And it’s a a safe bet many of the guest speakers will direct their comments to solutions providers and managed service providers. Here’s a closer look at the agenda and some registration info.

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I’ve been a big critic of Windows Vista. I’ve complained that Microsoft’s products are too bloated for the Web 2.0 world. But as Microsoft pushes deeper into Software as a Service (SaaS) and managed services, I’m amazed by all the Microsoft partners who are expressing fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) about the effort.

Here’s how I expect Microsoft’s SaaS strategy to evolve, and here’s the potential impact for managed service providers. Read More >

TeamLogic IT, the managed services franchise I mentioned in a March 19 blog entry, is going viral with its online marketing.

I just spotted this TeamLogic video on YouTube:

The TeamLogic IT video has surfaced a few days after my original blog post covering viral marketing video strategies for MSPs.

Ironically, one of the hottest technology trends — software as a service (SaaS) — has been burning investors on Wall Street. As a group, SaaS stocks are down 30 percent year to date, a far worse showing than the DOW (down about 9.74 percent) and the Nasdaq composite index (down almost 18 percent), according to SeekingAlpha.com.

So, what went wrong with the SaaS market? And what are the key lessons for managed service providers? Read More >

If your client base isn’t growing, you can’t be happy and furthermore you’ll find it harder and harder pay the bills. Your support structure should allow you bring on more new clients and less new employees, if you’ve set up your assembly line properly. If you haven’t, that’s a problem that will require much more time to cover.

But here’s some guidance—seven tips for marketing and nine tips for lead generation—that can help.

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GigaFin, a 40-person networking start-up, is swimming aggressively into the managed services market. The company, formerly known as Mistletoe Technologies, is joining the MSP Alliance, launching a new partner portal, and introducing a management console to help managed service providers remotely administer customer networks, according to company representatives.

During a brief phone chat yesterday, GigaFin CEO William Thomas and Director of Marketing Mervyn Alamgir provided MSPmentor with a quick overview of the company. Read More >

What’s the fastest way to become a managed service provider? Many solutions providers are exploring the Master MSP business model, where they leverage hosted services from third-party technology providers.

But a growing number of companies also are exploring the franchise approach, which typically melds on-site services with hosted managed services.

A case in point: TeamLogic IT, a nationwide network of businesses that specialize in outsourced IT support services, doubled its size in 2007 and continues to grow rapidly this year, according to a prepared statement from company president Chuck Lennon (pictured). Read More >

TelePresence, that next-generation video conferencing technology, has yet to gain critical mass. But The VAR Guy, our resident blogger over at www.thevarguy.com, has been telling readers to expect TelePresence and the managed services market to converge on the hotel vertical.

He was right. A case in point: Marriott International says it’s deploying Hewlett-Packard’s managed TelePresence services and systems in its upscale hotels. Here’s the scoop. Read More >