MSPmentor

Joe’s recent blog entry — asking whether MSPs were killing their own margins — touches on one of the most widely held misperceptions in the business.

The growth of the managed services model has always been accompanied by the specter of commoditization and the related “race to the bottom” discussion. But on the contrary. the race will be to the top. Here’s why. Read More >

Calyptix Security and Level Platforms are introducing a manage security solution for established and aspiring MSPs. Here are the details, along with a bit of background on Calyptix — one of the more recent entrants in the MSP space. Read More >

Welcome to MSPmentor’s Weekly Podcast.

• Episode #: 002, (April 17, 2008)
• Featured Guest: David Mulvey, president of Advanced Network Products — one of the top managed service providers in North America. Mulvey’s company was ranked number 17 in the MSPmentor 100 list.
• Topics Covered: Mulvey’s best — and worst — moves as an MSP. How to prepare your sales team for managed services. Why advanced Network Products (www.anp.net) is investing in its own network operation centers rather than outsourcing the NOC function to a larger service provider.

And check the MSPmentor Live: Podcast Center for additional weekly podcasts.

 

 MSPmentor Live: Podcast 002, Featuring Advanced Network Products CEO David Mulvey: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (207)

I’m starting to hear from multiple managed service providers, who say some MSPs are under-pricing their work and hurting overall industry margins. Other critics worry that rapid starter programs for MSPs will saturate the market with poorly trained service providers who charge pennies on the dollar.

I’m not ready to press a panic button. But it is time for the industry to carefully consider pricing strategies. Here are some of the pricing myths — and realities — facing today’s MSPs. Please weigh in with your thoughts. Read More >

As managed service providers continue to acquire one another, readers have been asking me about MSP valuations. Are buyout prices based on specific financial multiples? Are MSPs valued based on a multiple of revenue, gross profits, net income, something else? Read More >

The writing has been on the wall for several weeks. MSPmentor told Microsoft partners in March that managed service providers needed to master — or at least explore — hosted versions of Microsoft Exchange Server, Dynamics CRM and SharePoint. Now, Ingram Micro’s Seismic team is hoping to accelerate MSP moves to those hosted applications. Here’s the scoop. Read More >

Chris Lyman is setting in the middle of a perfect storm. As CEO of Fonality, Lyman is building an IP-PBX company that leverages Asterisk (an open source platform) and embraces managed service providers. In other words, Fonality has converged three hot markets (unified communications, open source and managed services) into a single solution.

I realize that big vendors — Avaya, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Nortel Networks, etc. — are promoting unified communications solutions. But if you’re an MSP looking to get into IP telephony, it may be hard to ignore Fonality’s value proposition. Read More >

At a time when some managed service providers are worried about Dell, Microsoft and Google moving onto their turf, Cisco Systems is taking a stand and offering assurances to MSPs.

During a phone chat with MSPmentor, Al Safarikas (pictured), Cisco’s senior director of service provider managed services, said Cisco remains true to its word and has no plans to become a service provider.

Read More >