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SaaS Stocks Fall Nearly 7 Percent In January 2009
Posted January 30th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
First, the good news: Software as a service (SaaS) stocks performed better than the Dow Jones Industrial Average (down 8.84 percent) and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (down 8.57 percent) in January 2009. Now the bad news: SaaS stocks still fell almost 7 percent during the month, according to our SaaS 20 Stock Index. Here’s a look at the biggest monthly SaaS winners and losers, plus a SaaS market forecast from IDC.
SaaS: Service Providers Predict Google Will Beat Microsoft
Posted January 30th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Five years from now, Google — rather than Microsoft — will dominate the software as a service (SaaS) market, according to 48 percent of managed service providers who participated in MSPmentor’s reader poll for the week ended January 30, 2009. Here’s a closer look at the poll stats — and a surprising snub involving Oracle.
Nimsoft, The Planet: Financials Continue Strong
Posted January 30th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Sometimes it’s difficult to measure the “health” of the managed services market because so many companies are privately held and don’t disclose financials. However, two companies — Nimsoft and The Planet — this week provided some important clues about their well-being and the continued growth of the managed services industry.
Podcast: Fonality’s CEO on Asterisk, IP PBXes And Cloud Services
Posted January 29th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
I interviewed Fonality CEO Chris Lyman for a podcast originally posted on TheVARguy.com. Our discussion offers managed service providers a high-level overview of Fonality’s IP PBX strategy. We touch on such topics as Asterisk, open source, and hybrid-hosted services that combine on-premise solutions with cloud services.
Two Managed Service Providers Merge
Posted January 29th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Tribrige and Navint have announced a merger of equals to form a national managed service provider that blankets the US. The merged company will specialize in MSP services, enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and Microsoft SharePoint services. This is the latest deal to land on the MSPmentor M&A Tracker, which follows mergers and acquisitions in the managed services market.
Top Nine Stories From The VAR Guy: 1/29/09
Posted January 29th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
MSPmentor’s sister site — The VAR Guy — reveals what’s next in the IT channel. Here’s a look at the top nine headlines on The VAR Guy’s blog this week.
- Cisco Channel Chief’s Video Message to Partners
- Dell Rallies Partners Around Cisco Opportunities
- Do You Need Channel Partners In A Recession?
- Microsoft’s Channel Chief: Old Letter More Timely Than Ever?
- IBM, Red Hat and Canonical Take On Microsoft Office
- Netgear ProSecure: A Match for Security Resellers?
- F5 Networks, HP ProCurve ONE: Attacking Cisco On Seven Layers
- Open Source Channel Partners: Critical But Different
- Why Profits Should Be Your Secondary Goal
- Sorry, this is a top nine list. Get to know The VAR Guy and you’ll realize he doesn’t play by the rules.
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Meet Two of the Top 100 Managed Service Providers
Posted January 29th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
A friendly reminder: We’ll unveil our MSPmentor 100 list and describe key managed services trends on February 11 at 2:00pm eastern. The one-hour Webcast is titled MSPmentor Live: Meet the World’s Top 100 MSPs. Here are some details.
Level Platforms, Managed Services Head for Home
Posted January 29th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
I’m often skeptical when I hear about managed service providers targeting the SOHO (small office/home office) and consumer markets. But perhaps it’s time for me to change my tune. Recent developments and trends — involving such companies as LPI Level Platforms Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and OnForce — suggest there are niche opportunities for MSPs servicing SOHOs and consumers. Here are some perspectives and developments.
Intel Europe Confirms Managed Services, SaaS Deal With N-able
Posted January 28th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Intel is leveraging N-able’s managed services platform to build a customized SaaS (software as a service) system for MSPs across Europe, MSPmentor has confirmed. David Byrne, business manager for Intel’s Multi-Site Director, described the hardware giant’s European MSP strategy to me a few minutes ago. And he clarified whether Intel would make a similar move in North America. Here are the details.
The Utility Company: Entrepreneur Magazine Recognizes MSP Franchise Model
Posted January 28th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
The Utility Company, launched in 2006 by former N-able CEO Mark Scott (pictured), has landed in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 edition. The news solidifies The Utility Company’s strategy to build a network of managed services franchises across North America.
Facebook: Don’t Mix Business With Pleasure?
Posted January 28th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
For portions of 2008, I used Facebook for business purposes. But in recent weeks I’ve soured a bit on Facebook for business. Apparently, I’m not alone. I’m starting to hear from managed services professionals who are drawing a clear line between LinkedIn (for business) and Facebook (for personal contacts).
Mixed Views On Managed Services Growth Rates
Posted January 28th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
At first glance, research from both MSPmentor and AMI Partners suggests managed service providers will continue to generate healthy growth this year. But a quick phone call Tuesday night gave me a healthy reminder that MSPs aren’t immune to the recession. Here are some research stats and anecdotes worth noting.
Transform Data Protection Policies Into Deeper Customer Relationships
Posted January 27th, 2009 by Ron Faith
As regulation creeps into all phases of data lifecycle management, managed service providers are assuming greater data protection responsibilities on behalf of their customers. While many customers understand that they have regulatory compliance gaps, challenges persist in how to translate these requirements into data protection policies that are actionable, enforceable, and auditable. The natural place for businesses to turn to is you, their trusted MSP partners to help them translate their data protection requirements into actionable policies that can be centrally managed, enforced and tracked.
Intel: Building Two Managed Services Empires?
Posted January 27th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Google. Microsoft. Dell. Managed service providers (MSPs) spend considerable time wondering how those three IT giants will impact their businesses (for better or for worse). But I wonder why MSPs don’t spend far more time tracking another IT giant — Intel Corp. In 2008, Intel evangelized its vPro technology to MSPs. But in 2009 and beyond, I think Intel will shift its MSP initiatives to software in North America and Europe. Here’s why.
N-able Expands European Managed Services Push
Posted January 26th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Managed services initiatives continue to accelerate in Europe. Only a few days after we noted a series of MSP trends across the pond, N-able Technologies says it’s pushing beyond the United Kingdom to serve Northern and Western Europe countries — including Scandinavia, the Netherlands and eventually Germany.
Managed Cloud Services: Build vs. Rent
Posted January 26th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Should you build your own cloud computing system or simply leverage a third party cloud service? The answer to that question depends on which managed service provider you ask.
MSPs Beating Their Own Expectations for January?
Posted January 26th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Despite the pathetic economy, the vast majority of managed service providers say their businesses are performing as well as or better than they originally expected for January, according to MSPmentor’s reader poll for the week ended Jan. 23.
Software as a Service Stocks Down 5% In 2009
Posted January 25th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Our SaaS 20 stock index, which tracks software as a service stocks, is now down more than 5 percent in 2009, having slipped a nominal 1.22 percent for the week ended January 23. Here’s a look at the weekly SaaS winners and losers.
The World’s Top 100 Managed Service Providers: How to Find Them
Posted January 23rd, 2009 by MSPMentor
Who are the world’s top 100 managed service providers — and what can you learn from them? You can find out if you join us on February 11 at 2:00pm eastern for MSPmentor Live: Meet the World’s Top 100 MSPs.
European Managed Services: More Victory Claims
Posted January 23rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Following our European Land Grab blog post, my inbox and voicemail lit up yesterday. Multiple managed service provider software companies wanted to let MSPmentor know that they are succeeding in Europe. Here’s the latest, this time featuring some perspectives from Autotask, ConnectWise and Nimsoft.
Podcast: Google Apps Reseller Program
Posted January 22nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
I caught up with Stephen Cho, director of Google Apps Channels, for a podcast discussion originally posted on TheVARguy.com. Our conversation explores the search giant’s new partner program for Google Apps. The nine-minute discussion with Cho covers six key topics.
Pardon A Little Bit of Dust
Posted January 22nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Hi Folks: We’re in the middle of a server upgrade and hit a minor performance bump. Also, two reader comments were erased during the process (one from Autotask’s Bob Vogel and my reply comment to Vogel). We apologize for the glitch. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please email me (joe [at] ninelivesmediainc.com). There is a happy ending, though: We continue to upgrade our servers to meet rising traffic and growing reader activity on our media sites (MSPmentor, The VAR Guy and WorksWithU).
European Managed Services: Land Grab Continues
Posted January 22nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Anecdotal evidence and our MSPmentor 100 research confirm the European managed services market is growing up fast. I’m hearing rumblings from ConnectWise, N-able and Intel (yes, Intel) about some new European efforts. And we’ve uncovered some of Europe’s top managed service providers in our latest MSPmentor 100 survey results, which we’ll unveil in February. Here are some early details on the European trends.
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