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PR And Marketing Tactics for MSPs
Posted February 9th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
I traded email over the weekend with David Meerman Scott (pictured), best selling author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR. David is speaking at this week’s Cisco Partner Velocity 09, an event in Miami designed to help channel partners with their marketing and PR strategies. I asked Meerman Scott if the Web 2.0 craze was over, and also pushed him for a few new tips on marketing and PR. Here are some quick excerpts from our email exchange.
Four Keys to MSP Success (Regardless of the Economy)
Posted February 9th, 2009 by Maurice Saluan
Many managed service providers talk about good business strategies for the bad economy. I prefer to look at what you can do to increase your chance of success in good times as well as bad. In this blog entry, I offer four tips for ongoing business success — regardless of the economic climate. And in my next blog entry, I’ll take a closer look at a specific vertical market opportunity that’s ideal for managed service providers.
Software as a Service Stocks Jump 7 Percent
Posted February 6th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Investors are worried about executive changes at Salesforce.com, but that didn’t stop a strong rally this week in software as a service (SaaS) stocks. Thanks to strong earnings from RightNow Technologies (RNOW) and several other companies, our SaaS 20 Stock Index jumped more than 7 percent for the week ended February 6. Here’s a look at the weekly SaaS winners and losers.
Heartland Data Breach: Lessons for MSPs
Posted February 6th, 2009 by Lori Salow Marshall
With Heartland Payment Systems’ potentially record-breaking data breach now sparking a class-action lawsuit, there are some important lessons for managed service providers and their customers. Here’s what went wrong at Heartland, and some practical guidance for security-minded MSPs.
Amazon Web Services: MSPs Keep An Open Mind
Posted February 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Can Amazon Web Services and other cloud services from the online retailer catch on with managed service providers? The vast majority of MSPs are keeping an open mind as Amazon continues to expand its cloud, according to MSPmentor’s latest weekly reader poll. Take a look at the results.
Research Firm Cuts Managed Services Spending Forecast
Posted February 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Finally, a healthy dose of reality from a market research firm. While many pundits evangelize managed services as recession proof, Insight Research has adjusted its annual managed services forecast downward. In other words, Insight says the managed services market is growing — but not as quickly as previously expected. Just like you, MSPmentor wants to see this market thrive. But I also welcome responsible research. Take a look.
MSP Partners Launches Master Membership Level
Posted February 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
I had a quick call with Jim Hamilton, executive director of MSP Partners, on Wednesday night. He told me a bit about the organization’s new 2009 education program for managed service providers. Here are some details.
Virus Scares Are MSP Opportunities
Posted February 5th, 2009 by Paul Barnett
From time to time we hear about “zero-day” or other critical viruses that garner national interest, and require immediate action. The most recent example was the Conficker virus. Naturally, business owners started asking “am I protected?” As we looked at the steps necessary to resolve this issue for our own customers, we were again reminded why being a Managed Service provider is so critical.
Top 100 Managed Service Providers: Revenue Trends
Posted February 4th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
We’ve put the final polish on the MSPmentor 100 report — which tracks the world’s top managed service providers. We’ll unveil the free report on February 11. In the meantime, here are some key financial and growth trends for the world’s top 100 MSPs.
Economy Beater: Azaleos Bundles Hardware With Managed Exchange Services
Posted February 4th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Azaleos Corp., a managed service provider that specializes in Microsoft Exchange, has introduced an “Al-In-One” financing option that wraps hardware, managed services, deployment and migration services into a single monthly subscription. The financing effort — which essentially includes hardware as a service (HaaS) aims to accelerate customer buying decisions amid the recession.
Do Small Businesses Understand Cloud Computing?
Posted February 4th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Roughly two-thirds of small businesses have never heard of cloud hosting, according to a survey conducted by Rackspace. Frankly, I think the data is a bit misleading. And James Urquhart, market manager for Cisco’s Data Center 3.0 strategy, has a few opinions on the survey as well. Here are some perspectives.
Can Kaseya Ever Go Public?
Posted February 3rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Several MSPmentor readers allege Kaseya can never pursue an initial public offering (IPO) because CEO Gerald Blackie (pictured) had a previous run-in with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In order to address — and eliminate — the rumors, a Kaseya spokesman sent MSPmentor a comprehensive statement. Take a look.
My Biggest Mistake As An Entrepreneur
Posted February 3rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
First, the good news: MSPmentor and its parent company (Nine Lives Media Inc.) continue to grow. However, I made a key mistake in 2008 that nearly caused me (and my business partner, Amy Katz) some pain in 2009. Plus, I suspect many managed service providers (MSPs) are making the same mistake. Here’s where I goofed.
AT&T, Verizon: Big Managed Services Moves Coming
Posted February 3rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
AT&T Business Solutions and Verizon Business continue to polish their respective managed services strategies. It begs the question: Are the telecom giants really a competitive threat to small MSPs? I expect to find some answers later this month. Here’s why.
Top 100 Managed Service Providers: Setting Expectations
Posted February 2nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Before we unveil the MSPmentor 100 during a Webcast on February 11, I wanted to set your expectations: The report is more comprehensive this year — covering new topics like Master MSPs. However, quite a few managed service providers that appeared on last year’s list are not on the new list (2008-2009). Here’s why we saw such dramatic changes…
