MSPmentor

Terremark Worldwide Inc. has been busy of late, generating strong managed services revenue and also getting cozy with VMware. Here’s a closer look at the provider of colocation and managed services.

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The Kaseya Connect User Conference dominated my time this week. But there is additional news from across the managed services market that we still need to cover. Here are six key topics you’ll be hearing more about on MSPmentor real soon…

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During the Kaseya Connect User Conference, ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini and former managed service provider Gary Pica are walking attendees through some best practices for lead generation and sales. Bellini’s tip of the day: Put Skype on notebooks and let salespeople work where they need to work.

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When it comes to professional services automation (PSA) software, I’ve known the folks at Autotask and ConnectWise for about three years. Here at the Kaseya Connect User Conference, I wanted to spend a little more time getting to know another PSA competitor — Tigerpaw Software. James Foxall, a senior VP and co-owner at Tigerpaw, presented at the conference on May 27. Here are some of the key takeaways from his session.

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During the Kaseya Connect User Conference, Kaseya Executive VP Jim Alves gave me a preview of the company’s service desk software running on the iPhone. Here’s a quick video showing the iPhone application in action, plus some thoughts from Alves about when the application will actually ship.

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Are there lucrative opportunities in the managed security services market? SecureWorks Inc. sure seems to think so. In fact, SecureWorks’ pending purchase of VeriSign Inc.’s managed security services business brings together two entities with channel ties. Here are some perspectives on the pending deal.

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On the one hand, Kaseya remains committed to on-premise managed services software.  But on the other hand Kaseya is preparing a Software as a Service (SaaS) strategy. The secret sauce to the hybrid on-premise and SaaS strategy is Kaseya 6, a forthcoming “new product” that seeks to serve a broader range of market segments than previous Kaseya releases. I spoke with Kaseya Executive VP Jim Alves and President Mark Sutherland for more perspective.

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Even as Kaseya strives to enhance its Apple iPhone support, Kaseya President Mark Sutherland is keeping an eye on another emerging mobile platform: Google Android. Sutherland mentioned Android for five seconds or less during a Kaseya Connect User Conference session this morning. But those five seconds could preview where mobile managed services are heading next.

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Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie says the company remains committed to on-premise managed services software. But that doesn’t mean Kaseya is ignoring the SaaS (software as a service) opportunity. Although “official” SaaS details have yet to be announced, Kaseya COO Tim McMullen offered some thoughts regarding the SaaS road ahead.

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During a “Tonight Show” style discussion at the Kaseya Connect User Conference that continues now, Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie and President Mark Sutherland are offering their views on cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS), IT Resource Planning, open source, iPhone and Google Android support, and the so-called shelfware software problem in the managed services market. Here’s a recap of the session.

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More than two-dozen career opportunities are now posted in the MSPmentor Career Center. And several of the positions offer six-figure salaries. If you’re looking to make a hire — or looking for a new career — check out our free job board. It’s designed to promote careers in managed services, software as a service (SaaS) and channel-oriented positions.

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Roughly 400 managed service providers, corporate IT managers and industry partners have converged on Las Vegas for the Kaseya Connect User Conference 2009. And Kaseya is using the stage to proclaim an ERP-like shift in the managed services market. Going forward, expect Kaseya to speak a lot about four key words…

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Call it a sign of things to come: Verizon Wireless is running television ads in the US for Hewlett-Packard Mini Netbooks tied to 3G wireless services. I’m not suggesting managed service providers should run out and introduce Netbooks. But if you’re interested in hardware as a service (HaaS), there are some emerging Netbook trends you should closely track.

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Are you a managed services industry guru — or do you know one? If so, participate in our MSPmentor 250 survey — a comprehensive report that will highlight the world’s top managed services experts, executives and entrepreneurs. Here’s some more background on the MSPmentor 250 and a link to the survey.

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MSP Partners is set to debut MSP Pro — an online exam that allows managed service providers to “demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Managed Services Best Practices,” according to a press release that will hit the wires May 26.

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Apparently, managed service providers believe strongly in cloud computing. Nearly 20 percent of managed service providers already monitor and manage customers’ cloud applications — and a large percentage of MSPs plan to do so shortly, according to the latest MSPmentor online reader poll. Here’s a sampling of the results.

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I’m heading to the 2009 Kaseya Connect User Conference on May 26. Now that I’ve had a chance to study the event agenda, here are the four key managed services trends I expect to explore at the event — plus a Google technology that I think Kaseya and its rivals will need to address over the long haul.

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Despite new concerns about Salesforce.com’s growth rate, software as a service (SaaS) stocks are outperforming the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq so far this year, according to our SaaS 20 Stock Index. And a new relationship between IBM and Intuit shows where SaaS is heading next. Here’s a look at SaaS trends on Wall Street.

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Two well-known names in the venture capital industry are trying to determine if they should pump money into the managed services software market. I had a phone call Thursday with the VCs, and they expressed a mix of enthusiam and concern about MSP software providers. It was a healthy reminder that we can’t all drink the MSP Kool-Aid. Here’s a recap of my conversation with the VCs, plus some good news about technology IPOs on Wall Street.

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Midas Networks, a managed service provider, thinks it has found the magic touch in a new market. The Austin, Texas-based MSP is starting to offer customers hosted/virtualized Ubuntu Linux desktops as an alternative to Microsoft desktops. Here’s the scoop.

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Our next MSPmentor Live webcast, scheduled for June 10, focuses on Hardware at Your Service. We’ll welcome your managed services questions throughout the one-hour event. We’ll focus on the following mix of Technology and Business topics.

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Frequent MSPmentor readers know I talk and blog about the Managed Services Hype Cycle (based on Gartner’s own Technology Hype Cycle chart). All technologies go through a maturity curve (a cycle of sorts) that involves a bit of pain (or lots of pain) for customers and MSPs. Now, some folks are starting to talk about a Hosting Hype Cycle. And it’s an important discussion.

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SMC Networks has transformed its managed services strategy into shipping products. The networking company at Interop announced shipments of a managed services platform called TigerAccess. Here are some quick details.

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