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Need Managed Services Revenue? Dial An Attorney
Posted May 13th, 2009 by John Moore
Law firms, over the years, have been somewhat reluctant to shell out for technology. I seem to remember Wang VS machines — once a staple for law firm billing and document chores — holding out in legal a bit longer than other industry sectors. The same cautious view has applied to services. But adversity is proving the mother of adoption. Law firms perhaps hit harder by the current downturn than previous recessions now look to outsourcing to trim costs. This has created an opening for MSPs and cloud-based offerings in the legal market.
Join Us Today: MSPmentor Live Managed Services Webcast
Posted May 13th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Last call: If you’re looking to understand how managed service provider franchises partner with peer MSPs, join us today (May 13) for our MSPmentor Live webcast. During the one-hour webcast, which starts at 2:00 p.m. eastern, we’ll explore how MSPs are finding and partnering with each other, and how you can coordinate projects — service tickets, billing and more — between multiple MSPs.
Eating Crow, And Serving Up Facebook
Posted May 12th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook: I love to hate it. Frankly, I don’t have much time for Facebook. A few weeks ago, I told MSPmentor readers that I considered Facebook my social network for friendships, and LinkedIn my social network for business. But I’m starting to change my tune — at least a little.
Autotask: Salesforce.com Meets Facebook?
Posted May 12th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
During a quick phone chat Monday, Autotask Chief Marketing Officer Bob Vogel (pictured) caught my ear with the following statement: Autotask thinks of itself as the Salesforce.com and Facebook of managed services and IT services automation. It’s a lofty statement. And I realize Autotask faces intense competition. But Vogel’s statement got me thinking. Here’s why.
Managed Services: Using Video for Marketing
Posted May 12th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
If you’re a managed service provider seeking to leverage low-cost video marketing, blogs and other social media, steal some ideas from Scott Spiro (pictured), president of Computer Solutions Group Inc. Spiro and I met during the Ingram Micro Seismic Partner Conference, and his simple — but effective — approach to video-driven PR impressed me. Here’s a look at his strategy so far.
PR 101 for Managed Service Providers
Posted May 11th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Sometimes I get so tied up talking technology, I forget that managed service providers also like to talk about business basics — including public relations (PR) strategies. That was the case last week, when MSPs started asking me for some basic PR and social networking techniques during the Ingram Micro Seismic Partner Conference in Dallas. Here are the PR recommendations I shared.
Business Service Management, Managed Services Converge
Posted May 11th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
For the second time in two weeks, business service management (BSM) is converging with resellers and managed service providers (MSPs). The latest example involves Zyrion Inc., a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based start-up that has landed on several “up-and-comer” media watch lists in recent months.
Webcast: Join Us This Wednesday
Posted May 11th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
If you’re looking to understand how managed service provider franchises partner with peer MSPs, join us this Wednesday, May 13 for our MSPmentor Live webcast. During the one-hour webcast, which starts at 2:00 p.m. eastern, we’ll explore how MSPs are finding each other, and how you can coordinate projects — service tickets, billing and more — between multiple MSPs.
Managed Services Careers: New Job Board
Posted May 11th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
After a few weeks of quiet development and testing, we’ve overhauled the MSPmentor Career Center. The new job board is free to anyone who wants to advertise career opportunities involving managed services, software as a service (SaaS) and the IT channel. Bookmark www.MSPmentor.net/jobs and check out the MSPmentor Career Center now.
ManageEngine Blends SaaS, Managed Services and Zoho
Posted May 8th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
As the debate about managed services licensing models continues, ManageEngine has launched MSPcenter Plus Hosted, a platform that blends hosted managed services software with hosted productivity applications — including the Zoho productivity suite, which competes fiercely with Google Apps. (ManageEngine and Zoho are sister companies). If you’re not familiar with Zoho,
Pardon Our Temporary Dust
Posted May 7th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Just a quick heads up: MSPmentor will be offline briefly the morning (US) of Friday, May 8, as part of an annual software upgrade. No reason for panic. We’ll be back online in a matter of minutes. And we may even have a surprise or two on the site for you once we press the reboot button.
The Biggest Risk to the Managed Services Market
Posted May 7th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
When it comes to our own lives, high blood pressure is considered the “silent killer.” In recent weeks, I think I’ve spotted a silent killer in the managed services industry; it’s an unspoken threat that could harm both the software vendors and the managed service providers themselves.
Fortinet Targets Cloud-based Managed Security Service Providers
Posted May 6th, 2009 by John Moore
Unified threat management appliances are the Swiss army knives of IT security, housing a range of features in a single package: firewall, anti-virus, and intrusion detection/prevention systems, for example. UTM boxes were typically customer-premise equipment. Fortinet, among the major UTM providers, now aims to extend integrated security to the cloud.
Two Tips for Mid-Market Managed Services Success
Posted May 6th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
No more Mr. Nice Guy. If you’re a managed service provider targeting small and mid-market customers that have small IT staffs, here are two rather timely pieces of advice that I picked up at the Ingram Micro Seismic Partner Conference.
The Biggest Managed Services Question of All
Posted May 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Sometimes a seemingly complex question has a simple answer. For instance: If managed services is the future of the channel, how many so many resellers have yet to really thrive as managed service providers? That question came up (yet again) during the Ingram Micro Seismic Partner Conference in Dallas. I considered some data points, looked at the numbers then drew my own conclusion.
Top 10 Tips to Improve Your Managed Services Sales Process
Posted May 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
During the Ingram Micro Seismic Partner Conference in Dallas, VP Justin Crotty offered 10 tips for improving your managed services sales process. Crotty credited a specific managed service provider for the tips. Alas, I missed the MSP’s name — but I will ask Crotty for the company name shortly. In the meantime, here are those top 10 tips…
Ingram Micro Seismic: “All Is Well”
Posted May 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
It’s day 2 at the Ingram Micro Seismic Partner Conference in Dallas. Ingram Micro VP Justin Crotty is delivering his keynote to roughly 275 managed service providers at the moment. His key point, lifted from Kevin Bacon: Remain calm. All is well in the MSP market. Here are some other highlights.
Managed Services Meets Health Care
Posted May 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
You’ve heard the hype: The health care vertical remains a hot opportunity for managed service providers. But how can MSPs get started in the health care vertical? And is there a successful MSP you can emulate? I found the answers a few hours ago while speaking with Mike Jones, CEO of ETG — a managed service provider in Birmingham, Alabama, that built its entire business around health care.
Can You Partner With Peer Managed Service Providers?
Posted May 4th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
If you’re looking for new ways to partner with peer managed service providers, join us on May 13 for our MSPmentor Live webcast. During the one-hour webcast, which starts at 2:00 p.m. eastern, we’ll explore how MSPs are finding each other, and how you can coordinate projects — service tickets, billing and more — between multiple MSPs.
Preview: Six Trends At Ingram Micro Seismic Partner Conference
Posted May 4th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
In a few hours, more than 275 managed service provides will converge on Dallas for the third annual Ingram Micro Seismic Partner Conference. So, what should MSPs expect from the event? Here are six key managed services trends and developments I’ll be tracking at the event (May 4-6, Dallas).
Strong Quarterly Earnings Lift SaaS Stocks
Posted May 3rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Strong quarterly earnings from multiple Software as a Service (SaaS) stocks lifted our SaaS 20 Stock Index 5.7% for the week ended May 1. Winners beat losers, 17 to 3 — as investors sharply bid shares up at Athenahealth Inc., Concur Technologies Inc., SuccessFactors Inc., NetSuite Inc. and Ingram Micro Inc. Here’s a closer look at the weekly SaaS winners and losers.
Symantec: Two Managed Services, One Company?
Posted May 1st, 2009 by The VAR Guy
Forgive The VAR Guy for being briefly confused. Symantec announced Managed Backup Services earlier this week. But the announcement made zero mention of Symantec Protection Network (SPN), a software as a service (SaaS) platform that offers managed backup and storage. So, what’s the difference between SPN and Managed Backup Services? The VAR Guy found the answer.
StillSecure Pursues Managed Services, Channel Allies
Posted May 1st, 2009 by John Moore
Although it doesn’t bill itself as such, StillSecure has taken on the characteristics of a master MSP (managed service provider). That’s quite a transition for a company that, until recently, spent most of its time selling network security products.
