MSPmentor

Update: We expect to publish the MSPmentor 250 report Tuesday, September 8. The report will cover the managed services industry’s top experts, entrepreneurs and executives from across the globe. This is our second-annual MSPmentor 250. You can find (A) last year’s MSPmentor 250 (B) this year’s list (when it debuts) and (C) more background on the MSPmentor 250 using the following link. Thanks to all of those who took the time to complete our nomination survey.

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The worlds of managed services and virtualization — including desktop virtualization — are converging at VMworld in San Francisco. The latest example involves Certeon launching a “Desktops as a Managed Service” effort. Here are some quick perspectives.

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Virtualization isn’t just for big businesses. That’s the message from the VMworld conference, where VMware is launching VMware Go — a web-based service that strives to help small and midsize businesses more rapidly embrace virtualization. Here are some perspectives.

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The Ingram Micro Seismic team on Aug. 31 is expected to announce plans to offer Nimsoft’s software to VARs and managed service providers targeting mid-market and large enterprises. But this isn’t just a “reseller” deal. Here are some early details plus some observations about the evolving Master MSP  and remote monitoring markets.

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You know the drill: It’s already Friday and my inbox is filled with MSP-oriented news leads, tips and chatter that have yet to land on MSPmentor’s home page. Here are seven quick managed services headlines I didn’t have a chance to write during the week ending August 28.

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Amazon Web Services this week launched a beta of its Virtual Private Cloud offering and at least one analyst believe the more will shake up the enterprise cloud space — potentially competing with major players like Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Rackspace and Sun Microsystems. But will Amazon also compete with Managed Services Providers (MSPs)? Here are some observations.

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I have a confession. I’ve struggled to write this blog entry for about six months. The folks at 6fusion have briefed me several times about their strategy for linking multiple third-party data centers into a federated cloud for MSPs, VARs and ISVs. Here’s a bit about the strategy and its implications for MSPs.

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Three new conversations have landed in our MSPmentor and The VAR Guy Podcast Centers. They include SaaS Security Opportunities for VARs (featuring Trend Micro’s TJ Alldridge), Cloud and SaaS-based CRM for Channel Partners (SugarCRM CEO Larry Augustin) and a Fortinet Partner Program Update (Fortinet Channel VP Kendra Krause). Check our MSPmentor and The VAR Guy Podcast Centers regularly for conversations about managed services and what’s next in the IT channel.

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Cisco Systems’ overhauled managed services partner program is set to launch September 1. I expect to have a deeper briefing with Cisco within the next 24 hours or so. But in the meantime, here are some initial perspectives on Cisco’s MSP partner strategy.

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Several new managed services career opportunities — including positions at Zenith Infotech — have surfaced on MSPmentor’s free job board. If you’re looking to make a hire — or looking for a new career — check out the board. It’s designed to promote careers in managed services, software as a service (SaaS) and channel-oriented positions.

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MSPs generally believe that colocation and managed services can play together nicely. The thinking: colocation provides a useful onramp for companies just beginning to outsource IT infrastructure and may well upgrade to managed services over time. But what about cloud services? As MSP move in that direction, will traditional managed services get on with the cloud? Or will the latter cannibalize the former? Take a look at Rackspace Hosting Inc. for some clues.

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Our next MSPmentor Live webcast is September 10 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. J0in me as we discuss small business IT security — how to sell it and manage it from afar. We’ll cove sales and business strategies for engaging small business customers, with an emphasis on SaaS vs. on-premise security-related solutions. Here are some more details.

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MSP Services Network (MSPSN), an Omaha-based Master MSP that also promotes industry collaboration, is partnering with CompTIA to develop content for three regional managed services workshops. The effort emphasizes business and financial education rather than technology talk. Here’s a look at the MSPSN-CompTIA relationship, plus a broader look at conferences and educational efforts across the managed services industry.

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As part of a strategy expected to surface August 25, Nimsoft is offering special migration incentives to managed service providers (MSPs) running Dell’s Silverback Technology platform. In at least one case, a Silverback MSP is making the move to Nimsoft. But Dell is quick to note that the company’s MSP partner ecosystem has nearly doubled since early 2008. Here’s the scoop.

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During our Aug. 19 MSPmentor Live webcast (Six Tips for Finding and Winning New Business), several attendees asked our guest speakers how they use Google Adwords to promote their businesses. Whether you’re a Google Adwords expert or a beginner, there are at least two free tools to help you develop your keyword advertising programs. Here’s how to get started.

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Upbeat forecasts about the managed services market continue. Small and midsize businesses will increase their managed services spending to $14.3 billion in 2009, up 9.2 percent from 2008, according to Techaisle. But MSPmentor continues to caution readers: Not all managed service providers are succeeding.

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Google continues to ramp up its SaaS (software as a service) partner programs. In this FastChat video, Stephen Cho, director of Google Apps Channels, hints that Google will connect the dots between the Google Apps Reseller and Google Postini partner programs.

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It’s already Friday. Again. My inbox is filled with MSP-oriented news leads, tips and chatter that has yet to land on MSPmentor’s home page. Here are seven quick managed services headlines I didn’t have a chance to write during the week ending August 21.

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The dance between user groups, IT franchises and MSP software specialists continues. The latest example involves SMB Technology Network — an organization representing roughly 650 solutions providers — stepping onto the dance floor with Virtual Administrator. Here’s the news, plus some bigger-picture trends.

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Let’s pretend you’re launching a managed services business from scratch. You have no legacy infrastructure. You’re able to choose the PSA (professional services automation) and RMM (remote monitoring and management) tools that best fit your vision. Now, my question: Would those PSA and RMM tools live on premise (in your business) or would they be SaaS/hosted?

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Say hello to Trend Micro in the managed services market. The VAR Guy hears Trend Micro is working to integrate with a range of remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools. In fact, this is more than high-tech gossip. The work is real. Here’s the scoop.

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Forgive me for the following rant, but it has been building inside of me for about a month. Our Ask A Mentor service receives numerous reader questions each week. But the one I see over and over again reads as follows: “We are considering remote monitoring and management software from vendor A, vendor B and vendor C. Which one do you recommend?” Here’s my standard answer…

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Here’s a stunning observation about the SaaS (software as a service) market: Only three publicly traded pure play SaaS companies generate sustained GAAP profits, according to Gartner Inc. Does that mean SaaS isn’t living up to expectations?

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