add a comment
ConnectWise Partner Summit: Six Managed Services Videos
Posted November 9th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
During the ConnectWise Partner Summit, MSPmentor sat down with a range of managed services experts. In the following MSPmentor FastChat videos, we covered such topics as hardware as a service (HaaS), MSP-to-MSP collaboration, sales and business development, online marketing for MSPs and email security. Here are six FastChat videos with a range of MSP industry experts…
Mu Dynamics Aims to Plug Service Testing Gap
Posted November 9th, 2009 by John Moore
Dave Kresse believes the process that service providers use to test IP services is essentially broken. Kresse, chief executive officer of Mu Dynamics, said his customers feel pressure to get new services deployed rapidly and find it difficult to keep up with testing requirements. Current approaches aren’t scaling to meet demand, he noted. So what’s the solution?
Seven Blog Entries We Didn’t Have Time to Write: Nov. 7, 2009
Posted November 7th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Our team is back home after attending the ConnectWise Partner Summit, HTG Peer Group meetings and Symantec Partner Engage this past week. Now I’m packing and leaving tonight for Cisco Partner Velocity in Paris. In between all that, here are seven managed services blog entries we didn’t have time to write for the week ending Nov. 7, 2009.
Microsoft and MSPs: Two Missed Opportunities
Posted November 6th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
For the second time in a month, Microsoft has failed to have a presence at a major managed services conference. Microsoft’s absence from the two conferences — ConnectWise Partner Summit and N-able Partner Summit — is rather surprising to me, especially when I consider recent MSP-oriented moves by Google. Still, Microsoft does plan to attend the MSPAlliance’s upcoming MSPWorld event. Here’s what Microsoft is doing wrong (and right) in the managed services market.
Google: Managed Services Shifting to Applications
Posted November 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
When Google takes the stage at the ConnectWise Partner Summit, channel manager Jeff Ragusa will deliver a key message: The managed services market is poised to expand beyond infrastructure management to application management. Regardless of your stance on Google Apps, Ragusa’s message is dead-on: It’s time for MSPs to figure out their application management strategies.
ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini: Keynote Recap
Posted November 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Standing before more than 900 managed service providers and VARs, ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini (pictured) urged the IT nation to focus on small business opportunities and long-tail IT opportunities. Here are the top 10 highlights from Bellini’s keynote, delivered moments ago at the ConnectWise Partner Summit in Orlando, Fla.
MSP Services Network: Partnering On Multiple Fronts
Posted November 5th, 2009 by Matthew Weinberger
As the ConnectWise Partner Summit kicks off in Orlando, Fla., MSP Services Network (MSPSN) is touting recent integration with the ConnectWise platform. But instead of betting her business on one relationship, MSPSN CEO Amy Luby is developing partnerships and relationships with a range of software providers and associations. Here’s an update on MSPSN’s strategy.
ConnectWise Partner Summit: Top 15 Day 1 Highlights
Posted November 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
More than 900 managed service providers and VARs are networking this week at the ConnectWise Partner Summit, which kicked off November 4 in Orlando, Fla. Here are the top 15 highlights from the first evening’s events.
Life-Work Balance: Big Theme Among MSPs
Posted November 4th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Burning out. Stretched thin. Feeling overwhelmed. Instead of worrying about their wallets, some managed service providers are starting to worry about their personal health and family well-being. During the HTG Peer Group meetings in Orlando this week, plenty of MSPs are talking about achieving a better life-work balance. Here’s how they plan to do it.
RightNow Blends CRM, SaaS and Social Media
Posted November 4th, 2009 by Matthew Weinberger
Plenty of MSPs are mulling CRM strategies. You know the major names — Salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics, Siebel Systems, SugarCRM, and plenty more. But this week RightNow has caught our attention with its CX software-as-a-service customer service platform, which blends CRM with SaaS and social media. Here’s the scoop.
Managed Services Webcast: Register Now
Posted November 3rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Please join MSPmentor for our next webcast on November 18, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. We’ll focus on real-world case studies from two prominent MSPs — Alpheon Corp. and Sabio Information Services. They’ll describe how they reduce customer power consumption and energy costs even as they boost their own margins.
Symantec: Small Biz Security Remains Relaxed
Posted November 3rd, 2009 by Matthew Weinberger
Symantec and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) have released the results of their survey of the cyber security practices and habits of about 1,500 small businesses in the United States. Not surprisingly, it shows many companies are lax in their policing of the network. Some of the more interesting data points include…
Confirmed: Microsoft Cuts SaaS Prices 33 Percent
Posted November 2nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Microsoft is slashing some SaaS prices by 33 percent, confirming a scoop from TheVARGuy.com earlier today. Sources close to Microsoft say this is the start of a SaaS price war with Google Apps, with VARs and MSPs potentially getting squeezed. But Microsoft is reminding reporters that more than 7,000 partners are building SaaS practices around Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), Exchange Online and SharePoint Online, among other offerings. Here’s the updated report from The VAR Guy.
MSP Standardization: Computer Troubleshooters Embraces NTRglobal
Posted November 2nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
The trend toward managed services standardization continues. The latest example involves Computer Troubleshooters Global LLC, which has roughly 475 managed services franchises worldwide, embracing NTRglobal‘s remote IT administration software. Here’s a look at the deal and the broader implications for MSPs.
The MSP Service Catalog: Why You Need One
Posted November 2nd, 2009 by Nimsoft Guest Blog
A very cool part of my day-to-day calendar is dialoguing with early stage MSPs. Why is it cool? Because in a prior life I worked at an early stage MSP that moved out of a teething period of losing money and operational pain to achieve long-term, high revenue, highly profitable mature operations. I am often asked about critical success factors – what were the difference makers on our path to success? While we executed many key moves (some right/some wrong), my answer to that question is always another question: What’s in your Service Catalog?
MSPmentor 100 Survey: Participate Now
Posted November 2nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Are you building a top managed services provider? Prove it: Our third-annual MSPmentor 100 survey is now open to participants. The survey is free, and managed service providers worldwide can participate. Using the survey results, we will produce the annual MSPmentor 100 report, which tracks the world’s most progressive managed service providers — using a range of financial and business metrics. Here are some more details about the survey.
Australia MSP Market: Turbulence Amid Growth
Posted November 2nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Even as the Australia managed services market continues to expand, some aspiring MSPs and solutions providers in the country are hitting financial bumps and/or closing up shop. It’s a healthy reminder — seen over and over again in the global managed services market — that a rising tide doesn’t lift all boats. Here’s what’s happening in Australia.
Trend Micro Integrating with Kaseya
Posted November 2nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Trend Micro is integrating its Worry-Free Remote Manager security dashboard with Kaseya’s remote monitoring and management tool, two sources confirm. Here’s the news, along with some bigger-picture managed security services trends involving Trend Micro and market competitors.
Microsoft Preparing SaaS Price Cuts?
Posted November 2nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Two sources tell our sister site, The VAR Guy, that Microsoft plans to make SaaS (software as a service) price cuts amid a cloud war with Google Apps. Check out The VAR Guy’s blog for a look at potential implications for VARs and managed service providers.
