MSPmentor

When RackSpace recently announced plans to offer hosted Microsoft SharePoint, it signaled both an opportunity and a warning sign for managed services providers. Is hosted SharePoint the next commodity SaaS service. Yes and no. Here’s why.

Read More >

Blink an eye and you may miss the latest managed services merger and acquisition news. This one involves Waypoint Solutions Group and Carolina Computer Network Solutions merging their businesses. And more deals are coming. Here’s an update.

Read More >

The old rumor is back. Some skeptics think Kaseya is taking more and more of its business direct. Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie has written a blog to combat the rumor. In the piece, Blackie describes where Kaseya works with partners and where Kaseya expects to work directly with customers. So what’s the strategy? Here’s some perspective.

Read More >

As predicted, last week Google launched Buzz, a Gmail-native social network built to potentially compete with Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately for the search giant, some excited users seem to have turned sour on Buzz because Google is still sorting out the systems’ privacy and  usability features. Here are some perspectives.

Read More >

The MSPmentor 100 consumed most of our team’s efforts this week. There were numerous MSP-oriented blog entries we would have written — if only there were more hours in the day. Here are seven managed services blog posts we didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Feb. 12, 2010.

Read More >

For the second time in recent weeks, Kaspersky Lab executives are hinting that the endpoint security company is looking to work more closely with managed services providers. Here are the details.

Read More >

Eucalyptus Systems, the open-source cloud platform vendor that’s positioned itself as the free, private alternative to Amazon Web Services, told me they were going to spend most of 2010 looking for new business opportunities. It looks like they’ve found one, as they announce a partnership with Terracotta to provide enhanced data scalability and application performance for enterprises using their private cloud. Here’s the scoop.

Read More >

Jason Evans has big plans. As president and CEO of PEQ Services + Solutions, Evans is developing a long-term plan to grow the managed service provider’s revenues to $100 million, up from an anticipated $60 million in 2010. Evans shared some of PEQ’s strategy in a FastChat video with MSPmentor.

Read More >

mindSHIFT, which landed atop our third-annual MSPmentor 100 survey, appears to be considering another acquisition. A potential deal could be announced by mid-year. mindSHIFT CEO Paul Chisholm shares some clues about where the company is heading in this FastChat video with MSPmentor…

Read More >

When we compiled our latest MSPmentor 100 survey results, I was surprised to see 18.2 percent of survey participants consider their companies Master MSPs. I must concede: I’m skeptical of that figure. It sounds somewhat inflated to me… like a stretch goal that many MSPs have yet to fulfill. Here’s an update on the Master MSP market, including a FastChat video conversation with Do IT Smarter President Lane Smith.

Read More >

Consider the following scenario: Your company participated in the MSPmentor 100 survey, but didn’t appear in the final MSPmentor 100 list. Is there still a way to find out your ranking compared to other MSPs surveyed? Absolutely. Here’s how.

Read More >

Roughly four or five managed service providers are merging to form a national MSP in Australia. I’ve got quite a few of the details, including a FastChat video with one of the executives involved in the deal. At least two of the companies are on our MSPmentor 100 list. I’m about to catch a flight, but when I land I’ll be back with more details — including that MSPmentor FastChat video.

Read More >

When the third-annual MSPmentor 100 report debuts later today, you’ll notice that the list includes numerous managed services providers outside of North America. More than 25 percent of survey participants represented MSPs from Europe and Australia, among other regions. So, how will we put the spotlight on MSPs outside of North America? Here are some quick thoughts.

Read More >

The third-annual MSPmentor 100 list is now live at www.MSPmentor.net/top-100-msps. A complete PDF report will debut at 9:00 p.m. eastern today. You’ll notice plenty of changes to the top 100 list this year vs. previous editions. No doubt, 2009 was a challenging year for many managed services providers. But there was plenty of good news, too. Here are some quick stats and items to consider from this year’s MSPmentor 100.

Read More >

Two things are competing for my time and attention today: A blizzard here in New York, and the launch of the third-annual MSPmentor 100 — which debuts at 2:00 p.m. eastern today during our special webcast. How will I escape from the blizzard to moderate the webcast? Here’s the answer…

Read More >

A heads up to European VARs and MSPs looking to get into the SaaS (software as a service) market. You’ve got new competition from Orange Business Services, the managed communication services arm of European communication giant France Telecom. Orange has been granted “approved reseller” status for Microsoft Online Services. It’s a significant move from two huge companies. Here’s some perspective.

Read More >

For the second time in recent days, a major service provider is pointing to growing cloud revenues. Specifically, Terremark Worldwide’s cloud business climbed to a annualized revenue run rate of $17.2 million during the company’s December-ended third fiscal quarter. Here’s a look at the news.

Read More >

Where is the hardware as a service (HaaS) market heading next? My best guess: The point of sale (POS) industry, where retailers want to focus on business rather than purchasing and owning point of sale devices. One recent deal, involving Island Pacific and First National Technology Solutions, offers some clues about how managed service providers are moving deeper into the retail market.

Read More >

Our third-annual MSPmentor 100 list and report — tracking 100 of the world’s most successful managed service providers — will debut February 10. Check our MSPmentor 100 center for details, or join our special webcast at 2:00 p.m. eastern on February 10. The MSPmentor 100 is a global survey, and we’ll be putting an extra-bright spotlight on international markets such as Europe and Australia this year.

Read More >

MSPmentor recently noted that Best Buy is getting into the remote managed services game. The question then became: How can traditional MSPs best compete with a retail giant that has thousands of Geek Squad “agents” and massive marketing muscle?

Read More >

If the rumors are to be believed, Google’s Gmail is getting a Twitter-like status update feed as early as this week. Here’s the scoop.

Read More >

Nasuni is cultivating resellers and MSPs to help market its newly released cloud storage gateway offering. The venture-backed startup this week emerged from stealth mode to reveal its Nasuni Filer, a virtual appliance that sits in VMware. Here are some more details.

Read More >

At first glance, VMware’s cloud strategy can be difficult for MSPs and VARs to get their arms around. And this week’s VMware Partner Exchange conference will generate a lot of noise from scores of VMware cloud partners. But what do aspiring partners really need to know? I think I can sum-up VMware’s cloud strategy in roughly four sentences…

Read More >