MSPmentor

Question: If you’re a managed service provider that resells laptops and other hardware to your customer base, how do you promote your company brand over the hardware maker’s brand? The answer comes from MJ Shoer, president of Jenaly Technology Group, a managed service provider in New Hampshire.

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Here’s a smart move involving Architel, a managed services provider in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Architel says more than 10,000 users now depend on the company’s outsourced IT support services. Question: When was the last time you took a moment to brag (responsibly) about customer trust and company growth?

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How can managed services providers formulate merger and acquisition strategies? We’ll find some answers during our next MSPmentor Live webcast, scheduled for February 10. Two CEOs representing top MSPs will discuss their M&A objectives during the webcast. Plus, we’ll unveil the third-annual MSPmentor 100 list during the discussion. Here’s what else we’ll cover.

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Talk about timing: BlueLock, which will land on our third annual MSPmentor 100 list later this week, has unveiled a CloudSuite platform at the VMware Partner Exchange conference. Here are some preliminary details, and the implications for managed services providers.

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Forgive me for being distracted (again). Our team is busy polishing and posting the MSPmentor 100 report onto a hidden section of our website. The complete report debuts Feb. 10, shortly after a webcast on the topic. In the meantime, here are seven managed services blog entries our team didn’t have the time to write for the week ending Feb. 5, 2010.

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A government program rolling out this year provides financial incentives to physicians and hospitals that adopt electronic health records. MSPs may benefit as well as healthcare organizations scramble to meet the program’s deadlines. But this isn’t a run toward easy money. MSPs that chase the healthcare dollars are going to need some key skills and relationships.

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In preparation for next week’s third-annual MSPmentor 100 report, I reached out to PEQ Services + Solutions President and CEO Jason Evans for an update on the company’s 2010 strategy. When we spoke earlier today about PEQ’s managed services growth, Evans offered several key insights — including three anecdotes that surprised me.

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To follow the ideas I presented in my January blog post, Getting Ready for the Rebound, we’re all looking to do more with less in 2010. That’s easy to say, but executing the concept in your day-to-day-operations can be a challenge. Here are nine questions you need to consider as you strive to make your business more efficient.

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We’re officially in the cloud bubble. Plenty of money continues to flow into the cloud market. Some businesses will succeed. Many will fail. We — many readers and the media — are forgetting the lessons of the dot-com and ASP (application service provider) bubbles. It’s time to get back to discussions about profits, earnings and financial fundamentals. Fast. Here’s why.

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Sometimes I jump to the wrong conclusions. A few weeks ago, when the MSPAlliance said there was a potentially “urgent” tax issue facing Florida managed services providers, I dismissed the report because sometimes I think the alliance cries wolf. But to the MSPAlliance’s credit, there’s now a healthy, growing discussion around MSP taxation in certain states. Here’s the update.

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Google is pushing ever so slightly into the remote management market. Specifically, enterprise administrators can now use Google Apps to remotely manage a growing number of smart phones — like the Apple iPhone, Nokia E series, and Windows Mobile devices. Here’s how.

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Savvis Inc. has a message for anyone doubting the cloud computing market: Check out our cloud revenues. Although still a small portion of Savvis’s business pie, cloud revenues at the company  nearly doubled in 2009 — getting a boost from new customers and existing media industry clients. Here’s a closer look at Savvis’ cloud revenue trends.

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Merger mania continues in the managed services market. The latest example involves PEQ Services + Solutions of Miamisburg, Ohio, merging with Buchanan Technologies of Dallas, Texas. The resulting MSP will have $60 million in annual revenue and 500 employees worldwide. Here’s a closer look.

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Sometimes broad business discussions relate pretty darn well to the managed services market. A prime example: Marketing guru Mary Schmidt says there are three types of people that every start-up needs to employ. Her points definitely relate to aspiring MSPs. Let’s take a look.

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Gillware has a rather intriguing recommendation to help MSPs drum up business: The company says you should hook up with an accountant, and provide the CPA with a free-for-life managed backup/online backup solution for their QuickBooks financial files. How can that lead to more recurring revenue? Here are some clues.

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A lack of focus on sales is a common error I see a lot of small MSPs make. Heck, most have no dedicated sales staff or sales plan whatsoever. The standard way of doing business is to wait for the phone to ring and hope for new business. This is a mistake. All great businesses are built with a strong sales attack.

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We’re careful not to hype the managed services market. Not everyone succeeds. But anecdotal evidence reinforces the fact that the managed services industry continues to grow. The latest example comes from Nimsoft CEO Gary Read’s personal blog, and some follow-up emails with MSPmentor.

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Back in October 2009, some MSPs were chatting up ChannelCloud, a forthcoming platform that may help VARs and managed services providers provision cloud and SaaS applications. Fast forward to the present and there are signs ChannelCloud is nearing an official launch.

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Cloud storage vendor Nomadesk has launched a partner program, providing VARs a solution to integrate off-site backups into desktop operating systems as if they were additional hard drives. Here are some details about the program.

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Even as the managed services market expands, the world shrinks. A case in point: MSPs located in Europe and Australia are beginning to network with one another through HTG Peer Groups. Here are some perspectives, including views from HTG President Scott Scrogin, who recently returned from a series of MSP-related meetings in Australia.

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Where did the top managed services providers find new customers in 2009? The surprising answer: Many of the best performing MSPs secured revenue in 2009 from target customers that had previously said no in 2008. Want more sales and business tips? Join our next MSPmentor live webcast, scheduled for February 10 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. Here’s what we’ll cover.

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I’ve gotta admit: I don’t listen to many of the messages from Washington, D.C. Instead of worrying about what the government is going to do for our small business, I worry about what our own management team is going to do for our business. Still, President Obama’s Small Business Jobs and Wages Tax Cut caught my attention. I wonder: Will it really benefit MSPs and their small-business customers?

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Is your web-based management platform easy to use and simple to navigate? Can you identify problems and inefficiencies at glance? Can you quickly find the information you need? 
If not, then your software is costing you both time and money. Here’s why.

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