MSPmentor

RSA, the security division of EMC, has released a new version of its global enterprise-targeted Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Suite with over 70 new features. Here are some details.

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GreatAmerica Leasing Corp., a U.S. commercial equipment finance company, is making multiple moves to engage managed services providers, managed print experts, and VARs that participate in HTG Peer Groups. Here are some of the emerging details.

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I concede: I often blog about the fact that many SaaS applications like Microsoft BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite) don’t offer VARs and MSPs enough profit margin opportunity. But I had a rather enlightening conversation yesterday with Next Level Cafe, a managed services provider based in Minnesota. CEO Richard Anderson offered some timely perspective on the true SaaS opportunity. Here it is.

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And now for something completely different. Autotask has acquired VARStreet. The move potentially allows VARs and MSPs to have a single dashboard for managing distributor relationships and product sourcing (VARStreet) and IT services automation (Autotask). Here’s some analysis of the deal, the potential implications, and a FastChat video conversation with Autotask CEO Bob Godgart.

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There’s no shortage of cloud storage vendors willing to partner with managed services providers. All the same, a recent demonstration of Mezeo Software’s white label storage solution — specifically their integration with Windows — left me impressed. Here’s why.

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Latisys, a colocation and managed services provider, is back on the acquisition track, purchasing a Washington, D.C. area firm that provides a similar set of services. Here are the details.

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Call it a small step for the managed services market, but a significant move for the Utility Company. The Master MSP, which works with a range of managed services providers, has attracted $1 million in financing, led by BDC Capital Inc. The Utility Company plans to use the money for a mid-market push, among other things. Here are the details.

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As smartphone usage has exploded—up 55% last year in the United States (comScore)—the popularity of push messaging has increased on a parallel track. Messaging gives workers more collaborative power with immediate access to what’s new in their e-mail, contacts, calendar, and social media. Push messaging makes utilizing applications on mobile devices more convenient and consistent—factors that are sure to drive the market even further. But where do MSPs fit into this market trend?

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In an effort to allay fears about the security and privacy of the cloud, McAfee today launches Cloud Secure, an auditing and certification program to help software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers promote their commitment to secure computing. Interested? Amazon Web Services is.

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Security software vendor Trend Micro has announced that it’s retiring its InterScan Messaging Hosted Security (IMHS) platform in favor of the all-new Hosted Email Security product starting in April. Here’s what service providers should know.

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I’ve been promising this story for a few weeks. Here it is, at long last: An Australia managed services provider is acquiring four peer MSPs to form a national managed services provider. One of the MSPs involved in the deal — Tim Brewer from Accord — sat down for a FastChat video interview to explain the deal. Here’s the discussion plus some quick details about the five companies involved.

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When we were piecing together our MSPmentor 100 report in February, a regional manager from Kaseya reached out to me and asked if we could highlight some managed services trends from South Africa. I concede: MSPmentor doesn’t have that much information (yet) about the South African managed services market. But the anecdotal information we’re tracking looks pretty promising. Here’s a look at some trends, along with 12 South Africa-based MSPs that caught our attention.

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Now for something completely different. Generally speaking, advertisements on our MSPmentor job board promote career opportunities that need to be filled. But somebody — allegedly a member of our MSPmentor 250 list — has posted an advertisement offering his expertise to potential employers. That post, along with submissions promoting MSP-centric sales and technical positions — are now advertised in our free MSPmentor Career Center. Here are some quick details.

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From the South by Southwest (SXSW) convention in Austin, Texas this past weekend comes some interesting Google chatter as researcher and general social media expert Danah Boyd explained where Google Buzz went wrong and left its user base scratching its heads. Here’s what she had to say, and what services providers can learn.

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When I wrote about the wait-and-see attitude managed Exchange provider Azaleos was taking to the cloud back in December 2009, I got a lot of feedback from MSPs on both sides of the argument. I recently caught up with Azaleos VP of Marketing and Product Management Scott Gode, and he says that while the company’s not giving up on on-premises messaging by a long shot, they’ve seen a rise in demand for their managed hybrid Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) services. Here’s why services providers should care.

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We got a bit distracted this week by CA Inc.’s surprise buyout of Nimsoft for $350 million. Several other stories and deadlines slipped through he cracks. Here are seven managed services blog entries our team didn’t have time to write for the week ending March 12, 2010.

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Apple iPad pre-orders started today. I took a look at some of the peripherals Apple is offering with the iPad. And here’s a thought: Slide the iPad into Apple’s iPad Keyboard Dock, and the iPad potentially becomes a sleek thin client for your customers. Or does it? I know quite a few folks think the iPad won’t live up to its hype. But I have a suspicion the iPad will eventually evolve to complete head-on with traditional thin clients and netbooks. Here’s why.

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All Covered, a $45 million managed services specialist operating in 20 cities across the U.S., is preparing to make yet another acquisition — marking the 10th time in roughly 12 months that All Covered has made an M&A move in the managed services market, according to a company spokesman. Here’s a quick look at the strategy.

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We’ve described how electronic health records could present an opening for MSPs as healthcare providers seek externally hosted systems. But health organizations with in-house EHR systems also present a services opportunity: disaster recovery.

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This is my 1,539th blog entry for MSPmentor. Readers often ask me how I come up with content ideas. There are some obvious approaches (vendor cat fights…) and not so obvious approaches (checking the help wanted pages on Dice.com). If you’ve ever thought about launching or writing a blog for your customers and partners, here are 10 ways to find and generate new content.

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It’s finally starting to happen: mid-size to large software companies are starting to acquire small (but fast-growing) MSP software providers. So far, the buyers include CA Inc., Citrix Systems and Quest Software. The big question: When will the really big IT titans — Microsoft, Cisco Systems, HP and others — open their wallets and get into the managed services software game? Here are some educated guesses.

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Storage Guardian, the online backup provider that works with service providers, has announced their “Virtual Backup Roadmap” program, which is a fancy way of saying that they’re no longer charging upfront for transitioning a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 installation from on-premise to virtualized. Interested?

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Not every MSP can leverage the Google Apps Marketplace, and not every solutions provider has cloud applications ready to go. Enter AppsOnCommand, a new white label solution that lets you host any application and deliver it as software as a service (SaaS).

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