MSPmentor

Do investors believe in all the cloud computing hype? The answer to that question depends on which metrics you’re using. Take a look at the SaaS 20 Stock Index, and you’ll see some rather interesting SaaS and cloud stock trends since the index launched in January 2008. Here’s the update.

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This week gave new meaning to the term “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” My flight home to New York from Denver got re-routed to Pittsburgh for a range of reasons. I wound driving home from The Steel City. Now, it’s nearly time for some family time. But first: Here are seven managed services blog entries MSPmentor’s team didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending July 30, 2010.

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Everywhere you look these days, there’s news about cloud computing — new applications, services, how the cloud will revolutionize IT, ways the cloud will help channel partners. The topics are dizzying and endless. But amid the clamor a few illuminating truths stand out for channel partners. There are plenty of opportunities ahead. There’s also plenty of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). Here’s how to tell one from the other.

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Apparently, it’s a red-letter week for Microsoft Online Services and the software giant’s All In cloud strategy. Specifically, Microsoft says The Dow Chemical Co., Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, and the University of Georgia have all inked deals to embrace Microsoft-powered productivity and collaboration cloud solutions. The big question: Will partners play a role in the SaaS engagements?

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If I seem tired, it’s because my hotel had two false fire alarms last night. All of the hotel guests, including me, had to exit the hotel twice during the middle of the night. Exhausted parents. Tired kids. Burned out bloggers. The situation could have turned ugly. But the hotel addressed potential customer complaints before the sun rose that morning. Here’s how.

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Lenovo continues to connect the dots between low-cost servers, remote management and MSPs. The latest example involves three new ThinkServers that start at under $900 but boast remote management capabilities for managed services providers (MSPs). We wonder: Will additional server vendors — like Dell and Hewlett-Packard — follow Lenovo’s MSP lead? Here are some predictions.

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Disk protection solution provider SEPATON has announced the expansion of sales operations into the Central European market, looking for reseller partners and enterprise customers alike. Here’s the scoop.

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As an IT service provider, choosing a vendor to partner with is a critical decision for your company and for your clients. There are many options available, but especially in the case of online backup, many are either flimsy consumer grade products or enterprise-level solutions that are too intensive and far exceed the budgets of your SMB clients.

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Here’s some coincidental timing: Last night I noted that Oracle was preparing to take more steps with managed services providers. Fast forward to the present, and NaviSite says it’s embracing Oracle’s Sun servers for a range of managed services offerings. Here are some of the details.

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The launch of Google Apps for Government goes beyond just answering some lingering concerns about the cloud: it marks the birth of a new SaaS battleground between the search giant and their rivals at Microsoft. Here’s why.

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Generally speaking, I don’t hear much about Oracle in the managed services market. But that could change over the next few months. At the Avnet Technology Solutions Partner Summit this week, Oracle is talking up Oracle Enterprise Manager — which offers a single dashboard for maintaining servers, middleware and applications. But that’s not all…

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LabTech Software is launching an Automation Nation conference for managed services providers and IT service companies. It’s an intriguing move, especially when you take a closer look at the event’s date and location. Here are the details.

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How can managed services providers “scale up” or “scale down” their monitoring services, especially as customers scale up and scale down their cloud and virtualized applications? Nimsoft thinks it has an answer to that riddle. It’s called “see as you go–pay as you go” unified monitoring. Here are some details and analysis.

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All Covered Inc., a nationwide IT services provider in the U.S., continues to acquire VARs and managed services providers. The latest deal involves All Covered snapping up ANALYSYS, which has offices in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., metropolitan areas. I’m not surprised by the news, considering All Covered has been calling multiple VARs and MSPs in the Washington, D.C., area, seeking to discuss potential M&A activity.

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The biggest roadblock to the adoption of cloud computing in government agencies has frequently involved privacy and security concerns. Well, Google is aiming to turn that all around with Google Apps for Government, a version of their popular SaaS productivity suite with measures in place to assure Google meets the compliance needs of the public sector. Here’s the scoop.

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Each time MSPmentor blogs about Amazon Web Services (AWS), I hear from readers who want practical, real-world examples of AWS in action. The big question: How can MSPs potentially leverage Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)? The answer: Check out what Travis Austin is working on over at MSPintegrations.

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Identropy Inc., a company that focus on identity management, began offering managed identity services a couple of years ago. Looking ahead, the company will expand its services to include a private cloud offering that moves identity management infrastructure off premise. Here are some details.

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Savvis Inc.’s growing cloud revenue is getting a boost from the financial services vertical. Company executives updated analysts during the company’s earnings call for its second quarter ended June 30. Here’s a summary of what they had to say on the managed services front and regarding the cloud market.

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This is a case where the headline says it all. A Google Apps rollout at the City of Los Angeles has missed its migration deadline, the Los Angeles Times reports. The roadblock? The Los Angeles Police Department, which is refusing to move off the old system to Google’s SaaS-based approach. Here’s why.

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Problem: Migrating Exchange or SharePoint data to a Microsoft BPOS cloud-delivered productivity suite apparently can be costly and time-consuming. Enter BPOS Experts, a New York City-based company that’s offering their BPOS Commander management and migration solution completely free. Here’s the scoop.

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I’m being pulled in two directions. On one hand the weekend is calling. But on the other hand more deadlines await me here at MSPmentor. Before I stop blogging and actually return some emails and voicemails over the next few hours, here are seven managed services blog entries MSPmentor didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending July 23, 2010.

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During this week’s HostingCon conference I noticed a rather interesting trend: A healthy number of hosting firms, telcos and ISPs seem to be turning to a specific partner — Parallels — to launch and manage new SaaS applications, everything from Hosted Exchange to Hosted SharePoint. Even Microsoft’s cloud computing team has embraced Parallels. And now, there’s chatter about major distributors giving Parallels a close look for their long-term cloud strategies. Here’s some perspective and some potential implications for managed services providers.

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The IT forecast for coming years calls for a thick cloud cover, and that’s a good thing as long as we’re not talking about the economy. IT solution providers understand that cloud computing must lower the total cost of ownership of technology while allowing clients to forego big, upfront investments on hardware and software if it is to grab hold. Do you see the cloud as a threat or an opportunity? Is the cloud value proposition getting through to clients? You would hate to have the answer be, “yes they get it” as they leave your client base and move to a competitor. Will that competitor be Microsoft or Google or will it be the mid-market players that see a huge market potential in front of them? Here’s where I see IT solutions providers heading next.

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