MSPmentor

Microsoft is preparing a Windows Azure Appliance for large service providers and big hardware partners that want to offer customers private clouds. But the appliance is not designed for small MSPs to run within their own data centers. Instead, it sounds like small MSPs will need to partner up with big service providers and large integrators to potentially leverage the Windows Azure Appliance. Here’s why.

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At Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC10), Microsoft unveiled Windows Intune Beta 2, the latest test release of the company’s remote management platform. With Beta 2, MSPs can now more easily jump from one managed customer account to the next, Microsoft says, But will Microsoft make an aggressive managed services push with Windows Intune? Here are some perspectives.

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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is set to take the stage in a few minutes at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC10) in Washington, D.C. Roughly 14,000 attendees — including 9,500 channel partners — are at the event. Ballmer is expected to rally those partners around Microsoft’s All In cloud computing strategy, which includes Windows Azure, BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite) and new offerings like Windows Intune. Update: MSPmentor’s sister site, The VAR Guy, has a recap of Ballmer’s keynote here. You’ll find complete Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference coverage at www.thevarguy.com/tag/wpc10 and www.mspmentor.net/tag/wpc10 throughout the week.

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Is Japanese tech giant Fujitsu going to offer Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud platform within its data centers? A Dow Jones Newswires report came out suggesting just that. And yes, Microsoft and Fujitsu confirmed pieces of the story today during the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC10). Here are the details.

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IT solutions provider American Integration has announced that it’s replacing its SilverBack monitoring tools with a Nimsoft On Demand SaaS deployment. The former is owned by Dell, and the latter by CA Technologies, which means this is a small-scale victory in a large-scale battle for MSPs and the IT channel. Here are some perspectives.

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Every infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) provider claims to be different from all the rest. But when a company like Artisan Infrastructure comes along with a “wholesale” approach to IaaS seemingly designed specifically for MSPs, we take notice. Here’s why.

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As the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC10) kicks off today in Washington, D.C., there’s growing buzz about Windows Small Business Server gaining new cloud computing capabilities. But is there really a place for Windows Small Business Server in the age of cloud computing? And will managed services providers (MSPs) link SBS to the cloud? Here are some perspectives.

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Vacation is over… time to get back on the road for Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC10), HostingCon and the Avnet Partner Summit. But before I head to the airport, here are seven managed services blog entries MSPmentor didn’t have time to write for the week ending July 9, 2010.

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Certeon Inc., which provides WAN optimization software, has big plans for MSPs and other channel partners. The Burlington, Mass.-based company is setting up distribution agreements in North America and Europe and plans to announce a channel program later this month. Here’s a strategy preview.

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Businesses that have adopted managed security services are poised to boost their spending on those services over the next 12 months. That’s the gist of recent research from Enterprise Management Associates. Here are the details.

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If you’re an MSP, or an SMB and you’re still waffling on how to make cash in the mobile market, there’s some optimistic news afoot. Jason Ting, an App Store developer who created a simple iPhone 4 LED Flashlight app made $1,372 in revenue using iAds. That’s not a ton of money but Ting’s example offers an interesting case study for those who want to understand how to potentially generate mobile app revenue. Here’s the deal…

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If you thought MSPmentor was done talking about freemium, think again. Internet security vendor Websense has launched DLP (data loss prevention) for Download, a product that’s free to their channel partners for the first 30 days. The move somewhat reminds us of a similar strategy over at Sophos, which offers DLP for free with its endpoint security solution. Here’s a closer look at DLP trends.

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Network management specialist GroundWork Open Source (GWOS) today launches version 6.2 of GroundWork Monitor Enterprise, bringing role-based views to the table — a feature the company says is aimed squarely at the managed services community. Here’s the scoop.

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Want to steal some secrets to sales success from two of the world’s most successful managed services providers? Our next MSPmentor Live Webcast (July 21 at 2:00 p.m. eastern) should do the trick. The topic is 5 Sales Tips From Two MSPmentor 100 Companies. Here’s a look at what we’ll cover during the webcast, plus some background on each one of our guest speakers.

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Managed services have emerged as a popular way for companies to reduce both cost and IT footprint. But here’s the irony: The very traits that make managed services so compelling have also started to make margins shrink for services providers, according to Gartner, the research firm. Here are the details.

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When the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference kicks off July 11, Intel will spend considerable time speaking about a Hybrid Cloud Pilot Program. If it works as advertised, the Intel Hybrid Cloud will allow MSPs to provide on-premises servers to end-customers on a pay-as-you-go basis. In some ways, the Intel effort reminds us of Hardware as a Service (HaaS) options promoted by companies like CharTec. Here’s a look at the Intel Hybrid Cloud strategy.

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Intronis has added a new local backup feature and new portal upgrades to their existing portfolio for MSPs. Plus, we hear the company may be close to announcing a new channel chief hire. Here are some quick details about both efforts.

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When the HostingCon 2010 conference kicks off July 19 in Austin, Texas, we expect to see a convergence of managed services providers (MSPs) and hosting providers. And yes, plenty of news will surface HostingCon as well. One prime example: BackupAgent is set to launch new release of their flagship product, including integration with Kaseya. Here are the details.

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Let’s pretend you want to build a Rolodex containing the world’s top managed services experts, coaches, entrepreneurs, sales pros, executives and community managers. Interested? Then please participate in our third-annual MSPmentor 250 Survey. Deadline for participation is July 23. We’ll follow-up with a free MSPmentor 250 report in August 2010. Here’s why you want to jump into the survey right now.

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Microsoft has launched the “Deploying Business Productivity Online Suite” page, designed to be a self-described one-stop shop for resellers old and new of their SaaS (software as a service) applications like Exchange Online and SharePoint Online. It’s a small but significant move in Microsoft’s fight with Google Apps to ensure the loyalty of the IT channel. Here’s the scoop.

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Consider this a public service announcement for MSPs administrating a fleet of Apple iPhone’s and a Microsoft Exchange Online deployment: any device running iOS 4.0 needs a patch to continue using ActiveSync. Here are the details.

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When it comes to managed print services, Xerox has branded around its PagePack initiative. But the printer and copier giant also is developing new software tools to help end-customers and MSPs better manage their printer fleets. The latest move involves new software called Xerox Print Advisor. Here are some details.

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As MSPs and VARs turn their attention to the mobile world, some solutions providers are wondering which platform to develop for first: Apple iOS (for iPhone and iPad) or Google Android? A recent Appcelerator developer survey provides some potential clues to help you prioritize your own mobile development efforts. Here are the details.

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