MSPmentor

MSPmentor’s bloggers had their hands full covering a range of events in recent days, including the Tigerpaw User Conference in Dallas. Alas, we were so busy running to flights that we didn’t have time to write the following seven managed services blog entries for the week ending Oct. 8, 2010. Take a look…

7. Linking Up: eFolder, the online backup white label service for VARs and MSPs, says it now integrates with ConnectWise. I think it’s safe to expect more integration news as the ConnectWise IT Nation (Nov. 4-6, Orlando, Fla.).

6. New Release, Expanded Audience: Tigerpaw Software, as expected, unveiled Tigerpaw 11 during its user conference. The platform is designed to let VARs and MSPs better manage their customer engagements, accounts, quotes, service orders and invoices. Meanwhile, RMM (remote monitoring and management) software companies attending the Tigerpaw conference discovered that Tigerpaw’s user base extends beyond the traditional PSA (professional services automation) market, with a particular emphasis on telecom VARs and audio/video support specialists.

5. Printing More Money?: The managed print services market will reach $68 billion by 2014, up from $20 billion in 2008, generating a 22 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2009 to 2014, predicts the Photizo Group, which runs a series of managed print services conference. Eager to cash in on MPS growth, HP recently announced some partner enhancements, but another set of research claims Xerox controls roughly 50 percent of the managed print market.

4. European Cloud Prize: Microsoft and Avanade Cloud Lab are offering United Kingdom customers a chance to win roughly £80,000 worth of cloud services. Predictably, the contest involves Windows Azure cloud deployments.

3. Don’t Sell Short: I spoke recently with an MSP entrepreneur who says his recent company sale fetched 1.5 times recurring revenues. The executive looked me in my eyes as he described the 1.5 times multiple, which was an up-front payment, he added. The CEO declined to have his name and company published, but he wanted peer MSPs to know that you can fetch a higher premium than MSPmentor had recently reported.

2. Cloud Hype: Gartner says cloud computing and 3D flat-panel TVs have reached the peak of the research firm’s hype cycle. If true, cloud computing’s next step is one of “disillusionment” as cloud will likely fail to live up to its hype…

1. Looking Ahead: We’re now turning our attention to the McAfee Focus conference (Oct. 12-14, Las Vegas). We’ll be watching closely to see how McAfee adjusts its partner program and attempts to strengthen community amid Intel’s move to acquire the security software provider.

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