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Help Desk: On Second Thought, Is 24×7 Support Overkill?
Posted February 9th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
I rather enjoy it when a blog entry triggers multiple follow-up discussions. Back on Feb. 2, I asked if 24×7 support was the new norm for help desk support. By February 7, multiple help desk and NOC (network operations center) providers were sharing their opinions on 24×7 support. Now, Do IT Smarter CEO Lane Smith is back with three rather interesting points…
5 Reasons You’re Not Ready for Professional Services Automation
Posted February 9th, 2011 by David Bellini
Thousands of managed services providers (MSPs) and VARs have embraced professional services automation (PSA) software. But there are thousands more who have yet to deploy PSA within their own companies. If you’re not sure what to do, here are five reasons why you’re absolutely not ready for professional services automation.
Former SAP Channel Chief Pat Hume Joins GFI Software for MSP Push
Posted February 9th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
The rumors were true. Former SAP Channel Chief Pat Hume is set to join GFI Software as the SaaS and cloud company’s global channel chief, The VAR Guy is reporting. Hume’s leap to GFI Software has far reaching implications for the traditional channel and the SaaS industry. But most of all, I think Hume’s move to GFI Software is a wakeup call to big software companies that are late to the MSP game.
Former Global Channel Chief Moves Into Managed Services Market
Posted February 9th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
If the rumors are true, GFI Software has made a major hire that could shine a really bright spotlight on the managed services and SaaS markets. The rumored move involves a major software industry veteran — a former global channel chief — joining GFI to help drive the company’s worldwide sales efforts. I realize: This is only one alleged hire. But it’s the type of bold move we need to see more frequently in the managed services market.
Cox Business Promotes VoIP Managed Services to SMBs
Posted February 9th, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
Big service providers continue to sharpen their SMB focus. The latest example: Cox Business — a branch of Cox Communications — is continuing its mission to become more enticing to small and midsized businesses (SMBs). Most recently, the company said its voice services now include a managed IP PBX+ solution similar to Cisco’s Small Business Communication System. In fact, Cox claims to be the first cable provider to gain Cisco Managed Services Partner Express Certification. The certification allows Cox Business to offer its customers managed services based on Cisco’s platforms, which the company is already doing with its new voice services with managed IP and PBX+ solution in Las Vegas and Oklahoma. Here’s the update.
mindSHIFT’s Buyout of ORBIT: Four Years in the Making
Posted February 8th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Earlier today, mindSHIFT said it acquired ORBIT Systems, a managed services provider in Minnesota. But this wasn’t an overnight managed services deal. Indeed, mindSHIFT and ORBIT have spoken off-and-on about an M&A engagement for about four years, according to mindSHIFT CEO Paul Chisholm (pictured). So why is the deal finally happening now? Chisholm revealed the answer during a phone call with me about 30 minutes ago. I think his thoughts reveal the single biggest decision facing MSPs right now: Continue to march forward alone, or pursue an M&A deal in order to gain economies of scale for cloud computing. Here’s the update.
MSPmentor 100: Here It Comes…
Posted February 8th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
As you may have heard, we’re set to unveil the fourth-annual MSPmentor 100 list and report during a webcast on February 16 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. During the webcast we’ll review the MSPmentor 100 global list, as well as regional MSP leadership lists for North America, Europe, Africa and Australia. But that’s not all…
Ask a Mentor: What Should A Managed Services Contract Cover?
Posted February 8th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Each Tuesday, MSPmentor’s Ask a Mentor service publishes a reader question and invites you to weigh in with recommendations. This week’s question comes from a reader in Western Massachusetts, who wants to know more about managed services contracts and service level agreements. Here’s the question and our reply…
Managed Services Acquisition: mindSHIFT Buys ORBIT Systems
Posted February 8th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Say hello to the ninth managed services acquisition that MSPmentor has spotted so far in 2011. The latest deal involves mindSHIFT Technologies — a perennial MSPmentor 100 company — acquiring ORBIT Systems, a managed services provider (MSP) in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. This is mindSHIFT’s second MSP-related acquisition of 2011. Here are some initial details.
N-able: CEO Garbutt Embraces CIOs as N-central 7.2 Arrives
Posted February 8th, 2011 by Matthew Weinberger
At first glance, N-able Technologies is marching forward with its traditional business strategy — launching N-central 7.2 to help managed services providers (MSPs) better serve their customers. But take a closer look and you’ll find N-able CEO Gavin Garbutt (pictured) evangelizing managed services and IT automation to the the CIO community. But don’t worry: N-able isn’t pursuing direct sales into the corporate IT market. Instead, Garbutt continues to connect the dots between MSPs and mid-market corporate IT opportunities. Here’s how.
Zyrion Expands to Cloud Infrastructure Monitoring
Posted February 8th, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
The SMB channel is flooded with remote monitoring and management (RMM) software options. But Zyrion prefers to focus on larger managed services providers (MSPs) and customers with expansive data centers, notes CEO Vikas Aggarwal (pictured). Next up, Zyrion is making a push toward cloud infrastructure management. Here’s the update.
Where MSPs Fit in the Cloud Security Conversation
Posted February 7th, 2011 by Dan Dufault
Some industry pundits says there’s no critical information yet stored in the cloud — and that cloud security in many ways today is largely unnecessary. I guess those pundits overlooked all the Fortune 500 companies that now keep their payroll, talent recruitment, internal HR, CRM and more in the cloud. I don’t know about you, but I would consider information about my people, their salaries, potential hires and my customer base pretty critical. So how can MSPs lock down that information for customers?
24×7 Help Desk and NOC Support: Deeper Perspectives for MSPs
Posted February 7th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Last week I mentioned a few software companies that were shifting to 24×5 and 24×7 support for their managed services partners. To further the discussion I reached out to NOC (network operations center) and help desk providers to see if 24×7 support is now a requirement for MSPs and their end-customers.
Northgate Managed Services Seeks 100 Aspiring MSP Experts
Posted February 7th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Northgate Managed Services, based in the United Kingdom, is seeking to train more than 100 students and young adults to enter the managed services market. The effort involves an IT Apprenticeship Scheme in five regions across England, according to a company press release.
TruMethods Prepares to Rally MSPs in Philadelphia
Posted February 7th, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
CEO Gary Pica and the TruMethods team never seem to stand still. Indeed, TruMethods, which focuses on managed services sales training, is preparing to host a Winner’s Circle event later this month in February. Here’s the update.
MSPs: Why 80% of Your Social Media Efforts May Miss the Mark
Posted February 7th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Here’s an eye-opening statistic: MSPmentor spends considerable time telling managed services providers (MSPs) how to leverage social media. But perhaps it’s time to rethink those efforts. The reason: 80 percent of small-business owners don’t really use use social media, according to survey results from Network Solutions and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business.
Seven Managed Services Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write: Feb. 4
Posted February 6th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Frequent MSPmentor readers already know set-up: We never have quite enough time to transform every content idea we have into a blog. So, instead of abandoning ideas we share the brainstorm here each Friday. Indeed, here are seven managed services blog entries MSPmentor didn’t have time to write for the week ending February 4, 2011.
This Week’s 10 Most Read Stories From Nine Lives Media Inc.
Posted February 4th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Okay, so officially Nine Lives Media Inc. doesn’t have a blog “network.” But we do have three blog destinations — MSPmentor, The VAR Guy and Talkin’ Cloud. For those who haven’t had time to jump across all three sites this week, here are the 10 most read stories for the week ending January 4, 2011.
CFOs: Increasingly Addicted to Opex for IT Expenses?
Posted February 4th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
During lunch with a software industry executive yesterday, I got into a friendly debate. To paraphrase, the executive thinks enterprise CIOs and CFOs will begin to shift more of their attention back to Capex (capital expense) purchases (on-premise hardware and software) as the economy improves. I firmly disagree. I think the genie is out of the bottle, and more and more IT budget will shift over time to Opex (operational expenses) like managed services, SaaS and cloud.
Kutenda: MSP Marketing Firm Prepares Push Into New Verticals
Posted February 3rd, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
The last time MSPmentor spoke at length with Mike Cooch, he was busy selling his managed services business (Everon Technology Services) to PlumChoice. But Cooch, a serial entrepreneur, always seems to have multiple irons in the fire. We were curious to know how his other business, Kutenda, has been evolving to support marketing and lead generation for MSPs. During a discussion with Cooch this week, he revealed that Kutenda is preparing to push into new verticals. Here’s the update.
Kaseya 2 Updates: What’s Home Grown and What’s OEMed?
Posted February 3rd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Earlier this week MSPmentor noted that Kaseya had launched multiple Kaseya 2 updates — including new modules for management and security. I was confused on a few points. On the module front — especially in the areas of security and storage — I wanted to determine what Kaseya had developed on its own and what Kaseya had licensed or leveraged from third-party software partners. Here’s the quick update…
Can Small MSPs Emulate NCR’s Predictive Managed Services?
Posted February 3rd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
I got a call from NCR this week. I used to cover them pretty darn closely when I was with InformationWeek… back in 1995. Still, I respect the company and I used to interview CEO Bill Nuti when he was with Symbol Technologies and Cisco Systems. But back to the story at hand: NCR is launching NCR Predictive Services — a managed service for Automated Teller Machines, self-checkout terminals, etc. NCR claims the managed service will predict failures before they happen. Sounds a little like artificial intelligence — the HAL 9000 for managed services. But do Predictive Services work? And will the technology trickle down to smaller MSPs?
24×7 Global Asterisk Help Desk: Will MSPs Call for VoIP Help?
Posted February 3rd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
As managed services providers (MSPs) consider outsourced help desk options, here’s a new spin on the conversation: There’s a new 24 x 7 help desk for service providers that focuses on Asterisk — the increasingly popular IP PBX platform. Here’s the background for MSPs that are pushing into VoIP and unified communications, but may need some extra support.
