MSPmentor

Just when I was set to unplug for the weekend… this nugget of news hit my inbox: eCommerce Industries, Inc. (ECi) has acquired FMAudit, LLC, a managed print services specialist in Jefferson City, Mo. This is the second major merger or acquisition involving managed print services so far in 2011.

Read More >

We’re coming down the home stretch. The MSPmentor team is nearly done blogging for this week — though we’ll be back online if we spot any big, breaking news. In the meantime, here are seven managed services blogs the MSPmentor team didn’t have time to write for the week ending March 11, 2011.

Read More >

Some of our readers spent this week in Orlando, Fla., at the XChange Solution Provider conference. But in the virtual world we had another busy week at MSPmentor, The VAR Guy and TalkinCloud. We realize: Some readers don’t have time to track all the conversations across all of our web sites each week. So, here are the 15 most read channel blog entries across our channel blog network for the week ending March 11, 2011.

Read More >

As businesses continue to focus in on their core competencies, streamline operations and ensure business continuity, the pressure and willingness to outsource a wider range of IT functions is increasing. This trend is evident for organizations of all sizes, and presents a growing opportunity for both established service providers as well as new entrants looking to expand revenues through offering a variety of services related to remote IT infrastructure monitoring and assurance.

Read More >

The week of March 14 will be packed with travel for many VARs and managed services providers. Quite a few MSPmentor readers are heading to the Channel Partners conference in Las Vegas. But MSPmentor will also keep a close eye on the Intermedia Partner Summit in New York, where roughly 80 to 120 MSPs and channel partners will evaluate new cloud strategies — including hosted PBX services. Here’ what to expect.

Read More >

CharTec started out as a hardware as a service (HaaS) specialist for MSPs. But the company, backed by ConnectWise Capital, is moving into multiple new markets. One recent example involves CharTec working with Outreach Agents, which got its start in the telecom market but is pushing hard into managed services. Here’s the update, including perspectives from CharTec CEO Alex Rogers (pictured).

Read More >

As the Autotask Community Live conference approaches (May 22-24, Miami), there are clear signs new CEO Mark Cattini (pictured) is putting his own stamp of leadership on the company. A quick look at the agenda shows continued synergies between CEO Cattini and Chief Visionary Officer Bob Godgart. But a deeper dive also reveals how Autotask and its community leadership team may evolve under Cattini.

Read More >

Ulistic is best-known for North American consulting services that assist MSPs with marketing and search engine optimization. But now, Ulistic President Stuart Crawford is expanding his company’s focus to Australia — which is a familiar theme in the managed services market.

Read More >

There seems to be a mobile app for everything these days: music, movies, Facebook, games to pass the time at work. But for managed services providers (MSPs) on the go here’s an app that may help you to manage customer contracts. Re-Evolve has developed Contracts HD for the iPhone and the iPad. What’s in it for MSPs?

Read More >

Equinix and Carpathia Hosting are pushing deeper into the managed hosting market for government, health care and financial services clientele. But this wasn’t an overnight decision. Both organizations accelerated their government hosting initiatives in October 2009 before pursuing a deeper partnership this year. Here’s the update.

Read More >

Office Depot has introduced Xerox Managed Print Services to customers in Germany, with a European MPS rollout scheduled to take place throughout the remainder of the year, according to the two companies. The move is a mixed blessing for European managed services providers. On the one hand, the Office Depot-Xerox relationship further legitimizes managed print services. But on the other hand it means small MSPs could wind up competing with a big retailer for recurring print revenues.

Read More >

A few new career opportunities and full-time positions have surfaced on the MSPmentor job board. Check the board and you’ll find several new positions for sales, marketing and technology professionals in the managed services and cloud computing markets. Take a look at the latest vacant positions or post your company’s own career openings…

Read More >

MSPmentor stirred up some debate back in February when I suggested a market share war was brewing between LabTech Software and Kaseya in the remote monitoring and management market. MSPmentor stands by that original report. But I’m always open to additional perspectives. Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie has since weighed in with some views. Meanwhile, LabTech Software CEO Matt Nachtrab has shared some deeper background about LabTech’s growth. Here’s the update.

Read More >

Whether you call it telepresence or video conferencing one thing is clear: Video continues to gain momentum in the managed services market. The latest example involves InterCall, a conferencing and collaboration services provider, partnering with Informata, a video network operations center (VNOC) provider. Together, InterCall and Informata plan to offer global VNOC services to customers. It sounds promising but I keep coming back to the same question: Can MSPs carve out a profitable telepresence niche as free and low-cost consumer video services like Skype continue to proliferate?

Read More >

Managed services and cloud computing have a wonderful upside: They generate recurring monthly revenues that can flow directly into an MSP’s corporate bank account. But a timely reminder to MSPs: Watch your bank accounts closely because SaaS and cloud commission glitches — though rare — can potentially short-change your business. One recent example involves Microsoft BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite), Telstra (the big service provider) and a few resellers in Australia.

Read More >

Finding ways to remain relevant in a cloud computing world is vital to MSP success these days. Especially when customers appear so willing to work directly with cloud service providers (CSPs). This month, I’m focusing this guest blog on how MSPs can attract and retain customers with services that securely integrate cloud-based and on-premises solutions.

Read More >

How do savvy managed services providers drive growth while improving customer satisfaction? One answer involves the tried-but-true Net Promoter score survey. Just ask CSK Technologies, which hopes to drive its Net Promoter score above 70 percent — well above the 60 percent net promoter score that most reasonably successful companies attain. Here’s some background.

Read More >

For many managed services providers (MSPs), proactively monitoring PCs and servers is old news. Looking ahead, it seems like a growing number of MSPs are expanding their focus to managed unified communications and maybe even hosted PBX services. And companies like Cisco Systems, Intermedia, N-able, NetEnrich, Parallels and Tigerpaw Software are more than happy to accelerate the trend. Here’s the update — including the latest move by NetEnrich CEO Raju Chekuri (pictured).

Read More >

APC (by Schneider Electric), which specializes in power and cooling services, is going virtual — sort of. The latest version of the company’s InfraStruxure Management Software Portfolio 6.2 includes integration with VMware vSphere 4.1. Read on for the quick details …

Read More >

The U.S. managed services market will grow from $29 billion in 2010 to $47 billion in 2015, predicts The Insight Research Corp. I’m often wary of IT market forecasts, especially since it’s impossible to predict how the economy and IT services demand will evolve four months from now — not to mention four years from now. But generally speaking, it sounds like Insight Research sees upside for MSPs as customers increasingly shift to IP networks. Here’s why.

Read More >

Dell Services has won a six-year managed services engagement with TUI Travel PLC, a European travel company that serves 30 million customers in 27 markets. The deal intrigues me for two reasons: First, it includes several core enterprise offerings that many smaller MSPs promote into the SMB market. Second, there are signs within Dell that the hardware giant is evaluating a cloud computing channel strategy for VARs and MSPs.

Read More >

Check the recent headlines and you’ll see MSP executives and staff members jumping from one employer to the next. The economy is improving. New career opportunities are opening up. And in some cases, managed services providers (MSPs) have done a miserable job providing career feedback to their team members. In short, it’s time for many MSPs to rethink how they manage ongoing performance reviews — before key staff members head for emerging opportunities elsewhere.

Read More >

At first glance, SmartNet Technology is an upstart managed services provider that supports customers in Denver, Chicago, and North Carolina. But take a closer look and the MSP is preparing a nationwide push, according to co-founder Charlie Trench.

Read More >