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Seven Questions to Ask Potential Online Backup Vendors
Posted March 7th, 2011 by Intronis Guest Blog
As a member of the Intronis technical support team, I have the opportunity on a daily basis to work with MSPs and help them build successful BDR (backup and disaster recovery) solutions for their customers. Regardless of your level of experience selling and marketing BDR solutions, it is extremely important to do your research ahead of time, compare providers, and make a decision based on how well their product is going to help you deliver value to your customer.
Seven Managed Services Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write: March 4
Posted March 6th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
I managed to unplug completely on Saturday. But there’s still some unfinished business MSPmentor needs to address. Specifically, the seven managed services blog entries the MSPmentor team didn’t write for the week ending March 4, 2011. Here they are.
In Case You Missed Them: 15 Most Read Channel Blogs, March 4
Posted March 4th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Our editorial team spent most of this week at three partner events — Cisco Partner Summit 2011, Intel Day in the Cloud and Intel Solutions Summit. Now, we’re almost ready to wrap up a 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 4, 2011.
Cisco Puts Spotlight on Managed Services Partners
Posted March 4th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Give Cisco Systems credit. Most of the noise at Cisco Partner Summit involved cloud computing. But the networking giant also put a bright spotlight on managed services providers (MSPs). A case in point: ShoreGroup Inc. was named Cisco’s partner of the year for managed service solutions for the Eastern, U.S., region. Cisco also pointed out numerous synergies between managed services and cloud computing.
Kaseya CEO: We’re Still in Managed Services Growth Mode
Posted March 4th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie sounds optimistic as the Kaseya Connect User Conference approaches (May 1-3, Las Vegas). On the one hand, I believe 2010 was a challenging transition year for Kaseya — amid the shift to the Kaseya 2 platform and growing competition from a range of established rivals and industry upstarts. But on the other hand, Blackie says Kaseya remains in growth mode, working more closely with managed services providers (MSPs) and corporate IT departments. Here’s the update.
Marketing Your Managed Services: Part 2 of 2
Posted March 4th, 2011 by Dan Kolansky
In my previous entry we examined four approaches to marketing (mass marketing; social marketing; direct to prospect marketing; and upselling current customers). But you’ve got limited time and budget. So how much should you invest in each of those four categories?
Memo From Cisco: MSPs Will Enjoy Early Cloud Computing Advantage
Posted March 3rd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
When it comes to cloud computing, successful managed services providers (MSPs) should have a leg up against traditional channel players. That’s the consensus among Cisco Systems executives who have helped to build the networking giant’s managed services channel program and cloud computing partner program. Moreover, roughly 100 MSPs that work with Cisco will instantly qualify to join the new Cisco Cloud Partner Program. Here’s the update, including an MSPmentor FastChat Video interview with Wendy Bahr, senior VP of global and transformational partnership at Cisco.
Are Hosted PBX Services Really Ready for MSPs?
Posted March 3rd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
An interesting debate has emerged at Cisco Partner Summit. On the one hand, some large managed services providers here are preparing to launch their own hosted PBX services. But on the other hand, some MSPs attending the summit say they haven’t white labeled hosted PBX services yet because current services don’t offer the right mix of features, price and performance. The debate emerges as companies like Intermedia and Parallels prepare to more aggressively promote hosted PBX services to MSPs and other channel partners.
Vblock: Catching on with Managed Services Providers?
Posted March 3rd, 2011 by John Moore
At Cisco Partner Summit, several influential VARs said they are working closely with VCE — the joint venture organized by VMware, Cisco and EMC — on Vblock, the integrated virtualization, storage and infrastructure solution. Meanwhile, there are signs that Vblock could catch on with managed services providers in Europe. The story involves Magrius, a European solutions provider and distributor that promotes vBundle, a configuration of Vblock that targets the the “low-end small to mid-sized market.”
Your Managed Services Sales Team: Stoked Or Stalled?
Posted March 2nd, 2011 by Nimsoft Guest Blog
Gritty CEOs who take the transformational journey from VAR to MSP must creatively destroy the tried and true, the old and reliable, to rebuild around the unsure (sometimes overhyped) new thing. Done right, every aspect of the business undergoes some level of re-engineering. The entire back office operation is put in play – new legal agreements, SLAs and billing mechanisms need to be acquired or built from scratch. At the front of the house, products must be developed, service catalog and SOPs created, monitoring and ticketing tools bought, compensation plans rejiggered.
Artisan, 2X Software Team on App Delivery Platform for MSPs
Posted March 2nd, 2011 by John Moore
Artisan Infrastructure and 2X Software have banded together to let MSPs deliver applications in the cloud. The recently announced arrangement expands upon ad-hoc collaboration between the companies with joint customers. Artisan contributes its virtual private data center platform, through which MSPs can build and manage public and private clouds. 2X Software, for its part, provides its 2X ApplicationServer, which the company says tunnels any Windows application or desktop to remote end user devices. The combined solution enables MSPs to deliver applications via Artisan’s infrastructure-as-a-service offering.
Market Consolidation: Four Major MSPs Per Major City Area?
Posted March 2nd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
I just ran into Jason Waldrop (pictured), CEO of Connected WorkPlace Solutions (CWPS) — an MSPmentor 100 company. We had a five-minute discussion before Waldrop participated in an SMB panel at Cisco Partner Summit. We stumbled onto the topic of industry growth and market consolidation. Waldrop thinks each major metropolitan market has room for roughly four big, dominant managed services providers — though he thinks successful, lifestyle MSPs will also find success in the market. So what steps will Waldrop take to ensure CWPS has a high-profile position in the company’s Washington, D.C., region?
NovaStor Promotes International Cloud Storage Push to MSPs
Posted March 2nd, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
NovaStor has offices in Augora Hill, Calif. But the company focused on Europe this week to promote its latest storage offerings for managed services providers (MSPs). The story begins at the CeBIT Trade Fair in Hanover, Germany. That’s where NovaStor launched NovaBACKUP xSP 12.1 for MSPs.
Cisco Channel Chief: Managed Services Still Growing Swiftly
Posted March 1st, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Cloud computing dominated most of the discussion at Cisco Partner Summit earlier today. However, Cisco Channel Chief Edison Peres (pictured, right) and Senior VP Keith Goodwin (left) reinforced the fact that Cisco continues to see rapid growth for managed services as well. In an MSPmentor FastChat Video, Peres describes just how quickly managed services are growing. And he also provides some background on how the new Cisco Cloud Partner Program leverages some key concepts from Cisco’s established managed services partner program.
Twins: Cisco Managed Services and Cloud Partner Programs
Posted March 1st, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
When Cisco Systems launched the Cisco Cloud Partner Program earlier today, I had a case of deja vu. Portions of the new cloud partner program, announced at Cisco Partner Summit 2011, look similar to Cisco’s established managed services channel partner program. That’s not a coincidence, said Cisco VP Ralph Nimergood. To further the point, Cisco invited three established MSPs (managed services providers) and VARs to describe how they are extending their businesses for cloud services.
Cisco Partner Summit 2011: Why MSPs Are Tuning In
Posted March 1st, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
As Cisco Partner Summit 2011 opens in New Orleans, most of the early chatter involves a new Cisco Cloud Partner Program that was announced 15 minutes ago. But if you listen closely enough to Senior VP Keith Goodwin (pictured), Channel Chief Edison Peres and other Cisco channel leaders, you’ll find continued momentum for Cisco’s managed services partner initiatives.
Azaleos: MSP Continues to Bet Heavily on Microsoft
Posted March 1st, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
Azaleos, the Seattle, Wash.-based MSP, continues to build a closer working relationship with Microsoft. In fact, Azaleos has once again earned the Microsoft Gold Partner status. Looking ahead, it sounds like Azaleos will help customers migrate from Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite (BPOS) to the forthcoming Office 365, among other initiatives.
