MSPmentor

Innovation drives the technology industry — and your business. But when you’re developing new cloud services and managed services, you’ve got to carefully weigh a range of factors. “Battles are won or lost even before they are fought,” goes an old saying. The success or failure of a new cloud service or managed service is quite predictable through certain parameters. Here are a few factors that affect the success or failure of your original ideas.

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Autotask Corp.‘s global strategy is now fully unveiled. After weeks of hints, the business management software provider has confirmed plans to localize Autotask’s cloud platform in at least six languages (in addition to English) across Europe and Asia.

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Our next webcast is this Wednesday (Sept. 21 at 2:00 p.m. eastern). We’ll reveal how you can deliver new customer value with the managed IT services tools you already have. Our expert guest speakers include two savvy MSPs (Rick Vines, president, Axcell Technologies; Michael Nelson, president, TLC Tech) and the always engaging Eric Townsend, SMB market development manager at Intel. During this Channel Expert Hour webcast we’ll cover best practices for customer satisfaction and retention. MSPmentor Editorial Director Joe Panettieri will be on hand to moderate the discussion and to ensure our experts answer your questions. Please join us.

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LogMeIn has cut the price for join.me pro — a potential alternative to Citrix Systems’ GoToMeeting online meeting and collaboration platform. Moreover, LogMeIn has introduced join.me pro feature enhancements. LogMeIn positions join.me as a “ridiculously simple screen sharing tool for meetings on the fly.” We’re intrigued to see if MSPs start using join.me free and join.me pro as platforms for customer meetings, IT training and group initiatives.

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Microsoft Project 2010 has been gaining momentum among enterprise companies, SMBs and system integrators for over a year now, according to Director of Microsoft Project Arpan Shah. This in spite of IT budgets shrinking for many businesses over that same time period. It made me wonder: Will MSPs embrace Microsoft Project to manage their customer engagements? I culled some insights from Shah.

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As a managed IT services provider, it’s important for your team to have strategic consulting skills and effective processes, which ultimately lift sales. Think about the following words: Proficiency. Expertise. Talent. Skill. Art. Knowledge is power. Working with the most knowledgeable and talented people on the planet is a great way to relieve stress, move your business forward, and sleep well at night.  As a business owner, working with experts whose expertise and integrity you trust is a truly magical experience. Check the box, move on to the next problem.  These guys have my back.

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Tellago Studios has developed a mobile IT management platform call Moesion. Tellago claims Moesion allows you to manage Windows-based IT systems (such as SQL Server and SharePoint) and cloud services from a host of tablets and smartphone running Windows Phone 7, Apple iOS and Google Adroid, among others. Tellago Studios CEO Jesus Rodriguez says Moesion is entering beta tests now.

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SMB customers are seeking IT partners that have mastered  business analytics, unified communication & collaboration, business process management, mobility and infrastructure alignment, according to AMI Partners. Moreover, US-based SMB customers will spend $50 billion on cloud services in the next two years, AMI estimates. Among the 72,000 channel partners in the U.S. who focus on the SMB segment, AMI says only 20% are currently proficient in two or more of the high-value competencies (HVCs). Translation: It’s time for MSPs to polish and adjust their skill sets.

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Autotask‘s new customer acquisitions (January through August 2011) are up 70 percent vs. the same period last year, according to CEO Mark Cattini. During a wide-ranging interview with MSPmentor today, Cattini (pictured) and Senior VP of Global Sales Kevin Donovan described Autotask’s strategy for continued growth. Cattini and Donovan also described their views on building community with MSPs, software partners, distributors and other participants in the Autotask ecosystem.

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I had a long conversation with Autotask CEO Mark Cattini and Senior VP Kevin Donovan earlier today. I’ll try to organize some thoughts for a blog later today. In the meantime, here are seven pieces of managed IT services news and chatter that MSPmentor didn’t have time to write for the week ending Sept. 16, 2011.

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Computer Sciences Corp. revealed setbacks in its managed IT services business in August 2011. Now, CSC is making changes. Russ Owen is stepping down as CSC’s president of the Managed Services Sector. CSC says Owen is staying on as president of strategic account development. But that sounds like creative spin. In reality, Owen and CSC have signed a separation agreement and he’ll head for early retirement in June 2012, according to an SEC filing. So, who will head CSC’s managed services push?

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A new SonicWALL MSP Advantage Program seeks to help partners drive IT security sales and monthly recurring revenues. The effort includes FlexSpend, the SonicWALL Global Management System (GMS) and the potential to create multiple revenue streams. Here’s how.

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When the Alert Logic Cloud Acceleration Partner Program (CAPP) launched a few days ago, we wanted to take a closer look. Who exactly would the cloud security partner program potentially help MSPs and VARs? Alert Logic VP of Marketing Urvish Vashi offered me some insights.

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Integra Telecom has launched new cloud-based security services for SMBs and regional enterprise markets across the United States. The move comes less than one week after Integra named Ken Worcester its first ever channel chief. Integra’s long-term goal is to create a cloud-based suite of managed, network security solutions to protect companies from malware.

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All Covered has acquired LAN Associates and PMV Technologies, two managed services providers located in New York and Michigan, respectively Also, All Covered acquired Techcare in May 2011. The company has now made 19 acquisitions in three years.

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What comes after basic managed print services for SMBs? Nuance Communications, a software company, points to document management services for small businesses. Bill DeStefanis, senior manager of MFP management in the Nuance Document Imaging Division, describes why.

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Alert Logic has officially launched the Alert Logic Cloud Acceleration Partner Program (CAPP). Alert Logic claims the partner program gives MSPs and VARs a comprehensive Security-as-a-Service portfolio for the cloud. The program is intended to help the company’s tech partners offer cloud-based, fully-managed security services and create new distribution opportunities for security vendors.

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President Barack Obama’s Jobs Act includes $447 billion in proposals. The piece of the American Jobs Bill that caught our attention: Payroll tax cuts. There has been a lot of controversy around the theory of “trickle down economics,” where tax cuts to businesses and the wealthy ultimately ripple through the rest of the economy. Without addressing the underlying pros and cons of this theory, it appears a proposed payroll tax break that is part of a larger Obama administration tax proposal may well trickle down to MSPs, and potentially boost small business hiring. As reported by University of Chicago economics professor Casey Mulligan in a recent New York Times editorial, a cut in payroll taxes could seriously stimulate hiring.

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A the MSPWorld conference in Austin, Texas, companies such as Enterhost, GoGrid and Veddio are pitching cloud partner programs, cloud referral programs and cloud dashboards for MSPs. If the efforts work as advertised, MSPs can potentially pursue a growing range of recurring revenue opportunities tied to cloud services.

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Cofio Software Inc. is targeting MSPs with the latest version of its data protection software and will soon roll out a channel program. The San Diego-based company this month is releasing AIMstor Version 2.5, which includes a Smart-Remote-Sync (SRS) feature. SRS, the company says, speeds transfer times when shuttling data over a wide-area network (WAN) for data protection, disaster recovery, or archiving purposes. SRS is geared toward MSPs that provide remote backup services.

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Much has recently been made of the increasing need SMBs have for mobile systems and services. However, some statistics from a new study by business communications provider Fonality make it clear that SMB’s need for mobility is even more pressing than the pundits are saying. We don’t want to put too much weight in a vendor-produced survey, but it still presents a powerful argument for MSPs to focus even more on mobility, branch office and home office support.

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I’m stunned. One of the biggest Microsoft critics — a true Apple Fanboy — is raving about Windows 8, which Microsoft demonstrated today at the Microsoft BUILD conference in Anaheim, Calif. Still, it’s important to keep the Windows 8 hype in perspective. We’re talking about early development code here. And a whole lot could go wrong as Microsoft tries to promote a new user interface across a range of platforms — everything from tablets to desktops. I think the biggest Windows 8 question involves the classic innovator’s dilemma: Can Microsoft really break new ground without breaking Windows?

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All the talk about the cloud over the past couple of years has obscured managed services to some extent. However, the managed services market remains in high-growth mode, and MSPs looking to increase revenues should be working hard to recruit new customers. But you’re going to need to do some education along the way.

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