MSPmentor

Integra Telecom, the Oregon-based business telephone and Internet service provider, has appointed Ken Worcester its new vice president of indirect sales. Translation? Worcester is Integra’s new channel chief. The move signals Integra’s effort to promote cloud-based services through the channel.

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Vembu Technologies, which promotes an online backup service to MSPs, has acquired Cloud Nucleus, a data protection software developer. Plus, we’re hearing rumblings about several other managed services-related deals that are expected to impact the industry over the next few days.

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I’m not suggesting that tablet computers represent a big managed services opportunity. But I do believe MSPs will need to adjust their service level agreements (SLAs), customer contracts, and mobile device management (MDM) efforts to include tablet devices and smart phones going forward. The latest evidence: HTG Peer Groups, a member organization that includes scores of VARs and MSPs — is ramping up to support Apple iOS, the core operating system for iPhones and iPads.

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DATAFORT, a managed service provider throughout the U.K. and United States, has launched HI-5 — a business continuity service for customers running Microsoft Exchange. Yes, the market for Exchange-related disaster recovery services is quite crowded. And some folks worry Microsoft Office 365 (with Exchange Online) will squeeze demand for managed services built around Exchange. But in reality, there’s an opportunity for MSPs to protect on-premise Exchange systems for years to come.

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Averiware and GreenAppX are partnering to promote a range of SaaS and cloud applications to service providers. The move could allow VARs and MSPs to more effectively promote SaaS-based business applications to end-customers. Here’s the background.

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Roughly 1,500 VARs and managed services providers are expected to attend the IT Nation Conference (Nov. 9-11, Orlando, Fla.), hosted by ConnectWise. But if you take a close look at the crowd this year you’ll notice something new: Non-ConnectWise customers also are invited to attend the event. Here’s the background.

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So, you’re a managed services provider (MSP) that’s set to buy or sell a business. Once the details are hammered out and the deal is official, only three words matter: Focus, integration and execution. Plus, it’s critically important for the seller to think of a merger or acquisition as a starting line rather than a finish line. Here’s why.

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Tigerpaw Software Inc. has partnered with two major payment processing providers — BNG Holdings and FTNI — to launch a real-time integration payment program called Livebridge. The result: IT service providers running Tigerpaw’s business management software can accept credit card payments in a range of ways.

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Several new positions have surfaced on the MSPmentor Job Board — including opportunities for small business IT consultants and managed services sales experts. Here’s a quick look at the latest positions advertised on our job board.

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The key to every successful business is finding a niche. For Switchfast Technologies that niche started in Chicago, where the company began handling IT infrastructures for non-profits, from setup to support, in 2001. Fast forward to the present and Switchfast has landed on the Inc. 5000 — which ranks the fastest-growing private U.S. companies — five years in a row.

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Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), the international managed services and technology solutions service provider, has signed a five-year contract with Ingalls Shipbuilding to provide Ingalls with IT infrastructure managed services. The Ingalls win surfaces a few weeks after CSC disclosed some managed services setbacks in an SEC filing. So, is CSC back on track with managed services?

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The Cisco Cloud Partner Program continues to attract a range of VARs, MSPs and cloud services providers. But what exactly is the cloud partner program — and how does it help channel partners to focus their cloud strategies? Cisco executives answer those questions — and more — in this MSPmentor FastChat Video.

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Compared to a lot of businesses, Nimsoft (my employer) is in a unique position in that we sell to two core markets, with hundreds of enterprise customers and hundreds of MSP customers. Over the course of my eight years with the company, I’ve worked quite a bit with executives in both markets, and that vantage point has helped me gain some insights into what makes a successful MSP/client relationship.

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It’s no big secret that the learning curve in corporate America has been growing exponentially steeper for the past several years. What seems to be light-speed changes in technology, business process, the national and global economy, and the general climate in which companies must compete can leave even major corporations with fully staffed training departments coming up short of breath. Now imagine how your SMB customers feel.

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Videoconferencing and telepresence are pushing beyond the enterprise and filtering down into the small and midsize business markets. For example, Infonetics predicts enterprises will spend $5 billion on videoconferencing and telepresence systems by 2015, and Frost & Sullivan forecasts the web conferencing and collaboration market will reach $4.12 billion by 2014.  But videoconferencing software provider Nefsis says increased spending by SMBs will play a major role in all that growth. The big question: Can MSPs generate recurring monthly revenues from video?

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Autotask has confirmed that Senior VP Jay McBain is exiting the company later this year. On the one hand, McBain’s overall tenure at Autotask will only be about 12 months. But on the other hand, McBain made some key moves that influenced the company’s messaging and direction with managed services providers. Here’s a look at some of McBain’s moves during his time at Autotask, and some questions I have about Autotask going forward.

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Jay McBain, senior VP of strategy and market development at Autoask, is leaving the company, according to an email from CEO Mark Cattini to employees. McBain’s career move comes less than one year after he joined the PSA (professional services automation) software provider. In recent months, McBain (pictured) was driving many of Autotask’s community efforts.

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Network Instruments, which specializes in network troubleshooting and analysis solutions, has added native cloud infrastructure monitoring to its Observer Infrastructure 3.0 network monitoring solution.

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Ventana New Media, a marketing, branding and lead generation solution provider, has officially released the Ventana New Media Engine. The big question: Can Ventana help VARs and MSPs to generate more sales leads?

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Summus Software, which develops SaaS-based IT management software, is expanding its executive ranks rapidly. It sounds like the effort will include a deeper push into the managed services partner ecosystem. Here’s the update.

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