MSPmentor

Bomgar has developed remote support consoles for the Apple iPhone and Android smartphones and tablets that it plans to release in January 2012. Bomgar’s specialty is appliance-based remote support. With this expanded mobile effort, MSPs will be able to handle several support sessions at once and work with in-house and external support representatives in the same session.

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The ConnectWise IT Nation conference kicks off November 9, but most attendees are already on hand for numerous pre-conference sessions. So what’s the managed services chatter so far? Here are 10 conversations, trends, and news tips worth tracking.

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GFI Max is hosting its first-ever U.S. customer conference this week (Orlando, Nov. 8-9). The customer conference, which certainly includes VARs and MSPs, offers an important inflection point for GFI and its partners. Indeed, parent GFI Software has acquired numerous companies, and the GFI Max portfolio now includes a range of remote management, security and storage solutions. Where do MSPs fit into the conversation? Here are four questions worth asking during the GFI Max gathering.

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LogMeIn Rescue, a remote support offering, has received an upgrade. LogMeIn says the new release builds on the mobile services added to LogMeIn Rescue when it was last updated in February 2011. The biggest addition? Mobile device configuration capabilities that allow end-users to troubleshoot and secure smart devices while they’re out working in the field.

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The MSPmentor Job Board received a flood of new career postings in recent days. You’ll find newly listed opportunities in public relations, marketing and cloud services and MSP executive management. Most of the positions are scattered across North America.

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mindSHIFT, which today was acquired by Best Buy for $167 million, will accelerate its existing business strategy and remain in the market for potential managed services acquisitions, according to mindSHIFT CEO Paul Chisholm. During a phone call a few minutes ago, Chisholm (pictured) offered MSPmentor deeper insights about the Best Buy-mindSHIFT deal. Also, some quick math from MSPmentor suggests Best Buy paid about 10 times to 12 times earnings for mindSHIFT, though our math could be slightly off the mark…

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The mindSHIFT executive team, in an apparent email to customers, described Best Buy’s $167 million buyout of mindSHIFT, and the potential synergies from the deal. The memo confirms that mindSHIFT had been seeking “a new investor” for several months. MSPmentor has not directly confirmed the memo’s authenticity. But generally speaking, it looks like the real deal to me. Here’s the memo…

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Zenith RMM CEO Michael George is further distancing the company from Zenith Infotech, which recently defaulted on a bond payment. The latest move involves a private video from George to Zenith RMM partners and customers. Although Zenith RMM and Zenith Infotech continue to partner, George in the video said Zenith RMM is not encumbered by Zenith Infotech’s bond issue with debt holders. Here’s a closer look at the video.

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When Best Buy announced plans to acquire mindSHIFT Technologies today, the $167 million deal raised numerous questions about the managed services and cloud services markets. Here are the top nine questions MSPmentor will be exploring in the hours and days ahead.

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RES Software, which develops Windows Desktop management software, has launched a service provider program to assist partners with hosted virtual desktops. The RES Service Provider (RSP) program is for partners that participate in Microsoft’s SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement) program and the Citrix Service Provider (CSP) program. The addition of RES Software allows service providers to track application licenses in real-time and only pay for actual end-user usage, RES claims.

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MobileIron, a mobile device management (MDM) specialist, claims its Connected Cloud platform can now integrate with an enterprise’s existing security infrastructure in less than a hour. We’re curious to see how MobileIron backs up that claim as customers seek to manage smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices.

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For the third time in recent days, a technology company is promoting Network Access Control (NAC) as a managed security service. The latest examples involve separate efforts from NetClarity, Bradford Networks and ForeScout each making NAS moves. So, is NAC part of an accelerating managed security services trend?

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Best Buy is acquiring mindSHIFT Technologies, one of the top managed services providers in the SMB market, for $167 million. The Best Buy-mindSHIFT deal ends a major chapter in the managed services market — and begins a new one as well. Updated, 9:12 a.m. ET, Nov. 7: Here’s a closer look at the potential implications of Best Buy purchasing mindSHIFT.

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Ascent Data , a secure data center provider, is launching an encryption service called Ascent DataGuard. The service leverages technology from Certes Networks, a multi-layer encryption specialist. As MSPs prepare for 2012, encryption now seems to be a required service, rather than a “nice to have” security add-on. Here’s why.

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HEROware, a backup and disaster recovery specialist, has announced a new plan to help managed service providers increase their sales and improve their margins. It’s called the HERO-Defender+ Stimlus Plan, and it will run until the end of the 2011 calendar year. Here’s how it works.

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Xerox has offered managed print services for more than a decade. But Xerox Senior Vice President Jim Joyce sees bigger opportunities ahead. Joyce gave me an update on Xerox’s managed print services strategy earlier this week.

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Next week is packed with multiple partner conferences, including an Avnet gathering in Las Vegas, the Cloud Channel Summit in Silicon Valley, and IT Nation in Orlando. But before our editorial team hits the road, here are seven managed services blogs MSPmentor didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Nov. 4, 2011.

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LiveTime Software, which develops IT service management solutions, has launched a virtual appliance. LiveTime claims the appliance allows companies to run their own private or public ITSM cloud. Initially, the appliance supports VMware environments, but additional virtualization support is planned.

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When it comes to finding new opportunities, MSPs are pretty adept at rooting out trends and complementary technologies. But for a number of MSPs, discovering opportunities within the cloud can be as difficult as driving through a heavy fog.

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Roughly 1,600 VARs, MSPs and channel vendors are expected to attend IT Nation and related sub-conferences in Orlando, Fla., next week. Many of the attendees will be exploring new technology solutions (remote monitoring, cloud storage, etc.) and new business strategies (marketing, sales, etc.). Within dozens of vendor booths and during private meetings, you’ll hear plenty of sales pitches. But before you ink any deals, here are 16 questions every managed services provider should be prepared to ask during IT Nation.

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Presidio Networked Solutions, a managed services provider, has acquired INX Inc., a fellow managed service provider. Presidio will bulk up its staff  to over 1,800 IT pros throughout approximately 50 offices across the U.S.

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There’s now a new service provider in the Managed Network Services (MNS) sector and growing Managed Print Services (MPS) sector. Agiliant is officially open for business and is targeting customers looking to optimize their overall network performance, cut cost and improve their infrastructure visibility all through a single vendor.

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Hewlett-Packard is experiencing growing demand from managed service providers for its Discovery and Dependency Mapping Inventory Advanced Edition (DDMA). That’s according to Jimmy Augustine, group product manager of Configuration Management Database for HP Software. I caught up with Augustine to find out why more MSPs are suddenly seeing the value of HP’s DDMA solution.

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