MSPmentor

Zenith Infotech is preparing upgrades and enhancements to assist managed services providers (MSPs) with BDR (backup and disaster recovery) storage, private cloud computing and small business video conferencing/telepresence services. The enhancements surface while Zenith Infotech continues to negotiate its debt agreements with bondholders.

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When Cisco Systems (CSCO) delivered relatively strong Q2 2012 financial results earlier today, the numbers revealed the networking giant has successfully cut costs while restoring top-line revenue and net income growth. Listen closely and you may even hear CEO John Chambers suggest Cisco is taking share from rival Juniper Networks (JNPR) in the service provider market. Here’s the chatter.

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MSP pricing — how much to charge for proactive managed services — has always been a hotly debated topic. Now, some answers: Managed services providers (MSPs), on average, are charging about $52 per desktop and $216 per server for monthly support and maintenance. The stats are from a Kaseya MSP Global Pricing Survey that I (finally) spotted. Here’s a closer look at the numbers.

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A few weeks ago I mentioned some of my concerns about the ever-growing Gartner Magic Quadrant research effort. Now, it’s time for me to reverse course — just a little — because I’m very curious about the new Gartner Client Management Tools Magic Quadrant research. The research includes Kaseya — but it stops short of covering additional MSP-centric software companies that offer remote monitoring and management (RMM) platforms. Here’s some perspective.

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After quietly selling off its VARStreet business in December 2011, Autotask is putting the public spotlight back on its international push. The latest chatter: Autotask says 500 IT channel partner customers in the United Kingdom now use the company’s SaaS and cloud platform. Autotask’s timing and wording is worth noting. Here’s why.

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As the merger and acquisition trend continues across the managed services market, I figured it’s time to weigh in with a few of my own experiences. It has been roughly five months since Penton Media (a big company) acquired Nine Lives Media (a small media business and parent of MSPmentor). The Penton-Nine Lives combo has worked out really well. But I must also concede: I’ve made my share of mistakes since the M&A deal was announced. Here are five such mistakes, and the things I’d do differently next time around.

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N-able Technologies and NTRglobal have a longstanding relationship that helps MSPs with remote control and help desk services. Now, N-able and NTRglobal are extending that relationship into the cloud.

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Don’t forget to join us today (Wednesday, February 8, 2012) for our Channel Expert Hour webcast. Two top MSPs — Data Storage Corp. and Bumi (Backup My Info!) — and Asigra will share their secrets to cloud backup. Learn how you can set your own cloud storage pricing, margins and service level agreements. But most of all: Learn the key questions Data Storage Corp. and Bumi asked while investigating potential cloud storage partnerships.

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Mobile device management (MDM) software and cloud platforms continue to flood the market. Sales of smart phones and tablets continue to rise. More than 70 percent of MSPs say they offer MDM services, according to our fifth-annual MSPmentor 100 report. The time is ripe for managed services providers to profit from MDM. Or is it?

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How’s this for ironic: Many of us in the high-tech sector work tirelessly to raise our company valuations. But sometimes lofty valuations and unreasonable expectations can destroy the very businesses we’ve worked so hard to build. Skeptical? Consider this cautionary tale involving Ziff Davis Enterprise, which spent a decade trying to overcome two unrealistic valuations (set in 1999 and 2007) that triggered lofty, insurmountable debt levels.

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Two top MSPs — Data Storage Corp. and Bumi (Backup My Info!) — and Asigra are set to share their secrets to cloud backup. Their guidance will surface during our Channel Expert Hour webcast on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Join in to learn how you can set your own cloud storage pricing, margins and service level agreements.

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The Super Bowl kicks off in 52 hours. But I’m a bit distracted, plugging away on the fifth-annual MSPmentor 100 report — which debuts Feb. 15. In the meantime, here are seven managed services blogs and MSP news stories the MSPmentor team didn’t have a chance to write for February 3, 2012.

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I received an email from a loyal reader this morning. Her message: It’s time to start filtering and censoring the LinkedIn groups for MSPmentor, The VAR Guy and Talkin’ Cloud — which are sometimes saturated with unsolicited press releases, event promotions and some reader “questions” that are thinly veiled vendor promotions. What’s a so-called forum moderator (poor old me) supposed to do?

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Datto, the backup and disaster recovery (BDR) storage specialist, has a concise message for managed services providers (MSPs). Specifically, Datto is profitable, growing and in hiring mode. But what potentially sets Datto apart in the fiercely competitive BDR market? CEO Austin McChord offered MSPmentor some insights.

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Continuum, as expected, launched the Continuum Vault backup and disaster recovery (BDR) platform earlier this week, CEO Michael George (pictured) has confirmed. Developed in partnership with Datto, the Continuum Vault offering initially targets 1,000 managed services providers (MSPs) that have expressed interest in the new BDR platform.

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After roughly three years of quiet growth, it sounds like GFI Software is starting to earn respect as a top-tier player in the managed services software market. Indeed, more than 5,000 MSPs now use the company’s GFI Max RemoteManagement platform, according to GFI Max General Manager Alistair Forbes (pictured). If accurate, I believe that figure would place GFI among the largest providers of remote monitoring and management software to MSPs.

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Rackspace, the hosting and cloud services provider, is preparing to launch a remote monitoring service — which will apparently monitor customers’ on-premises servers. Andrew Schroepfer, VP of enterprise strategy at Rackspace, mentioned the potential managed services move during the CA Technologies MSP Symposium today in Miami, Fla.

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When the MSPWorld conference kicks off this week (Feb. 1-3, Miami, Fla.), a healthy portion of the event content will focus on cloud computing and cloud services. That’s hardly surprising, considering nearly 60 percent of top MSPs now offer cloud and SaaS services to their customers, according to our fifth-annual MSPmentor 100 report. But what cloud trends will be on display at MSPWorld? Here are some guesses.

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I’m now convinced that all IT service providers  — MSPs, VARs, resellers — need quoting and sales proposals software. Ironically, I reached that conclusion while researching a potential home improvement project. Here’s the back story, and how it shaped my views back in the managed services providers.

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I’m packing my bags and heading to the CA Technologies MSP Symposium in a couple of days (Jan. 29-31, Miami, Fla). But before I head for the blogging exit, here are seven managed services blogs and MSP news stories the MSPmentor team didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending January 27, 2012.

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And so it begins. Microsoft has started to promote noteworthy Windows Intune wins, describing how the cloud-based PC management and security service is helping small, midsize and large organizations. Key Windows Intune adopters, Microsoft notes, include Save the Children, geotzpartners and eLitigation Solutions (a managed services provider, by the way). The key question: Are those isolated Windows Intune wins, or is the Microsoft’s cloud service really gaining momentum?

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When Symantec (SYMC) delivered record Q3 results today, there were two news hooks for MSPmentor to consider. On the one hand: Wall Street is worried because Symantec forecast future sales that aren’t all that impressive. But on the other hand: I was surprised to hear Symantec describe the strength of its managed security services business. Were MSPs listening to that chatter?

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When CA Technologies kicks off its MSP Symposium (Jan. 29-31, Miami, Fla.), the company will arrive with considerable momentum. Indeed, CA announced surprisingly strong Q3 results yesterday. Revenues rose a healthy 10 percent to $1.263 billion. Dig a little deeper and you’ll see managed services and cloud services platforms like Nimsoft and AppLogic gaining momentum with partners. So what’s next? The answers will likely surface at CA’s MSP Symposium.

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