MSPmentor Managed Services News & Blog

For the first time in a long time, I suspect the entire Nine Lives Media Inc. team plans to unplug for a 3-day weekend. Of course, we’ll be back online if there’s any breaking news. In the meantime, here are seven managed services blog entries MSPmentor’s team didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Sept. 3, 2010.

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At first glance, today wasn’t such a great day for cloud computing. Microsoft suffered its second major cloud outage in recent weeks, raising more questions about the reliability of big, commercial cloud systems. Still, I’ve got a theory: I suspect cloud computing is still more reliable than most on-premises networks. Here’s why.

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Portions of Microsoft BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite), the software giant’s SaaS platform, went dark for 90 minutes today. It’s the second cloud outage in recent weeks for BPOS, which includes SharePoint Online, Exchange Online and other Microsoft SaaS applications. The latest outage arrives as Microsoft is locked in a SaaS pricing war with Google, plus Microsoft is still working to launch the latest Exchange 2010 and SharePoint 2010 releases to its cloud customers. Here’s a closer look at today’s outage and the competitive variables facing BPOS.

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CentraStage, which offers a SaaS-based managed services platform, isn’t all that well known in North America. But the UK-based company continues to build its international reseller channel. The latest CentraStage moves involve partnerships with B-Logic in South Africa and GoWorld in New Zealand. Here are some details.

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DSP Managed Services, which claims to be the United Kingdom’s top provider of managed services, has joined the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) as a platinum member. But where exactly does Oracle fit in the managed services market? DSP and the OPN Specialized partner program provide some clues.

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Vertical market chatter is growing louder in the managed services market. A week after Autotask CEO Bob Godgart shared some vertical market strategies for MSPs, N-able has announced a deeper push into the education, finance and healthcare sectors. I’ve spent plenty of time blogging about finance and healthcare. But how can MSPs push into the higher education market? N-able reminded me of a very simple answer…

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Ingram Micro has found Justin Crotty’s successor. The distributor has named Renée Bergeron as VP of managed services and cloud computing for its North America region. Translation: Bergeron has a slightly different title, but she essentially succeeds Crotty as the head of the Ingram Micro Services Network, Seismic services portfolio and the Cloud Conduit Initiative and Advisory Council. Here are additional details.

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In the latest managed services merger, outsourceIT and Bald Eagle Technologies are combining forces to offer small business customers help desk, managed services, CIO, infrastructure migration, virtualization, security and complete hosting services, the two companies say. Here’s a closer look at the deal and the broader market for MSP mergers and acquisitions.

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When you start a business, most pundits tell you to focus on what you do best and ignore every other distraction and temptation. But small business blogger Stephanie Chandler says running multiple businesses could be the smartest decision you’ve ever made. I’m intrigued. And I think Chandler’s examples can be extended into the managed services market. Here’s why.

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At first glance, most of VMworld involved vendor news and a race to grab new customers. But if you listen closely to the right people, you’ll hear plenty of perspectives for service providers. One case in point: EMC CTO and Chief Marketing Officer Chuck Hollis (pictured) claims this year’s VMworld “changes the game for service providers.” I’m not sure I agree. But here’s the spin from Hollis.

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For the second time in a week, a key voice from the managed services industry said his biggest challenge involves finding and recruiting talent, particularly sales talent. The big question: Is there a shortage of sales talent within the MSP ecosystem? Or are we looking in the wrong places for the talent?

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As I hinted a few weeks ago, Nine Lives Media Inc. (MSPmentor’s parent) remains in growth mode and we’re looking for new talent. We’re currently seeking a senior contributing editor to handle Webcast content development, speaker recruitment, slide and powerpoint preparation and potential event moderation. But that’s not all… Here are the details.

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Jon Roskill is Microsoft’s global channel chief. But check the Microsoft organization chart, and you’ll discover a cloud channel chief working closely with Roskill. Her name is Gretchen O’Hara, and she’s set to address a few hundred managed services providers (MSPs) during the N-able Partner Summit in October 2010. What message will O’Hara share with MSPs? Here are some potential clues.

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GroundWork Open Source is the latest IT monitoring and network management software company to reach out to managed services providers (MSPs). Specifically, GroundWork has launched an MSP-centric web site plus software pricing designed for MSPs. The big question: Does the crowded RMM (remote monitoring and management) software market have room for more players? Here are some observations.

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I just got a call from Autotask’s Mark Crall, live from the VMworld conference in San Francisco. Crall and dozens of other MSP industry executives are checking out the massive conference to see how the worlds of virtualization and managed services will collide. I certainly have a few thoughts on the subject (surprised?). Here are seven random observations.

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Microsoft continues to bang the drum — quietly but steadily — for Windows Intune, a forthcoming remote management platform for Windows PCs and servers. Several MSPs say Microsoft demonstrated a Windows Intune beta during the recent Xchange conference in Dallas. Were MSPs impressed? Here are some thoughts, plus MSPmentor’s perspectives.

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AccelOps continues to accelerate its channel and service provider initiatives. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based upstart, which focuses on data center and cloud service monitoring, has won a deal with Belgacom ICT, a service provider in Brussels, Belgium. Here are the quick details.

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More than 600 IT service providers — many of them VARs and MSPs — have landed on the Inc. 5000 list, which tracks the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. I certainly don’t know all the names on the list, but some very familiar small and midsize IT service providers grabbed the spotlight. Here’s a sampling…

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Kaseya has pulled back the curtain a bit more on its PSA (professional services automation) strategy. In a 17-page PDF prepared for IT service providers, Kaseya outlines its 2010-2011 road map. Dig into the report, and you’ll find some preliminary information about the Kaseya Business Center PSA effort. Here are the early details along with some guesses about how the MSP software market may evolve.

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As he settles in as senior VP and GM of NetEnrich, Justin Crotty has two quick, concise messages for managed services providers. First, NetEnrich is more than a NOC (network operations center) services provider. Second, NetEnrich will remain all channel, all the time while continuing to rely on two strategic distribution partnerships. So where is NetEnrich heading next? Crotty provides some clues in this MSPmentor FastChat Video.

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MSPmentor expects plenty of MSP-related news from next week’s VMworld in San Francisco. In the meantime, here are seven managed services blog entries the MSPmentor team didn’t have time to write for the week ending Aug. 27, 2010.

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In an attempt to further raise its visibility and drive collaboration between 28,000 users, Tigerpaw Software says it will launch an interactive Tigerpaw Community at the end of August 2010. It’s a smart move, but I’ll be curious to see how Tigerpaw’s efforts stack up against PSA rivals like ConnectWise (perhaps the most aggressive and successful community organizer) and Autotask (which has built a successful face-to-face conference to echo its online community). Here’s a closer look at the various vendor-led community strategies serving VARs, MSPs and IT service providers.

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When I left the corporate world to co-launch Nine Lives Media Inc. with Amy Katz, one of our goals was to innovate. Constantly. Amy and I also wanted creative freedom and business freedom. But as a business grows, you suddenly discover that you’re really busy managing what you have — rather than breaking new ground. I suspect many MSPs and small business entrepreneurs face similar challenges. So how can you continue to innovate even as you maintain what you have? Here are six ways to break free from the very business walls you helped to build.

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