MSPmentor

The MSPAlliance this week offered more details about its new Green IT Certification strategy. According to the association’s Website, MSPs must take the following steps (and potentially other steps) to achieve the green IT certification:

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Virtualization was supposed to simplify IT. But as companies consolidate their physical servers, virtualize their applications and push some services into the cloud, it’s getting more difficult to track and manage all of those virtual assets.

That’s where managed services enter the picture. A case in point: Level Platforms Inc. has announced support for virtual environments, including virtual servers, LANs, storage and desktops. This is part of a growing trend across the managed services industry. Read More >

What happens when you take a hot technology industry (like managed services) and combine it with a cold economy? The answer: A whirlwind of mergers and acquisitions. The latest example involves ILS Technology acquiring “substantially all of the operating assets” of ComBrio Inc., a managed services software provider. Here are the details.

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SMC Networks plans to launch a managed services platform in late 2008, enabling VARs and MSPs to remotely monitor networks and minimize system downtime, according to an SMC press release.

It’s good to see networking companies getting into the managed services game. But I need to play devil’s advocate: I hope the SMC platform is holistic, and allows MSPs to manage a range of network devices — not just SMC hardware.

I’ve pinged SMC for more information about their strategy. As soon as I have the details I’ll share them with MSPmentor readers.

I couldn’t end Wednesday on a low note. Following Cisco Systems’ earnings warning, I wanted to find some better news to share with managed service providers.

So, here’s some good news: A recent survey by Intuit finds that more than 80 percent of small business owners see clear opportunities for their businesses, and 64 percent of those entrepreneurs expect their businesses to grow.

I spotted the details on Startup Spark. You can find the original survey results in this Intuit press release, but beware of some Intuit product hype.

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For anyone who has ignored or dismissed the economic crisis, check out the latest financial forecast from Cisco Systems.

No need for panic. Managed service providers will weather the economic storm better than VARs. And many large IT shops are cutting costs by outsourcing functions to MSPs.

But don’t believe anyone who tells you managed service providers are fully immune to the economic crisis. That just isn’t the case.

Open source is starting to influence portions of the managed services market. But can MSPs really trust open source?

DirectPointe — the top ranked company on our MSPmentor 100 list for 2007-2008 — built its entire business on open source. And scores of MSPs have embraced Untangle’s open source security solutions. Now, I’m starting to wonder if Zenoss Inc. — an open source network monitoring specialist — will make a more aggressive move into the MSP industry.

Despite those milestones, I sense that open source hasn’t gained critical mass yet with most MSPs.

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Generally speaking, I have little interest in online slideshows. They’re often lame excuses by media companies to drive more page views. However, this slideshow from BusinessWeek features a range of experts describing how the President should help entrepreneurs.

As co-founder of Nine Lives Media Inc. and MSPmentor, I believe small businesses will be the engine that drives America out of the recession. Hopefully, our government will support that entrepreneurial engine.