MSPmentor

Many MSPs offer vulnerability scanning services to help customers meet their Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard duties. A newly released Verizon report suggests they may need to do more than run occasional checks. About one fifth of organizations studied were fully PCI compliant at the time of their Initial Report on Compliance, according to Verizon’s 2011 Payment Card Industry Compliance Report. But where do we go from here — especially if you’re a managed services provider (MSP) focused on corporate compliance issues?

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INX Inc., an infrastructure solutions integrator and MSP, recently landed a five-year managed services pact with a community health organization in Southern California. INX, based in Dallas, said the deal with Community Memorial Health System (CMHS), a not-for-profit in Ventura County, is worth $750,000. Here are some details and some key takeaways for peer MSPs.

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NoSQL databases, largely open source software that parts ways with relational products, are getting more attention lately. But is it time for MSPs to look into this technology? The NoSQL technology is viewed by its users as simpler than relational and geared toward “Big Data” problems — large and unwieldy data sets, which MSPs can surely manage for end-customers.

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We’ve written about the e-discovery services market a few times, describing the software landscape and discussing alliances between MSPs and application vendors. MSPs carving a niche in the legal market wrap a range of services around e-discovery software products. Those services include consulting, remote management, hosting, and services specific to the e-discovery process. But the trends don’t end there.

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Cofio Software Inc. is targeting MSPs with the latest version of its data protection software and will soon roll out a channel program. The San Diego-based company this month is releasing AIMstor Version 2.5, which includes a Smart-Remote-Sync (SRS) feature. SRS, the company says, speeds transfer times when shuttling data over a wide-area network (WAN) for data protection, disaster recovery, or archiving purposes. SRS is geared toward MSPs that provide remote backup services.

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Managed services firms and e-discovery software companies continue to find common ground in the burgeoning legal market. We’ve written about D4’s work with e-discovery software houses and noted how some vendors derive more than half their revenue through service providers. Here’s another example: Falcon Discovery, which provides managed e-discovery services, has been solidifying its relations with a short list of software firms.

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When it comes to vertical market managed services, MSPmentor focuses considerable attention on health care and financial services. But perhaps it’s time for MSPs to focus some time on life sciences customers — which includes businesses focused on biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical equipment. The reason: The life sciences vertical is attracting investment money, which means life sciences companies have money to spend — though they don’t necessarily want a huge IT infrastructure.

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Backupify, a cloud data backup company, is launching a reseller program that includes managed services providers. The Cambridge, Mass.-based firm offers an archiving, search and restore service for Google Apps and social media accounts. Backupify targets both consumers and businesses and will enlist service providers to help with the latter market. MSPs already represent a Google Apps channel into small businesses. Backupify wants to equip MSPs with another service they can offer those customers.

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Microsoft and Parallels this week at Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2011 (WPC11) announced a two-year pact to offer a cloud automation bundle geared toward the health industry. Both companies contribute technology to the mix. Parallels Automation provides a system for delivering, managing and billing cloud services. Microsoft, meanwhile, will kick in Microsoft System Center, Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, Lync Server and Hyper-V. Here’s a closer look at the relationship.

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Gridstore, which makes an SMB-focused network attached storage product, has launched a formal channel effort as MSPs push its offering in new directions. Indeed, the company recently provided details on its Gridstore Partner Program, which offers MSPs and VARs deal registration, market development funding, and professional services. As for the latter, Gridstore provide pre-sales and implementation support to help partners land their first two deals.

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Cabinet NG, a software vendor pursuing document management and workflow management, is beginning to see a vertical focus among its VARs and managed services providers (MSPs). The legal market provides one example. The company recently reported a VAR agreement with Summit Global Services, which targets litigation support and e-discovery. Summit, a solution provider based in Richmond, Va., also pursues opportunities in the medical, insurance and financial sectors. Cabinet NG also partners with Maya Assurance in the insurance industry.

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Could the Supreme Court’s recent decision to toss out a huge class-action lawsuit against Wal-Mart have the consequence of spawning more rather than fewer suits? The answer could eventually filter down to MSPs and software vendors active in the e-discovery space.

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Can a vendor-agnostic tool propel printer dealers and VARs into the realm of managed print services? Oki Data Americas seems to think so. The company this week previewed its Total Managed Print Portal, which it says will help partners migrate to the services side. an official announcement is slated for June 27. The portal, which pulls together a number of managed print tools, already has helped one partner land two managed print deals in a 24 hour period, according to Tim Brien, director of Managed Print Service at OKI Data Americas. That partner hadn’t previously sold a printer or toner cartridge, he added.

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Is the current enthusiasm for launching data centers trending toward oversupply? Here are two developments out of New Jersey that suggest different answers…

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We’re tracking several new managed services developments in the health care market. They include Beacon Partners’s push into managed services, MyHealthDirect’s SaaS offering, and a new PriceWaterhouseCoopers report are among the developments in healthcare IT. Here’s the run down…

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Interest in e-discovery as a managed or hosted service shows no signs of abating. In the latest data point, ZL Technologies, which offers e-discovery, has tapped SunGard Availability Services for hosting and managed services.  SunGard now supports ZL’s Unified Archive production applications, which include e-discovery, regulatory compliance, and data archiving. SunGard offers its virtual private data centers along with such managed services as monitoring, patching, backup, maintenance, and trouble resolution, according to the company.

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The handling of electronic evidence is a complicated, multi-faceted process. There’s the identification and collection of records, review and analysis, and then production and presentation. A deployment might call for several products to cover the spectrum of e-discovery activities. With that in mind, some software houses have opted to pursue all-in-one solutions. Here’s the update for MSPs.

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Tenzing Managed IT Services is pushing into the public cloud and expanding its geographic range through a newly announced partnership with OpSource. Here’s the background.

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SAP outlined mobile technology plans at its Sapphire Now conference in Orlando, Fla., last week. At the show, the company released a new version of Sybase Unwired Platform for mobile application development, announced an updated software development kit, and unveiled a set of industry-oriented mobile applications. SAP and Sybase, which SAP acquired last year, aim to build a bevy of mobile applications that tap into SAP’s back office systems. SAP’s mobility-driven objective is to reach 1 billion users by 2015. So, where do managed services fit in?Here’s the answer.

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In recent days MSPmentor has spotted a range of managed services news within the healthcare IT market. The latest chatter involves Auxilio, CSC, Sodexo and Surescripts. Here’s the update.

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Transend Corp. is mining the e-mail migration niche, partnering with MSPs and VARs. About two thirds of its migration business comes through that channel. Here are the details.

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Lateral Data, which provides e-discovery software, plans to double the size of its managed services provider channel this year. The company’s Viewpoint software spans the main components of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model, which provides guidelines and standards that aim to boost the quality and reduce the cost of e-discovery. Here are the details…

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A couple of years ago, WAN optimization began making a bigger splash among managed services providers. The thinking was, WAN optimization offered MSPs a chance to branch out from providing WAN links and managed routers. Since then, the market — and MSP opportunity — has continued to evolve. In 2010, vendors rolled out WAN optimization as a virtual appliance rather than a hardware device, providing another deployment option for MSPs. Channel programs began to emerge. Now, a series of announcements have moved WAN optimization into a brighter  spotlight…

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