MSPmentor

Spiceworks, the free help desk and remote management platform, is getting an update in the form of a Request for Quote (RFQ) feature. The RFQ capability brings the purchasing of business technology and services out to the social network. Here’s the scoop.

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The new breed of mobility represented by devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Apple iPhone also presents IT staff with a slew of potential headaches, as employees increasingly want to use their own tablets, smartphones and, yes, home computers in the workplace. To help MSPs and cloud service providers meet the challenge of that IT consumerization, Trend Micro has updated its Mobile Security offering to version 7.

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IT service management software (ITSM) developer LiveTime Software has updated its namesake solution for MSPs to version 6.5, adding 100 new features, 200 customer requests and, most noticeably, a shiny new HTML5 interface.

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The CharTec Academy conference wound down as I wrote this, with most of the second day dedicated to vendor presentations and nuts-and-bolts sales and technical workshops. If one thing has really stuck with me, it’s that while CharTec’s entire executive team has been available to the over 120 partners in attendance, this is really CEO Alex Rogers’ show.

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At the CharTec Academy conference, CEO Alex Rogers updated me on the HaaS specialist’s new partner sales and marketing strategies. In a nutshell — if you don’t have the expertise or time to hire a dedicated sales rep or run a marketing campaign, CharTec wants to do it for you. Why? Because MSPs have the technical expertise to thrive — but not always the business acumen. Here are some highlights of our discussion.

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As you may guess from the name, CharTec Academy isn’t exactly your traditional partner summit. Rather than share key milestones and promote their HaaS and BDR solutions directly to partners, CharTec CEO Alex Rogers — along with a healthy number of event sponsors and guest speakers — are aiming to promote better business practices for MSPs. And the top tip Rogers had for MSPs in his introductory presentation: Refine your offering and be exactly what your customer needs.

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I just got back to my hotel room from hardware-as-a-service specialist CharTec’s party in honor of the opening of their new MSP training facility in Bakersfield, Calif. It’s a 10,000-square-foot extension, bringing the total blueprint to 20,000 square feet. The company knows how to throw a party — there were fire dancers, juggling bartenders, and big-screen TVs airing last night’s big Bruins vs. Canucks Stanley Cup final. But I’m more interested to get a few questions answered over the next two days here at CharTec Academy.

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At first glance, Asigra Executive VP Eran Farajun started the obvious at this week’s Asigra Partner Summit 2011 in Toronto: Cloud storage is important. But listen closely and you’ll hear Farajun share some key messages. For instance, he’s calling on MSPs to realign their businesses to deal with the fact that cloud storage is increasingly commoditized. And he shared some key company milestones, to boot. Here are the details.

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Here’s a quick bit of cloud chatter for the MSP crowd out of this week’s Cloud Computing Expo in New York: i365, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seagate, has announced that it’s hit the 30-partner milestone for its unique EVault Cloud-Connected Service Provider Program (CCSP). Here’s a quick look back.

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Needless to say, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync is a popular standard for keeping smartphones in constant touch with the enterprise’s network. And now, Microsoft has teamed up with handset manufacturers for the Exchange ActiveSync Logo Program, which certifies that smartphone mobile mail clients can integrate as fully and securely as you’d want them to. For MSPs, the logo program may offer some peace of mind. Here’s why.

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Spiceworks, the free RMM platform that has over one million users, is giving MSPs a new way to address trouble tickets on the go: Spiceworks Mobile, a free Apple iPhone app now available on the iTunes App Store that brings most of the functionality of the desktop Spiceworks to the smartphone. Here are some quick details.

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Google Message Continuity, the Postini-powered, Gmail-leveraging message continuity service, now supports backing up Microsoft Exchange 2010. But despite the potential benefits, extending Google Message Continuity like this raises more questions than it answers. Here’s why.

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At first glance, N-able Technologies is marching forward with its traditional business strategy — launching N-central 7.2 to help managed services providers (MSPs) better serve their customers. But take a closer look and you’ll find N-able CEO Gavin Garbutt (pictured) evangelizing managed services and IT automation to the the CIO community. But don’t worry: N-able isn’t pursuing direct sales into the corporate IT market. Instead, Garbutt continues to connect the dots between MSPs and mid-market corporate IT opportunities. Here’s how.

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CommVault, which provides managed service providers with information governance and architecture solutions, says Q3 of Fiscal Year 2011 generated new quarterly revenue record of $83.6 million, up 18% over Q3 2010 and up 11% from Q2 2011. The most important data point: CommVault credits channel partners for fueling the growth. Here’s the scoop.

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MokaFive, the self-described virtual desktop management company, has signed on three more MSPs as partners. Point of Care Solutions (POCS), RSPEED Inc. and Seasquall now can add managed MokaFive virtual desktops to their portfolio. Here’s the scoop:

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Our fourth-annual MSPmentor 100 results (coming February 16, 2011) reveal a boatload of trends — including more MSPs leveraging various LogMeIn platforms. But LogMeIn doesn’t seem to be resting on its laurels. The company has announced a sweeping update to LogMeIn Rescue aimed at enhancing functionality and usability in one stroke. The headlining feature is support for Google Android tablets and smartphones. Here’s the update.

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Dell KACE furthers its departure from stealth mode with the announcement that as of Feb. 10, 2011, MSPs will be able to use its updated K1000 systems management appliance to oversee endpoints connected directly to U.S. government agencies. And it includes a compliance policy scanner to ensure that managed machines are playing by the rules. Here’s the scoop:

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This may the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of the managed services world: ExtraHop Networks, which specializes in the so-called “inside looking out” data center view, and Keynote Systems, which provides application performance perspective from the “outside looking in,” have partnered to provide a unified network transaction analysis product. But let’s put aside the companies’ official language and take a closer look.

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Remote Performance Management (RPM) specialists Apparent Networks has launched CloudSmart, a managed services framework for MSPs to offer customers cloud monitoring services. In theory, members of Apparent’s PathView Cloud partner program can keep an eye on cloud-based application deployments and troubleshoot proactively.

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If you’re not familiar with the Korean computer market, ESTsoft’s name may not ring a bell. But its desktop application suites have led the company to market dominance in Asian markets, with a claimed 90 percent of all PCs in Korea running the company’s antivirus, file compression, image viewing and media player applications. And as of today, ESTsoft is making a play in the United States for the consumer desktop with its ALtools suite. Here’s why service providers should pay attention.

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Cloud-based IT delivery automation platform provider OS33 has launched a Quick Start Program. The program is designed to give MSPs a leg up when moving their business to a totally hosted environment. OS33 gives partners a hosted, branded demo environment and sales and marketing materials, and lets them take it from there. Here are some details:

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Apprenda, which provides .NET cloud middleware, and Tenzing Managed IT Services have announced a strategic partnership. The goal? To provide ISVs an end-to-end platform designed to help quickly migrate their business to a SaaS model. Here are some details:

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Microsoft has released Forefront Endpoint Protection (FEP) 2010 to manufacturers, with a general availability through their Volume Licensing Service Center of January 1, 2011. But that’s less interesting than the fact than FES 2010 marks the start of Microsoft’s play to integrate security and desktop management. Here’s some perspective.

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