MSPmentor

Some Australian managed services providers allegedly are in an “uproar” over Kaseya’s SaaS pricing vs. on-premise pricing. But take a closer look at the situation, and you’ll likely discover the SaaS “uproar” may actually involve an apples-to-oranges price comparison of tools that offer vastly different capabilities. Here’s some perspective.

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The rules in the Australia managed services software market continue to evolve. As N-able CEO Gavin Garbutt heads to the land down under for a series of MSP events, rival Kaseya (in partnership with Ingram Micro) has launched a SaaS initiative for Australia and New Zealand solutions providers. Two years ago, I don’t think the Australia market was ready for SaaS-centric managed services offerings. Apparently, that’s changed.

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Kaseya has launched a global Software as a Service partner program. Known as KSP (Kaseya SaaS Partner Program), the initiative allows partners to “promote, refer and market” Kaseya’s SaaS and IT offerings to their respective channels. It’s easy to see what’s in it for Kaseya. The bigger question: What’s in it for partners? And what are the implications for the broader managed services software market? Here are some thoughts.

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Just when you thought the MSP software market had reached its saturation point, two more software companies are jumping into the pool. Both firms are SaaS-oriented and focus on remote monitoring and management. One of the companies got its start in Australia and New Zealand. The other is a major U.S. software provider that apparently will move into the managed services software market within 24 hours. Here are the details.

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The MSPmentor 100 consumed most of our team’s efforts this week. There were numerous MSP-oriented blog entries we would have written — if only there were more hours in the day. Here are seven managed services blog posts we didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Feb. 12, 2010.

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Roughly four or five managed service providers are merging to form a national MSP in Australia. I’ve got quite a few of the details, including a FastChat video with one of the executives involved in the deal. At least two of the companies are on our MSPmentor 100 list. I’m about to catch a flight, but when I land I’ll be back with more details — including that MSPmentor FastChat video.

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When the third-annual MSPmentor 100 report debuts later today, you’ll notice that the list includes numerous managed services providers outside of North America. More than 25 percent of survey participants represented MSPs from Europe and Australia, among other regions. So, how will we put the spotlight on MSPs outside of North America? Here are some quick thoughts.

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Two things are competing for my time and attention today: A blizzard here in New York, and the launch of the third-annual MSPmentor 100 — which debuts at 2:00 p.m. eastern today during our special webcast. How will I escape from the blizzard to moderate the webcast? Here’s the answer…

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Our third-annual MSPmentor 100 list and report — tracking 100 of the world’s most successful managed service providers — will debut February 10. Check our MSPmentor 100 center for details, or join our special webcast at 2:00 p.m. eastern on February 10. The MSPmentor 100 is a global survey, and we’ll be putting an extra-bright spotlight on international markets such as Europe and Australia this year.

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Even as the managed services market expands, the world shrinks. A case in point: MSPs located in Europe and Australia are beginning to network with one another through HTG Peer Groups. Here are some perspectives, including views from HTG President Scott Scrogin, who recently returned from a series of MSP-related meetings in Australia.

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In a tough economy, the largest IT service providers — outsourcing firms and systems integrators — have been known to move downstream, seeking smaller deals with smaller customers. Cloud computing — and the ability to reduce the vendors’ cost of service — may also tempt the multi-billion-dollar, multinational IT firms to journey downmarket. Whatever the motivation, $6 billion Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is making moves in the small and medium business (SMB) arena. Here’s how.

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We’re set to unveil the third-annual MSPmentor 100 results during our February 10 MSPmentor live webcast. The research identifies 100 of the most progressive, most successful MSPs across the globe. What are some key business trends among those companies? Here are three quick trends culled from the research data.

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As Australia’s managed services market continues to grow, VARs and managed service providers are recruiting key talent to help accelerate their business operations. The latest example comes from Accucom, which apparently has hired several former Synergy employees. Here are the details.

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Kaseya threw a surprise punch at N-able in Australia. But was it really a significant blow — or just a PR stunt? At first glance, the “story” involves Kaseya recruiting an “instrumental” employee away from N-able. But I think the real story involves intensifying competition between the two companies in the land down under.

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Rewind a decade or two, and it was commonplace for IT administrators to join user groups — especially since we were all trying to learn the ins and outs of Windows, Mac OS and even OS/2. Fast forward to the present and MSP user groups seem to be popping up across the globe. But will MSPs keep sharing information as competition heats up?

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In the U.S., this is a short work week for many readers because of the Thanksgiving Holiday (Nov. 25). We’ll continue to update MSPmentor daily for our international readers. But in the meantime — for U.S. readers who are unplugging soon — here are seven managed services blog entries we didn’t have a chance to write for the business week ending Nov. 25.

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MSPmentor is hosting a Webcast for Australia and New Zealand solutions providers that are seeking to master managed services. Join us November 25 at 11:00am EDT New South Wales for “How To Build Recurring Revenue for Your Managed Services Company.” Here’s a look at the content and our guest speakers.

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More than 900 managed service providers and VARs are networking this week at the ConnectWise Partner Summit, which kicked off November 4 in Orlando, Fla. Here are the top 15 highlights from the first evening’s events.

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Even as the Australia managed services market continues to expand, some aspiring MSPs and solutions providers in the country are hitting financial bumps and/or closing up shop. It’s a healthy reminder — seen over and over again in the global managed services market — that a rising tide doesn’t lift all boats. Here’s what’s happening in Australia.

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N-able VP of Sales Mike Cullen is heading back to Australia in November 2009 for four N-able hosted conferences. Cullen isn’t the only North American MSP software executive who has been spending time in Australia this year. For most of 2009, a managed services land grab has been spreading across the land down under. Here’s a look at recent trends in Australia.

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More proof that the managed services market has gone global: 44 percent of the initial MSPmentor 100 survey participants reside outside the United States. We launched the third-annual MSPmentor 100 survey earlier this week. The survey is free, and managed service providers worldwide can participate. Using the survey results, we will produce the annual MSPmentor 100 report, which tracks the world’s most progressive managed service providers — using a range of financial and business metrics. Here are some more details about the survey.

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The N-able Partner Summit wrapped up Oct. 16. But I’m still organizing some thoughts based on interviews with a range of N-able executives and partners — including conversations with N-able CEO Gavin Garbutt and VP of Sales Mike Cullen. Here are some quick thoughts, including the state of N-able’s finances and potential long-term IPO aspirations.

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I spent some time on the phone Sept. 17 with Andrew Harsch, VP of marketing for NTRglobal. The company, which specializes in remote support and remote control software, announced a major move in the government vertical this week. But I wanted to ask Harsch a range of questions about NTRglobal’s partner strategy — both with MSPs and with peer software providers. Here are five takeaways from the discussion.

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