MSPmentor

Microsoft. It’s one of the few companies that could potentially change the managed services competitive landscape overnight.

For months, pundits — including MSPmentor — have wondered if the software giant would start to buy up MSP platform providers. But for now, Microsoft continues to partner in the MSP space. The company’s latest move involves an expanded relationship with N-able.

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Add Datacastle to the list of endpoint security specialists targeting managed service providers. The Seattle-based company has announced an endpoint data protection platform that MSPs can offer to their customers.

Datacastle enters a growing — but crowded — market. Just about every traditional security software company is moving into managed endpoint security. And the 800 pound gorilla — Symantec — should be moving in soon by expanding its own Symantec Protection Network (SPN). Symantec insiders have told me to watch for security-related announcements with SPN later this year. Read More >

At 5:00 p.m. eastern, I was tied up speaking with MX Logic about their strategy for managed email security services. By 5:15 p.m. eastern, my inbox had more news pertaining to this market. Things certainly are getting hyper-competitive in the email security sector. Read More >

Paul Rummell, the former chief information officer for the Government of Canada, has some interesting perspectives on the managed security service provider market. In a recent blog entry, he describes the 10 key criteria for choosing a managed security service. Read More >

First, establish a brand. Then, reinforce it at every opportunity. That pretty much sums up Ingram Micro’s strategy in the managed services market, where its Seismic brand continues to gain enhancements. The latest on-demand services, available as part of Ingram’s Seismic Virtual Services Warehouse, can be organized into the following three categories: Read More >

It’s great to know you’re competing in a growing market, but sometimes big-picture hype can distract you from regional and local opportunities.

A prime example: The worldwide managed security market will exceed $4.8 billion by 2013, predicts Global Industry Analysts Inc. Impressive, but the report focuses mainly on Fortune 500-type organizations (AT&T, Cisco Systems, etc.) and their managed security services for massive customers. Read More >

Economic concerns continue in the US, but some clear IT spending trends are beginning to surface. If you look at recent financial results from networking companies, PC companies, software specialists and service providers, you can get a better feel for how to shape your managed services practice for the rest of 2008. Read More >

If you want to promote your managed service into a vertical market, steal a page from Third Brigade’s playbook. The company, which offers security solutions to managed service providers, is making some PR noise at this week’s huge HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) conference in Orlando.

Third Brigade says it is partnering with Concordant, Inc., to offer Electronic Health Records (EHR) infrastructures for physician organizations and ambulatory practices.

The bigger message for MSPs, however, is that you can generate considerable PR noise in specific vertical markets. The trick is to latch onto major industry events — even if you don’t have the budget or trade show resources to actually attend the event. Here’s how. Read More >