As voice and video continue to flood IP networks, demand for storage will continue to escalate. Instead of buying on-site storage, backup and recovery systems, many businesses are opting to outsource these offerings to manage storage service providers. Get Started: Register to enter our Resource Center, where you can download guides to emerging managed storage services. And check back often. We post new guides in the MSPmentor Resource Center every week.
Zenith RMM, which spun off from Zenith Infotech in September, has rebranded as Continuum and will now compete with its former parent in the BDR (backup and disaster recovery) market. Indeed, Continuum has partnered with Datto to launch Continuum Vault — a BDR solution that will debut in January 2012.
Datto, the backup and disaster recovery (BDR) company, is striving to raise its profile among MSPs (managed services providers) while also developing some positioning statements vs. potential rivals like Axcient and Zenith Infotech. A new Datto-driven website, called BDRfacts.com, attempts to offer “facts with no marketing or sales spin” about various BDR platforms. But a quick check of BDRfacts.com website shows that it contains key factual errors. It’s the latest chapter in a strange competitive showdown between Datto and Axcient.
The trend of “Big Data” – huge, almost unmanageable volumes of data that large enterprises collect via social media, internet, mobile devices, sensing technologies and other means — dominates the current discourse surrounding data storage. But here’s a twist: Drobo says 100 million SMBs and sole proprietors are concerned about the storage and management of much smaller — but still vital — amounts of data.
The MSPmentor team spent the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. recharging and relaxing with friends and family. Now we’re plugging back in and catching up on managed services chatter. Here are seven managed services blogs and MSP news tips the MSPmentor team didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Nov. 25, 2011.
Thrive Networks, the managed services business owned by Staples, continues to see double-digit growth in the services market. Some of that growth can be traced back to Thrive Networks’ relationships with Axcient and SonicWall, which power the MSP’s backup and disaster recovery (BDR) and managed firewall services.
TwinStrata, a cloud storage solution provider, has released CloudArray 3.0. The CloudArray line is the company’s signature cloud storage solution — a line of virtual and physical appliances designed to give enterprise companies secure and efficient iSCSI access to cloud storage.
The ConnectWise IT Nation conference kicks off November 9, but most attendees are already on hand for numerous pre-conference sessions. So what’s the managed services chatter so far? Here are 10 conversations, trends, and news tips worth tracking.
GFI Max is hosting its first-ever U.S. customer conference this week (Orlando, Nov. 8-9). The customer conference, which certainly includes VARs and MSPs, offers an important inflection point for GFI and its partners. Indeed, parent GFI Software has acquired numerous companies, and the GFI Max portfolio now includes a range of remote management, security and storage solutions. Where do MSPs fit into the conversation? Here are four questions worth asking during the GFI Max gathering.
Deeper details about Zenith Infotech‘s financial state may potentially emerge. Zenith Infotech, which defaulted on a bond payment in September, has been ordered by the Mumbai high court to disclose details about the recent Zenith RMM business spin-off, according to the Economic Times. If those Zenith Infotech-Zenith RMM financial details emerge, it could shed light on a range of matters. Here’s why.
Triangle, a managed service provider that specializes in disaster recovery services, is leveraging a NetEx appliance and IBM’s Tivoli platform for a new cloud-based storage offering. The announcement comes a few days after IBM said MSPs will be the company’s next-generation business partners.
Cloud storage: Those two words have generated a vendor and service provider stampede. Dozens of vendors — often backed by venture capitalists and angel investors — now promote cloud storage and cloud backup into the MSP market. But take a closer look and you’ll find new segments (beyond traditional backup and recovery) emerging. The latest examples include Axcient launching a cloud continuity service, and Doyenz connecting the dots between on-premise virtualization and cloud-based virtualization services.
IBM continues to accelerate its partner strategy in the mid-market. The effort includes a growing push to transform VARs and resellers into managed services providers. Andy Monshaw, general manager of IBM’s global and medium sized business, offered MSPmentor an update.
Avere Systems and Nexenta have partnered to promote a scalable, open storage solution to conduct inline deduplication and thin provisioning, the company’s say. The effort combines Avere’s FXT Series of appliances with Nexenta’s ZFS technology to deliver what both companies are calling an enterprise-class data management solution.
As Zenith Infotech attempts to negotiate new debt payment terms with bondholders, the company remains on the road engaging managed services providers (MSPs) across North America. In recent days, some MSPmentor readers have asked me if I think Zenith Infotech is financially stable and viable following the company’s recent bond default. It’s difficult for me to offer a pinpoint answer, since I’m not privy to the alleged discussions between Zenith Infotech and its bondholders. Still, I’m poking around for clues — and one of them potentially involves Zenith Infotech’s ongoing commitment to road shows and MSP-centric partner conferences.
Intronis, which promotes cloud backup services to MSPs, is on pace to grow 50 percent or more in 2011, according to CEO Kent Plunkett. To maintain that growth, Intronis plans to double-down on the North America market, focusing like a laser on managed services providers that need cloud backup services. Plunkett described the Intronis cloud storage strategy to MSPmentor yesterday during an hour-long interview.
Zenith RMM CEO Michael George continues to draw a cordial but clear line between his company and that of Zenith Infotech, which recently defaulted on a bond payment. While Zenith RMM continues to partner with Zenith Infotech, George says Zenith RMM will also take steps to ensure MSPs have alternative cloud and BDR (backup and disaster recovery) partner solutions from which to choose.
SunGard Availability Services, the disaster recovery and managed IT services specialist, has expanded a Philadelphia, Pa., data center to meet growing demand for cloud services. At times we wonder if the world has too many data centers and too few cloud customers amid all the cloud hype. But SunGard’s data center investment appears to eliminate our concerns.
DataCore Software and TwinStrata are connecting the dots between storage virtualization and cloud storage. Specifically, DataCore’s storage virtualization software will now come bundled with a free TwinStrata CloudArray virtual appliance. How do managed service providers potentially benifit? Here are some thoughts.
The cloud backup and online backup markets are both expanding and consolidating. Two recent examples: VaultLogix has acquired assets from Utility Backup Solutions, and Vembu recently acquired Cloud Nucleus. Those deals surfaced around the same time that Axcient — a hybrid cloud storage specialist – raised $15.5 million in venture capital funding. Plus, more private equity is expected to flow into the managed services software market really soon, MSPmentor has learned. So how can markets expand and contract at the same time? Here’s some perspective.
Axcient, which promotes hybrid cloud storage services to SMB channel partners, has raised another $15.5 million to accelerate its business growth and channel partner efforts. Axcient has now raised $33.5 million to date. Axcient CEO Justin Moore (pictured) shared some more insights with me over email today.
Zenprise, the mobile device management (MDM) software provider, has released a mobile data leakage prevention (DLP) solution for the enterprise market. The DLP solution, which supports Microsoft SharePoint, is part of the company’s larger mobile enterprise Security Framework technology. Here’s the update.
All Covered, the national managed services provider, has acquired Vertical IT Solutions, a managed IT outsourcing company in Tampa, Fla. The deal continues All Covered’s M&A strategy and expands the company’s reach within Florida.
