MSPmentor

We got a bit distracted this week by CA Inc.’s surprise buyout of Nimsoft for $350 million. Several other stories and deadlines slipped through he cracks. Here are seven managed services blog entries our team didn’t have time to write for the week ending March 12, 2010.

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Apple iPad pre-orders started today. I took a look at some of the peripherals Apple is offering with the iPad. And here’s a thought: Slide the iPad into Apple’s iPad Keyboard Dock, and the iPad potentially becomes a sleek thin client for your customers. Or does it? I know quite a few folks think the iPad won’t live up to its hype. But I have a suspicion the iPad will eventually evolve to complete head-on with traditional thin clients and netbooks. Here’s why.

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Microsoft unveiled the latest chapter in its cloud strategy today, as Channel Chief Allison Watson outlined potential cloud opportunities for VARs and MSPs. Watson held a webcast for channel partners earlier today. And she sat down for a FastChat video with The VAR Guy to answer additional cloud-centric channel questions. In the FastChat videos, Watson discusses opportunities involving Windows Azure and BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite), competition with Google, first cloud steps for VARs, and the SaaS pricing questions that sometimes pop up within Microsoft’s channel ecosystem. Here are the videos.

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RIM, get ready for a fight: HyperOffice has announced that HyperSynch, an over-the-air push-messaging solution that works as well with the iPhone, the Droid, or even Windows Mobile devices as it does the BlackBerry, has entered beta testing. What’s more, it’s going to be included, gratis, with HyperOffice deployments. Interested?

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GFI Software, the London-based provider of infrastructure solutions for SMBs, has launched a Building Blocks channel program, designed to help IT support companies make the transition to providing real managed services. The company’s strategy reinforces the familiar theme of moving from break-fix to recurring revenue. Here are some perspectives.

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As the RSA Conference kicks off today in San Francisco, much of the buzz involves security as a service. But here’s the challenge: Nearly 80 percent of top managed services providers already offer some form of managed security to their customers, according to our third-annual MSPmentor 100 results. So where can MSPs go next with managed security? Here are some clues.

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There’s high-level support for cloud computing in the government space so, unsurprisingly, vendors are following the money. The latest to do so is Microsoft. The company this week rolled out a federal-specific version of its Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS).  And you can bet Google and Amazon Web Services will be making some federal cloud moves as well. Here are some of the details and implications.

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As a Tampa Bay-area solution provider, I’ve been doing IT for over 27 years. While I’m always on the lookout for new ways to increase efficiency and seize new revenue opportunities, there’s one cost-cutting measure that I’m possibly considering: outsourced help desk. I’ve heard other VARs rave about the results and the ease of implementing this strategy, but I’m not sold on it yet.

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Sure, Dell is selling managed services direct. But during a phone briefing today, Channel Chief Greg Davis (pictured) and other members of the Dell partner team described how the company plans to continue working more closely with MSPs and VARs that are seeking recurring revenue. Here’s an update.

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As predicted, last week Google launched Buzz, a Gmail-native social network built to potentially compete with Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately for the search giant, some excited users seem to have turned sour on Buzz because Google is still sorting out the systems’ privacy and  usability features. Here are some perspectives.

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Where is the hardware as a service (HaaS) market heading next? My best guess: The point of sale (POS) industry, where retailers want to focus on business rather than purchasing and owning point of sale devices. One recent deal, involving Island Pacific and First National Technology Solutions, offers some clues about how managed service providers are moving deeper into the retail market.

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Kaseya appears poised to launch the Kaseya 2 platform this week. The effort includes on-premise and SaaS (software as a service) tools for managed services providers and IT administrators. In fact, I think Kaseya is set to debut at least three SaaS tools for MSPs and IT administrators. Here are some perspectives.

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Back in October 2009, I wrote a bit about Eucalyptus Systems — which develops open-source cloud computing software. In some ways, it’s positioned as an open, private cloud alternative to Amazon Web Services. Fast forward to the present, and Eucalyptus seems to be showing some momentum. Here’s an update, including perspectives from Eucalyptus CTO and co-founder Rich Wolski.

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The Planet, the managed IT hosting company that works with MSPs and VARs, is bundling a free Plesk control panel, 10GB of cloud storage, and Symantec Endpoint Protection for free with any new server purchase. They’ve also revealed a new line of low-cost server offerings. The Planet says it’s striving to be the “hosting industry’s value leader.” We say it’s a move into the freemium arena. Here’s why.

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CharTec, the hardware as a service (HaaS) specialist, is promoting a new voice-over-IP solution — called a Voice Management System — for managed services providers. But that’s not all. I’m keeping my eyes on CharTec for a range of reasons.

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While discussing Managed Workplace 2010’s debut earlier today, Level Platforms CEO Peter Sandiford offered key views on how the managed services software market will segment. Read between the lines and you’ll begin to understand how Level Platforms intends to differentiate from such rivals as Kaseya, N-able and Nimsoft (among others). Here are my conclusions about current and emerging market trends, plus FastChat video interviews with Sandiford.

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The rumors and speculation were all correct. VMware today acquired an open source email specialist — Zimbra — from Yahoo. If you’re a managed service provider that’s still sorting out your virtualization and SaaS email strategies then VMware’s move is worth following. Here’s why.

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Before you celebrate the New Year please do one thing: Register now for MSPmentor’s January 20, 2010 webcast. We’re shaking up the format a bit to ensure the content answers key questions for growth-oriented small, midsize and large MSPs. Here’s a quick look at what we’ll cover — plus, our guest speakers.

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As I mentioned yesterday, MSP-centric software companies are getting very cozy with peer groups (which typically include VARs and MSPs). Less than 24 hours after that blog post, Autotask has announced a relationship with 1nService, an international group of integrators that represent $1.5 billion in combined revenues. I’m on a flight at the moment (cleared for landing…) but will offer more perspectives later today.

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We’ve written quite a bit about open APIs and management dashboards for MSPs. But Autotask and ExchangeDefender say they’ve partnered to deliver something that’s new and different in the managed security services market. Here’s a look at the relationship and the march toward a “single dashboard” for MSPs.

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Rackspace is seeing growth in its cloud computing business at the same time the company’s traditional managed hosting operation acquires more of an up-market tone. But exactly how much has RackSpace’s cloud grown? And where is it going next? Here’s a look at the company’s strategy.

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Symantec and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) have released the results of their survey of the cyber security practices and habits of about 1,500 small businesses in the United States. Not surprisingly, it shows many companies are lax in their policing of the network. Some of the more interesting data points include…

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While most of the managed services industry focuses on Windows systems, Forget Computers has bet its business on managed Apple Macintosh services. Founded in 1998 by Ben Greiner, Forget Computers made the transition to managed services in 2006. And so far, that bet is paying off well. Here’s some analysis.

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