MSPmentor

A friendly (and timely) reminder. Our next MSPmentor Live webcast, focused on Hardware as a Service (HaaS) and Technology as a Service (TaaS), is scheduled for this Wednesday, March 24 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. Two fast-growing MSPs — Everon Technology Services and Black’s Support Services — will describe how they promote, sell and profit from HaaS. Executives from both MSPs and CharTec (a HaaS specialist and the event’s sponsor) will answer questions throughout the webcast. We look forward to your participation and questions.

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A quiet race to recruit managed service providers into associations and user groups continues. The latest example: CompTIA MSP Partners has announced a relationship with PartnerConduit Network, an online community that helps solutions providers to manage collaborative opportunities. Here’s a look at the relationship. Plus, a broader look at the effort to find and recruit MSPs into associations, organizations and user groups.

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Call it a small step for the managed services market, but a significant move for the Utility Company. The Master MSP, which works with a range of managed services providers, has attracted $1 million in financing, led by BDC Capital Inc. The Utility Company plans to use the money for a mid-market push, among other things. Here are the details.

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As smartphone usage has exploded—up 55% last year in the United States (comScore)—the popularity of push messaging has increased on a parallel track. Messaging gives workers more collaborative power with immediate access to what’s new in their e-mail, contacts, calendar, and social media. Push messaging makes utilizing applications on mobile devices more convenient and consistent—factors that are sure to drive the market even further. But where do MSPs fit into this market trend?

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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 Planet is the largest privately-held dedicated web server company in North America. But bigger doesn’t always mean better. That’s why The Planet is positioning itself around “value.” I spoke to Doug Erwin, CEO of The Planet, about how they’re getting there and what MSPs stand to gain. Here are some perspectives.

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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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Sometimes I jump to the wrong conclusions. A few weeks ago, when the MSPAlliance said there was a potentially “urgent” tax issue facing Florida managed services providers, I dismissed the report because sometimes I think the alliance cries wolf. But to the MSPAlliance’s credit, there’s now a healthy, growing discussion around MSP taxation in certain states. Here’s the update.

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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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A declining real estate market generally qualifies as bad news. But perhaps not for MSPs looking to expand. SunGard Availability Services is readying a data center for a May 2010 opening in the Sacramento, California area. Here’s the strategy. I wonder: Are rival MSPs considering similar moves?

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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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I’ve spent the past 24 hours reaching out to software companies that partner with ConnectWise. My question: What’s your initial reaction to ConnectWise Capital, the company’s $20 million effort to incubate channel-centric technology companies. The responses ranged from skepticism to applause. Here’s a recap.

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The New York Internet Company (NYI) recently landed a colocation deal with Meetup, a social network site for coordinating local get-togethers. Now here’s the twist: The customer’s selection decision was based, in part, on NYI’s business experience with startups. Is it time for MSPs to specifically target startups as customers? Here are some insights.

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When ConnectWise announced ConnectWise Capital earlier today, some readers asked me two point-blank questions: First, where is ConnectWise getting the $20 million for ConnectWise Capital? Second, is it possible for a technology company to (A) launch a venture fund while (B) maintaining existing hardware and software partnerships? Here are some potential answers.

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ConnectWise around January 25 is expected to launch ConnectWise Capital — a $20 million initiative that seeks to “incubate innovation” across the IT channel. I’ve got a few dozen thoughts about the move, which will involve multiple companies. But let’s start with the news…

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Best Buy’s Geek Squad is trying to move beyond VW Beetles and reactive on-premise IT support. The retail giant has launched U.S. television advertisements promoting proactive remote support — no car ride required. Should managed service providers be worried about so-called Geek Squad Virtual Agents?

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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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Our blog team spent Dec. 2 in New York at a lunch-and-learn hosted by DynTek (an $85 million solutions provider), Microsoft and Citrix. The topic: Virtualized Desktop Infrastructure and Windows 7. But during a side interview, DynTek Managing Director Ken Young offered up his thoughts on Microsoft’s cloud strategy. Our key question: Can VARs and MSPs really profit from Windows Azure (Microsoft’s Windows cloud) and BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite, which includes Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, etc.). Here’s a recap of the conversation.

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Here’s an interesting business and technology paradox: AMI Partners, a research firm, says North American SMBs will increase their spending on remote managed services at a compound annual growth rate of 28 percent for the next five years. Sounds awesome. But if things are so good why are some MSP software providers suggesting that portions of the managed services market have somewhat stalled?

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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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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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