CTC combines customer relationship management (CRM) features like asset management, issue resolution and business processes with real-time network monitoring, fault management and overall evaluation of a system’s performance. And if a problem is detected? CTC is supported by live, one-on-one support team ready to get a client’s video conferencing platform back up to speed. Providea’s video conferencing platform price varies by customer, but the company says business will save money on the cost because of increased up-time and availability of their video conferencing service.

The CTC was developed in an effort to catch video network problems before they happen, something Providea Executive VP of Professional and Managed Services John Price says is a real challenge when it comes to telepresence solutions. The Camarillo, Calif.-based company is on a mission to prevent services interruptions for customers across multiple verticals, including legal, finance, technology, healthcare and entertainment.

The development of CTC builds on some recent Providea momentum, including opening an office in the U.K. in early May, 2011 to serve its growing international partners, and being recognized as a Cisco Telepresence Video Master Authorized Technology Provider partner in the United States in late June 2011.

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First, a little background: I’m waiting for a Red Eye flight from San Francisco to New York. The extended wait has given me some time to really consider ConnectWise Capital’s impact in the managed services market over the past year.

As you may recall, Arnie Bellini has been evangelizing the modern office concept to MSPs, VARs and IT services providers within the small business sector. The idea is for solutions providers to specialize in IT services that will remain lucrative even as technology shifts occur. Examples include VoIP, email management, network storage and security, cloud computing, and telecommuting/mobile workforce support.

Now, here’s the FastChat with Arnie Bellini and David Bellini, recorded about a week ago during my visit to ConnectWise’s headquarters in Tampa, Fla. Plus, my perspectives below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Personal Perspectives

When ConnectWise Capital invested in CharTec and LabTech roughly a year ago, I suspected CharTec would be a home run because of its hardware as a service (HaaS) expertise, and I thought LabTech’s success would be more limited because it was a traditional on-premise RMM (remote monitoring and management) solution rather than a SaaS-based offering.

In retrospect I was somewhat wrong on both fronts. CharTec has certainly been successful but the story involves more than HaaS. I didn’t really anticipate CharTec getting into the Backup and Disaster Recovery market… though I should have. According to a ConnectWise Capital press release, CharTec sales grew more than 2,300 percent in 2010 — though I don’t have the actual dollars-and-cents figures. The big percentage growth rate could be based on a conservative starting dollar figure for 2009… or it could be based on the combined sales savvy of Arnie Bellini and CharTec CEO Alex Rogers.

Meanwhile, I missed the boat on LabTech. There are numerous, highly regarded RMM (remote monitoring and management) tools on the market. I figured there wouldn’t be much room for LabTech to compete, especially since it was purely an on-premise solution. But LabTech won over plenty of MSPs, and the integration with ConnectWise further strengthened LabTech’s story. And so far, LabTech is leaving the SaaS market to entrepreneurial businesses like TechLabCloud.

According to a ConnectWise Capital press release, LabTech “enjoyed a record year of growth increasing revenues month over month for nine consecutive periods and developing partnerships with more than 1,100 IT solution providers.”

Keeping Score

Let’s put aside the growth of CharTec and LabTech for a moment. And let’s explore a more basic question: Has ConnectWise Capital actually helped VARs and MSPs? In numerous cases, absolutely yes.

I’ve heard from scores of readers who say the ConnectWise Capital-LabTech combo has generated healthy, cost-effective competition against Kaseya, which has a big installed base of MSPs. And here’s an interesting twist: Even MSPs who remain firmly in Kaseya’s camp are silently applauding the ConnectWise Capital-LabTech relationship, because the competition has made Kaseya more responsive to MSP needs, my sources in the Kaseya partner ecosystem say.

Are ConnectWise and its investment arm perfect? Certainly not. I hear from some readers who want better integration between certain platforms — such as ConnectWise and Zenith Infotech, or between ConnectWise and some third-party backup and disaster recovery solutions. Privately, some Zenith partners and a few Online Backup providers worry they won’t receive integration priority since ConnectWise Capital is focused on the LabTech and CharTec relationships.

I see both sides of the story: Earlier this month, ConnectWise CTO Linda Catrett Brotherton told me she was working to ensure ConnectWise would develop and share more APIs with technology partners this year. Her tone was genuine. Also, it’s important to note that the LabTech-ConnectWise integration existed prior to the ConnectWise Capital Investment… and I have heard progress on the ConnectWise-Zenith integration front.

Remember Windows Drivers?

In ConnectWise’s defense, the company doesn’t have the time to write integrations to scores of third-party platforms. It’s a bit like the world of Microsoft Windows — where Microsoft publishes the APIs and other specifications, then partners (hardware companies, software companies, etc.) write the drivers.

That’s the model for ConnectWise going forward. Assuming CTO Brotherton makes good on her vow to develop and share more ConnectWise APIs with partners, the model should work. Windows proved it. Sure, plenty of Windows ISVs imploded (WordPerfect, Corel, etc.). But thousands thrived… particularly the most aggressive, sales-centric ISVs (prime example: Oracle on Windows Server).

Future ConnectWise Capital Investments?

Now, pure speculation: Where might ConnectWise Capital invest its money next? I concede: I don’t have any firm leads… just hunches.

Arnie Bellini has spoken so much about help desk and vendor management opportunities in recent months… so I wouldn’t be surprised if ConnectWise Capital was looking for opportunities in those areas. (Though it sounds like LabTech may already address some of the help desk opportunity.)

Other potential areas of investment? Re-read that ConnectWise Capital press release from earlier this week. It stated:

“Investment candidates are channel-focused companies that offer IT solution providers opportunities to deploy and manage resources their clients most rely on in a Modern Office™ such as VoIP, email management, network storage and security, cloud computing, and telecommuting/mobile workforce support.”

That’s a pretty broad list. Or is it? Think of it this way: The network storage and security markets are massive, but the list of potential investments gets far shorter when you focus purely on network storage and security upstarts within the managed services niche. Director of Strategic Initiatives Gerwai Todd is vetting through potential investment candidates, but Arnie and David Bellini will ultimately decide which candidates warrant investment.

My best guess: ConnectWise Capital will unveil another investment in the first half of 2011.

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First, the news angle: Back in November 2010 at the ConnectWise IT Nation conference in Orlando,  Fla., CEO Arnie Bellini hinted that ConnectWise was preparing to re-brand and enhance a tool called Downstream IT. Fast forward to the present, and ConnectWise today launched StreamlineIT — which essentially allows ConnectWise to run within a corporate IT department. The net result: MSPs and IT managers together can monitor and troubleshoot technology operations more rapidly. Bellini offers more perspective:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bigger Trend

StreamlineIT (and its predecessor, Downstream IT) are part of a larger trend within the managed services market. While some MSPs certainly compete with corporate IT departments, anecdotal evidence suggests some MSPs prefer to partner up with their corporate IT counterparts.

Two other prime examples: Autotask offers TaskFire, a tool that also connects the dots between IT service providers and corporate IT. Plus, N-able Technologies — an RMM (remote monitoring and management) software company — has partnered up with MSPs to sell RMM software into mid-market corporate IT departments.

Notes Autotask Chief Marketing Officer Bob Vogel: “In a nutshell, Taskfire allows service providers who run their businesses on Autotask to deploy a robust hosted service desk solution to their clients to use for internal IT. While the Taskfire solution can be used as a stand-alone internal IT solution, it is tethered directly to the solution providers’ Autotask service desk and the systems share a common workflow automation engine that can seamlessly route tickets between the internal and external resources.”

Check in with VARs and MSPs running Autotask, and you’ll discover that 75 percent of that community has at least one customer that employs internal IT staff. So, connecting the dots between IT service providers and those corporate IT departments is a natural opportunity, Vogel says. He says TaskFire also provides corporate IT departments with “an outlet [to IT services providers] to handle peak loads, special projects, and resource back-up when internal IT staff are off on vacation, get sick, or quit.”

Meanwhile, N-able in 2010 spent considerable time routing mid-market corporate IT leads to VARs and MSPs. On the one hand, MSPs can use N-able’s software to remotely monitor and manage SMB customer networks. But on the other hand, MSPs can work more closely with mid-market corporate IT departments that also deploy N-able’s software.

Reality Check

Of course, some MSPs have no plans to work with corporate IT departments. In fact, some MSPs decline potential customer meetings if corporate IT staff members are involved in the process.

Still, there seems to be a growing trend toward co-managed IT, as the examples from Autotask, ConnectWise and N-able show.

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First up, growth: Burst detailed that Glowpoint has grown 11 percent year over year, from 3Q 2009 to 3Q 2010. When January 2011 rolls around, Glowpoint will be in the process of expanding its facility and moving to a new location.

Balani offered up some perspective on that growth, noting it has come mostly from enterprise customers that are looking to converge video in the workplace. Convergence means multi-protocol clients and soft clients, which translates to supporting a variety of video-chatting hardware and software. And yes, that includes Skype and Google chat video.

Speaking of video, the company is bent on making video a must-have technology in the enterprise. Glowpoint’s latest undertaking is the OpenVideo platform, scheduled for release in early 2011 and ostensibly an effort to increase as many video-enabled endpoints as possible while leveraging downmarket clients (such as the aforementioned Skype and Google chat video). What’s more, Balani said, Glowpoint has partnered with several new wholesale partners, including Polycom and BroadSoft to address the evolving video market. The company sees it as a way of investing in video services without the capital expenditure.

But Glowpoint’s main mission is to provide video calling regardless of video technology or network infrastructure. The company aims to be the backbone between these video services and is working hard to simply the process. Using Glowpoint’s cloud, an enterprise can save on video costs. Glowpoint recently provided integration with Cisco Telepresence solutions, and hosted UC, along with a partnership with Equinix for that cloud implementation.

“Glowpoint [wants to] proliferate video,” Balani summarized. “That’s why we’re focused on open standards. Creating a video exchange for interoperability between third-party video devices [like] Cisco and Polycom, as well as support for desktop clients — that’s our focus for 2011.”

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First, a little background: Garbutt sat down with me during the N-able Partner Summit (Oct. 20-22, Scottsdale, Ariz). Roughly 300 or so managed services providers attended the event. Overall, MSPs seemed upbeat about business prospects, and chatter about the recent recession was minimal. During a keynote, Garbutt described how the N-able partner base has been gaining managed services momentum since January 2010.

FastChat Video

So what’s next? In this MSPmentor FastChat Video, Garbutt describes multiple partnerships that could assist MSPs. The video below covers:

• 0:00 – Introduction
• 0:06 – How MSPs can potentially increase their SMB market penetration with N-able — using freemium software
• 1:09 – New partnerships with CA, eEye and Visual Network Systems to help MSPs cross-sell backup, compliance and capacity planning services.
• 1:51 – More information and Web links
• 2:02 – Conclusion

Click here to view the embedded video.

Next Moves

Where is N-able heading next? My best guess involves more fremium offers with third-party software providers. Already, N-able offers freemium endpoint security to its partners. And the September 2010 relationship with CA Technologies involves free trial backup software.

I could be wrong, but I’d look for N-able to be part of a bigger, broader “free offer” deal involving business management software, perhaps in Q1 2011. Just an educated MSPmentor guess… based on chatter from multiple MSP industry insiders.

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First, a little background: Tigerpaw is a family owned software company. James’ father, Dave, remains CEO. But Dave transitioned the president title to son James in April 2010. That transition is more than symbolic. Since being named president, James Foxall has announced a series of community-driven efforts — both online and face to face.

FastChat Video

Within the video below, James Foxall covers:

• 0:00 – Introduction
• 0:08 – Tigerpaw’s market focus and the implications for VARs, MSPs and service providers
• 0:59 – Foxall’s vision for Tigerpaw and his transition into the president post
• 2:10 – Tigerpaw’s core customers, and the convergence of VoIP and data resellers
• 3:18 – More info and Web links
• 3:33 – Conclusion

Click here to view the embedded video.

Keeping Watch

MSPmentor filmed the interview during the recent Tigerpaw User Conference in Dallas. The first-time conference, which will become an annual event, attracted more than 300 Tigerpaw users representing a range of companies: Telecom resellers, VoIP specialists, VARs and MSPs, among others.

The conference’s audience mix reinforces the fact that Tigerpaw doesn’t always compete head-on with PSA industry veterans like Autotask and ConnectWise. Several RMM (remote monitoring and management) software providers have taken notice, and they are starting to market their software to Tigerpaw’s installed base.

We’ll be watching to see how Tigerpaw’s user base evolves in the months ahead.

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Roughly 1,600 VARs and managed services providers now participate in Seismic, and an additional 50 to 65 partners are signing up each month, Crotty notes. Seismic is designed to help transform resellers into MSPs. With that goal in mind, Seismic’s product portfolio includes a range of MSP-centric software for remote device management, NOC (network operation center) and help desk services. A range of Seismic partners — such as Intermedia, the hosted Exchange specialist — are here at the Ingram Micro VTN conference.

Meanwhile, Ingram Micro seems to be doubling down on its services strategy. Crotty says the Ingram Micro Services team will roughly double in size this year, thanks to a “board-level supported effort.” The services effort includes Seismic, a training academy for certifications, on-demand IT staffing, on-site professional services, hardware services support and warranty contract management.

The Road Ahead

On the Seismic front, Crotty concedes Ingram has room for improvement. In a FastChat video, Crotty says Seimic addressed “a number of service delivery issues” in Q1. Looking ahead, Crotty says key cloud proponents — including representatives from Microsoft’s Windows Azure team, Rackspace and Salesforce.com — will participate in an Ingram cloud conference this June.

Crotty declines to say if or how Ingram will work with Windows Azure, Rackspace and Salesforce.com in the cloud… but I think he mentioned all three companies for a specific reason. Listen for yourself:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The video covers…

• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:10 Recap of Ingram Micro Seismic Q1 results
• 0:30 Addressing service delivery issues
• 0:55 Global NOC and help desk growth
• 1:05 Cloud chatter at Ingram Micro’s VTN conference
• 1:55 Ingram Micro Seismic and the cloud
• 2:30 Salesforce.com, Microsoft Windows Azure and Rackspace weigh in
• 3:15 More info
• 3:34 Conclusion

Seismic Refresher Course

Need some general background on Seismic? Find it here from Jason Beal, director of sales for Ingram Micro Services:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Key Competition

Ingram certainly isn’t alone in its MSP-centric efforts. Key rivals include Zenith Infotech, which has built a strong following among MSPs that want backup, disaster recovery, and help desk services. And Synnex — a rival distributor — has been working with itControl Solutions and former MSP Services Network CEO Amy Luby on a managed services strategy as well.

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This isn’t yet another “break-fix to recurring revenue” story. BlueWater ranks among Cisco’s fastest-growing integrators. The company’s revenue grew from $1.9 million to more than $70 million in less than three years, notes the annual CRN Fast Growth report.

Based on Long Island and in Manhattan, BlueWater focuses on mid-market customers in several verticals: Financial Services, Telecommunications, Legal Services, Advertising, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Retail, and progressive Educational institutions and Government.

I caught up with BlueWater CEO Bob Cagnazzi at the Cisco Partner Velocity conference in Paris. Some key thoughts:

• Instead of managing PCs and mobile devices, BlueWater is focusing on managed voice, video and IP infrastructure services.
• BlueWater has no plans to offer its NOCs to peer VARs and MSPs. Cagnazzi considered the move but BlueWater won’t become a master MSP because of potential competitive conflicts with other channel players.

For a bit more on BlueWater’s strategy check out this MSPmentor FastChat video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Howdy, Neighbor

Full disclosure: I’ve known Cagnazzi my entire life. We grew up on the same block and we still live in the same town. We were sitting in a session at the Cisco Partner Velocity conference in Paris when I asked Bob for an update on the managed services strategy. Within 5 minutes, were having a deeper MSP conversation. I’ll share more thoughts from Cagnazzi in the weeks ahead.

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