MSPmentor

From Microsoft Corp. to managed service platform providers, everybody is taking aim at small business IT opportunities. But small businesses may not be willing to open their wallets very wide for IT, according to a new survey by CDW Corp.

Overall, the big product reseller said IT decision makers are somewhat more optimistic now than the were in December. CDW offers some deeper details in a press release. But mainstream media companies like Reuters see the glass half empty, reporting that:

Only 30 percent of small U.S. businesses plan to increase technology spending in the next six months compared with about two-thirds of larger companies, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

Still, I think CDW and Reuters may have missed the mark, because they didn’t consider key managed services trends. Read More >

Competition drives innovation. A case in point: Because the PC market is now wide-open to competition (Windows, Mac OS, Linux), managed service platform providers are working overtime to support customer choice. Kaseya’s latest platform release, for instance, embraces Intel vPro technology and Mac OS X. Going broad with Intel support and deep with Mac OS X support creates some compelling opportunities for MSPs. Here’s why. Read More >

Many managed service providers and VARs struggle with day-to-day cash management, customer invoicing and bill payments. I can’t endorse a particular solution to these challenges, but a software as a service (SaaS) outfit called Bill.com caught my eye earlier today.

Bill.com claims its service can automate bill payment, e-invoicing and collections, and help to improve cash flow management. But what really impressed me is Bill.com’s viral marketing strategy — which managed service providers can certainly emulate on their own. Here’s how. Read More >

Join MSPmentor Editorial Director Joe Panettieri on February 14 in New York. He’ll be among the guest speakers at Breakfast on Broadway, an event hosted by Telehouse America.

Joe will lead an interactive session with attendees, describing managed services trends and key findings from the recent MSPmentor 100 report. He’ll also take questions from attendees. Much of the session will focus on best practices and key issues small and midsize businesses (SMBs) need to consider before signing up for a managed service.

For more information, visit the event registration site. And for a look at additional managed services events, check out the MSPmentor event calendar and map, which plots conferences across the globe.

Michael Dell is making another managed services move, this time in the voice-over-IP space. Dell has quietly inked a partnership with an open source voice-over-IP company. The deal potentially pushes Dell into several new markets, including managed voice services and unified communications. The move may also complement Dell’s recent MSP acquisitions (Silverback Technologies and Everdream). Here’s the inside scoop. Read More >

I work in a small business. When it comes to technology, we have two goals: First, we hope to never hire a chief information officer. Second, we hope to outsource just about all of our technology infrastructure. If we fulfill the second goal, then it’s quite simple for us to fulfill the first goal.

With these two goals in mind, I stumbled across an announcement from Tech Data, which plans to offer resellers converged IP services from XO Communications. Under terms of the deal, Tech Data’s partners will be able to offer XO’s SIP (session initiation protocol) services in tandem with Cisco unified communications technology.

Sounds promising. Now, for the challenge. When we recently leased an office on Long Island, the local cable company inundated us with IP telephony offers. In stark contrast, neither Tech Data nor its partners knew how to find us because we were a relatively new business.

The upshot: Big distributors and their VARs will certainly play in the managed services market. But when it comes to small business managed services, the traditional channel has to make sure it finds — and services — start-up organizations before big service providers come calling.

So, you’re thinking about offering managed hardware as part of a monthly service contract. Before you make the move, consider this: Perhaps it’s time to take a close look at open source desktops (particularly Ubuntu Linux running OpenOffice) as an option for your customers. Here’s why.

Read More >

What if you launched a new product or service and never bothered to tell anyone? VARs and solutions providers make that mistake over and over again, because they don’t know how to shape their marketing messages, nor are they sure how to get the word out about a new product or service. Some VARs, however, are savvy to free PR and marketing opportunities. One prime example: Total Tech of San Diego knows how to blitz the media (including MSPmentor) with its PR messaging. Here’s a bit about their approach. Read More >