MSPmentor

SysAid Technologies, an IT service management software and help desk solution provider, has a message for IT staff looking forward to taking a few days off during the holidays: Not so fast. According to the software provider, there is no more ideal time for IT administrators to evaluate company IT systems than during the holiday season when most employees are out of the office and usually not logging-in to company networks via mobile devices to work remotely.

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Numara Software, a help desk software provider, has a message for MSPs: Your mobile device management (MDM) efforts should integrate with your existing managed services for network devices security, provisioning, management and control. So where does Numara Cloud fit into the MDM Conversation?

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While exploring the depths of archived, deleted and old email stored by SMBs is not exactly an adventure worthy of Indiana Jones, this activity does offer MSPs the opportunity to help SMB customers improve productivity. According to a recent study of almost 200 IT decision-makers at SMBs from GFI Software, 69 percent of respondents indicate that employee requests for assistance retrieving deleted emails limits the productivity of their IT staff, and 45 percent admit to no IT solution for managing and automating email archive retention and retrieval.

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Numara Software, a service desk and help desk software provider, is launching mobile device management (MDM) solutions. First up, Numara has introduced the Numara Cloud — a suite of IT service lifecycle, endpoint lifecycle and MDM solutions for physical and virtual environments. Second, Numara has developed the Numara Cloud Mobile Device Manager. The big question: Can Numara stand out in the crowded MDM market?

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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.

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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.

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RES Software, which develops Windows Desktop management software, has launched a service provider program to assist partners with hosted virtual desktops. The RES Service Provider (RSP) program is for partners that participate in Microsoft’s SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement) program and the Citrix Service Provider (CSP) program. The addition of RES Software allows service providers to track application licenses in real-time and only pay for actual end-user usage, RES claims.

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LiveTime Software, which develops IT service management solutions, has launched a virtual appliance. LiveTime claims the appliance allows companies to run their own private or public ITSM cloud. Initially, the appliance supports VMware environments, but additional virtualization support is planned.

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Hewlett-Packard is experiencing growing demand from managed service providers for its Discovery and Dependency Mapping Inventory Advanced Edition (DDMA). That’s according to Jimmy Augustine, group product manager of Configuration Management Database for HP Software. I caught up with Augustine to find out why more MSPs are suddenly seeing the value of HP’s DDMA solution.

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BoxTone, an enterprise mobility management (EMM) specialist, has teamed with 3LM to deliver an embedded security and management platform for Google Android mobile devices and applications. Here are the details.

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eFolder, the cloud storage provider, is set to launch an MSP migration program that helps to shift partners from Zenith Infotech BDR (backup and disaster recovery) to eFolder’s cloud services. The so-called eFolder BDR Rescue Program, which seeks to capitalize on Zenith Infotech’s recent bond default, will apparently launch this week. Here’s what MSPmentor expects MSPs to hear.

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The North American  SaaS-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) market remains promising for the next several years, according to a new report from Research & Markets. The study predicts SaaS-based ERP software revenue will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.8% between 2010 and 2014. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the low initial investment required to implement SaaS-based ERP software, and the SaaS-based ERP Software market in North America has also been witnessing the emergence of open source SaaS-based ERP vendors. So outside of being a bonanza for lovers of acronyms, what does this news mean for MSPs serving the SMB sector?

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Global spending by SMBs on mobile SaaS is expected to enjoy 29.5 percent compound annual growths in the next five years, jumping from $3 billion this year to $16.6 billion in 2016, according to a new study from Strategy Analytics. On a regional basis, North America and Western Europe represent the greatest near-term SMB spending opportunity for mobile SaaS, and SMBs in North America spend twice as much on mobile SaaS as those in Western Europe.

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ManageEngine , which develops managed services and IT service desk software, has launched three new products designed for MSPs and IT administrators. The featured product is the VQManager Distributed Edition, which helps MSPs maintain VoIP networks for customers. Here are the details.

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Anecdotal evidence suggests Microsoft Lync — the unified communications platform — continues to gain momentum. For instance, both Volkswagen Group of America and LA Fitness have rolled out Lync, the software giant says. Plus, the Microsoft Pinpoint partner locator tool now lists at least 100 Lync channel partners across the U.S. My bigger question: Can MSPs somehow generate recurring revenues from Lync?

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Google is seeking to train IT help desks and service desks to support Google Chromebooks — which are low-cost cloud notebooks that run Chrome OS. Admittedly, Google Chromebooks remain in their infancy. Chromebooks, built by Acer and Samsung, debuted in June 2011 and cost businesses about $30 per user per month. I haven’t heard about widespread Chromebook deployments but I’m curious to see if any IT help desk providers start to offer Chromebook support.

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SMBs are increasingly investing in sophisticated communications technologies. But the quest for true unified communications (UC) remains elusive for most SMBs, according to a new study from IDC. Many SMBs may not even realize they are taking steps toward a UC environment. That’s where MSPs can enter the picture.

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New research about the evolving U.S. job market suggests that demand for managed services could rise in some unexpected areas. Consider this: Transportation goods such as vehicles and auto parts, electrical equipment including household appliances, and furniture are among seven sectors that could create two to three million jobs as a result of manufacturing returning to the U.S., an emerging trend that is expected to accelerate starting in the next five years, according to new research by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). What’s the potential upside for managed services providers?

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NetEnrich Inc., which promotes closet-to-cloud services for MSPs, has hired a VP of sales and a senior director of product management. The moves reinforce continued expansion at NetEnrich, which has been pushing beyond traditional NOC (network operations center) services for MSPs in recent months.

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MobileIron, the mobile device management (MDM) software provider, plans to support Apple iOS 5 beginning Oct. 12. Apple iOS 5 was officially released on Oct. 4. Now, we’re watching to see how many mobile device management specialists jump on the Apple iOS 5 bandwagon.

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I didn’t know much about SmarterTools, the mail server software, help desk software and web analytics provider before Smarter Tools VPs Jeff Hardy and Derek Curtis reached out to me. The first thing that caught my attention: Curtis and Hardy didn’t want to schedule a 10 minute phone briefing. They wanted to meet face-to-face to discuss how SmarterTools has been competing with the likes of Zendesk and Salesforce.com since its founding in 2003. Here are the details.

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In the crowded mobile device management (MDM) market, AirWatch wants to stand out from the MDM crowd. “Nobody wants to be the T.J.Maxx of mobility,” quipped AirWatch Chairman Alan Dabbiere. In my opinion, the 300-person AirWatch team has been among the most active MDM companies this year.

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Within the SMB market, basic IT help desk and service desk support is evolving to include smartphone tech support, according to a new study from Parks Associates. Combine smartphone support with traditional PC, server and network support, and you’ve got a $20 billion IT support opportunity across the U.S. by 2015, according to the research firm. Here’s where managed services providers fit in vs. big telecom providers.

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