MSPmentor

As managed services converges with unified communications, partners are speed-dialing Cisco Systems for help. The networking giant launched a managed services partner program last fall, and plenty of MSPs have taken the Cisco plunge. Still, many of Cisco’s rivals are taking a wait-and-see approach to the MSP industry. Read More >

VARs heard a familiar but important message today during a luncheon hosted by Do IT Smarter near Philadelphia: Without a managed services framework in place, roughly 40 percent of solutions providers will go out of business within the next year, according to research from Gartner Inc.

I’m often skeptical of research, and I think Gartner’s estimates are a bit high. But the main thesis — traditional VARs are in trouble — rings true to me. While traditional VARs are treading water, the most successful managed service providers have doubled or even tripled their revenue in the past year, according to our recent MSPmentor 100 research project.

The model for successful VARs has evolved from product-led services, to projects without product resale, to on-site managed services, and now to remote managed services, notes Todd McKendrick, VP of Do IT Smarter, one of the top-ranked companies in our MSPmentor 100. “Your brand [rather than a vendor’s name] is the most important brand in your customers’ eyes,” McKendrick told attendees.

Still, McKendrick and other guest speakers at today’s luncheon noted that the transition to managed services involves some key challenges, such as: Read More >

MSPmentor will be blogging live from a Managed Services Luncheon on February 7 in Philadelphia. The event, hosted by Do IT Smarter, Xerox, MX Logic and SonicWall, seeks to educate VARs about managed services opportunities.

During a similar event in Boston this past December, attendees learned key steps to offering hardware as a service and managed print services.

For more information about the Philadelphia event on February 7, check out our expanding events calendar and map. We plan to blog live from multiple upcoming events, including a February 14 Breakfast on Broadway in New York, and the MSP Alliance’s upcoming Managed Services Summit, scheduled for March 30 - April 1 in Atlanta.

Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Jake and Elwood Blues. Heck, even Xerox and Do IT Smarter love a good road trip. I hear the duo is hosting a Managed Service Provider road show with stops in Charlotte, N.C. (October 11), Houston, Texas (October 17), New Orleans, La. (October 24) and Hollywood, Fla. (October 25). SonicWall and MX Logic also are joining the event series, which offers practical tips for selling managed services. For details, check out the Do IT Smarter event site.