MSPmentor

When it comes to managed services partnerships, Tech Data’s strategy can be summed up in four words: The more the merrier. The big distributor has inked an MSP platform partnership with Zenith Infotech. The deal comes only a few weeks after Tech Data partnered to offer managed print services.

So far, 2008 is shaping up to be the year that distributors solidified key partnerships and programs across the managed services market. All of the major players — Arrow, Avnet, Ingram Micro, Tech Data, Synnex, etc. — are making MSP-related moves.

And for good reason. While some skeptics worry about managed services becoming a commodity, MSPmentor anticipates a different market scenario: As VARs continue to embrace managed services platforms, they will begin to layer on new, higher-margin services such as video surveillance and unified communications. For a peek at these emerging services, check out MSPmentor’s Managed Services Hype Cycle, which is based on Gartner’s classic technology hype cycle curve.

Or, continue along with this blog post for more on the Tech Data-Zenith Infotech relationship. Read More >

Much like its rivals, Tech Data is making multiple managed services moves. But so far, those moves have not protected distributors from the economic slowdown. Here’s how distributors are embracing managed services, plus a financial nugget suggesting the North American economic slowdown is starting to impact distributors.

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I’ve got to admit, I was a bit skeptical about managed print services in mid-2007. Are managed service providers really interested? Do customers truly understand hardware as a service? After watching and reporting on this market over the past six months, I think managed print services are for real, with heavy hitters like Tech Data and Xerox aggressively promoting managed hardware services. 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.