For inclusion in the Magic Quadrant for Client Management Tools, Gartner says vendor solutions were considered based on the following functions:

• Data/Settings Migration;
• Inventory;
• OS Deployment;
• Patch Management;
• Remote Control;
• Software Usage;
• SW Packaging & Distribution;
• Power Management.
• Mobile Device Management was another component, along with Application and Desktop Virtualization.

Who’s Included?

That lengthy list pretty much describes the remote management capabilities that VARs and MSPs require. The Gartner report covers such technology companies as:

• Absolute Software
• BMC Software
• CA Technologies
• Dell Kace
• FrontRange
• HP
• IBM
• Kaseya
• LANDesk
• Matrix42
• Microsoft
• Novell
• Numara (now owned by BMC Software)
• Symantec

Gartner organizes those vendors into this Magic Quadrant grid:

How About SMB Remote Management Tools?

Alas, many MSP-centric software providers aren’t covered in the Client Management Tools report. I’m curious to know if Gartner has a separate report or Magic Quadrant for SMB remote monitoring and management tools, in particular.

Of the vendors listed above, only Kaseya and Microsoft (Windows Intune) have SMB-centric solutions, according to Gartner. And Kaseya is the only vendor mentioned as to having a managed services provider (MSP) focus.

Slightly Wrong on Kaseya?

Also, I don’t exactly agree with Gartner’s analysis of Kaseya, which states:

“Kaseya is a relatively new player in the client management space. The company has existed since 2000, but has focused mainly on selling its product through managed service providers, rather than directly to IT organizations. The company has shifted its focus in the last two years, and is now used by IT organizations to manage their internal environments.”

Huh? I believe Kaseya has sold direct into IT organizations for at least five years. (MSPmentor launched in beta in September 2007; I didn’t track the market before that point.) I also believe Kaseya lost a bit of its focus on the MSP market in 2010, but began to sharpen its MSP focus again in mid- to late-2011.

Gartner’s Conclusions  on Kaseya

Gartner praises Kaseya in three areas and questions the company in three areas.

• The praise includes: Applause for Kaseya’s SaaS approach on inventory and patch management; mobile device management for Apple iOS and Android; and extensions like PC backup and system performance monitoring.
• The cautions include: Immature Mac management capabilities; lack of application virtualization support (Microsoft App-V and VMware ThinApp) and potentially weak reporting capabilities.

Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) Requires Coverage

I don’t always agree with the Gartner Magic Quadrant. And I worry about all the “hype” about which vendors are in the Magic Quadrant. But it would be great to see a list of MSP-centric software companies, along with strengths and cautions listed for each platform.

Does such a Magic Quadrant exist for RMM (remote monitoring and management) software providers?

(Side note: The Gartner Client Management Tools Magic Quadrant replaces the Magic Quadrant for PC Configuration Life Cycle Management due to the emergence of mobile device and Mac management needs. Smartphones, tablets, Macs, virtual desktops and virtual applications all represent emerging targets of management.)

Read More About This Topic

• Mobile Device Management and RMM Software: Set to Converge?
• PacketTrap Introduces New Software Licensing Model for MSPs
• Ingram Micro: More RMM and Managed Services Relationships Emerge
• Autotask, CentraStage Partner Up on Managed Services
• Update: Why Kaseya Veteran Invested in CentraStage

When Mark Cattini arrived as Autotask CEO in December 2010, he gradually shifted the company’s messaging to emphasize the broader IT channel (rather than just MSPs), pure SaaS solutions, and an international push that depended heavily on the United Kingdom. In fact, Autotask’s UK staffing has grown from three people to more than 15 in roughly six months, the company claims.

The UK push doesn’t surprise MSPmentor. Of the top 50 MSPs across EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), 30 are located in the United Kingdom. (We’ll share more details about that data point when we unveil the fifth-annual MSPmentor 100 report on Feb. 15.)

Autotask, meanwhile, is now used by “thousands of IT service providers, value-added resellers (VARs) and managed services providers (MSPs) in 54 countries,”  the company said today. Mark Banfield is leading Autotask’s international charge. Autotask is also playing up its pure SaaS focus, attempting to established a valuation multiple that’s closer to cloud companies rather than traditional software companies.

Of course, Autotask isn’t alone in its global push. ConnectWise has engaged user groups across the globe. I believe ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini is in Australia for user group meetings now. ConnectWise has both an on-premise and hosted version, though I don’t know the nitty-gritty architectural differences between the Autotask and ConnectWise approaches to hosting/SaaS.

Meanwhile, Autotask apparently experienced little — if any — fallout from its December 2011 decision to sell the VARStreet business back to VARStreet’s staff.  The deal was announced just before the holidays, freeing Autotask to focus on its core business management SaaS platform. VARStreet helps VARs and MSPs to source and price IT products from a range of distributors and suppliers.

Read More About This Topic

• Autotask CEO Reveals 2011 Growth Stat, Business Plan
• Australia: Will Consulting Firm Give Tigerpaw Software a Lift?
• A Closer Look Inside the ConnectWise Capital Family
• That’s A Wrap: Bob Godgart’s Last Day at Autotask
• Synnex MSPs Pursue $100 Million Managed Services Opportunity

“Mobile apps make managing backups quick and easy,” Ferrari said in a prepared statement. “Partners can view usage data, backup stats and client contact information even when they’re on the run.”

MSPs using iPhone or Android mobile devices can now view their Intronis central management portal from anywhere, meaning they can view network statuses and pretty much provide the same full client support capabilities that they do from their workplace desktops, wherever they are.

Intronis also introduced tighter integration with ConnectWise, the PSA (professional services automation) software platform.  (Side note: Intronis integrates with a range of PSA systems, plus ConnectWise integrates with numerous cloud and on-premises storage platforms.)

Still, Intronis claims it is the first data backup vendor to integrated with ConnectWise based on the new Managed Devices API standards. The benefit to that being the new Managed Devices API gives users a more comprehensive integration with ConnectWise billing and configuration. For example, Intronis customers can now setup billing for their backup solutions within ConnectWise, and then have Intronis notifications automatically create ConnectWise service tickets with more detailed customer information, the company claims.

This latest upgrade is part of Intronis’ larger plan to help its managed services partners spend less time on backups and more time on customer innovation. Apparently, MSPs are embracing the strategy. Intronis CEO Kent Plunkett said back in October 2011 that the company’s cloud backup services were on pace to grow by 50 percent overall in 2011.

Read More About This Topic

• Azaleos Expands Managed Sharepoint Services in the Cloud
• N-able Teams with Hartco to Engage Canadian MSPs
• EMC VFCache Boosts Oracle, SAP Application Performance
• Managed Services Merger: Aldridge and Rafte Target Texas
• CA AppLogic Gains Cloud Services Momentum With MSPs

7. Congrats, Rob Leon: The grapevine former Spam Soap insider Rob Leon is joining KnowledgeCentrix, effective January 30. Leon spent considerable time educating me about the inner workings of MSPs just as MSPmentor was getting off the ground.

6. Coming Soon: I think it’s a safe to say Continuum (formerly Zenith RMM) is really close to launching Continuum Vault, a BDR solution co-developed with Datto, the storage company. Datto referred launch timing questions over to Continuum. And now I’m playing email-tag with the Continuum team to pinpoint the potential launch day…

5. Speaking of Datto: I spoke with CEO Austin McChord a week ago. I got a little distracted this week writing the MSPmentor 100 report (see item 1 below) but I still have some intriguing notes from the McChord conversation. Hopefully, I’ll work it into a blog the week of Jan. 30.

4. Another PSA Player?: Promys claims to be a PSA (professional services automation) player that delivers what Autotask and VARStreet failed to be: A single solution to handle professional services and IT equipment. (Autotask continues strong in the PSA market, but sold off VARStreet to VARStreet’s employees in late December 2011.) Promys serves larger IT shops (typically 40+ employees) that work on larger IT engagements, according to Director of Business Development Jim Barnet. I’m poking around for more details.

3. The Man Down Under: Annitel‘s Tim Brewer — one of the top MSP leaders in Australia — seems to have a plan to take on one of his nation’s largest telecom providers. Annitel’s managed services strategy apparently involves voice — at least over the long haul. How’s that? More thoughts soon…

2. Really?: Private equity firm threatened to walk out on an MSP relationship because three customer contract signatures seemed to be forged. The alleged discrepancy surfaced during an annual audit of the MSP. If anyone wants to go on the record, I’m listening. In the meantime file this under “loud rumor.”

1. MSPmentor 100 Details: The fifth-annual MSPmentor 100 report is coming February 15. Plus, we’ve got some bonus materials for you this year. The entire report is now written and being fact-checked. It includes:

• The MSPmentor 100, Global Edition
• The MSPmentor 200, North America Edition
• The MSPmentor 50, EMEA Edition for Europe, Middle East and Africa
• The MSPmentor 25, AANZ Edition for Asia, Australia, New Zealand
• Plus: We’ll look at up-and-coming MSPs in Central and South America
• And special honors to MSPs that made the most hires in 2011

We hope you enjoy the data and analysis when the fifth-annual MSPmentor report surfaces Feb. 15, 2012.

Read More About This Topic

• Autotask Proclaims UK Momentum Following VARStreet Exit
• Sales Proposal and Quoting Software: Can You Compete Without it?
• ConnectWise Capital: Two Years Later
• Managed Services: 7 Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write, Dec. 30
• Autotask Sells VARStreet Business to VARStreet Employees

First, a bunch of disclaimers: I know ConnectWise, LabTech and Quosal each are best-known for their on-premises software platforms. Numerous PSA (professional services automation) and RMM (remote monitoring and management) software providers have larger cloud installed bases than ConnectWise and its investment-backed companies. And I realize ConnectWise suffered some cloud bumps from time to time.

A Longer-term Strategy

But here’s where things get interesting: When ConnectWise launched the ConnectWise Capital investment effort roughly two years ago, I thought the initial strategy was flawed. ConnectWise itself had a small (though growing) hosted presence at the time. And LabTech — one of the first ConnectWise Capital investments — had openly stated that it was an on-premise play, leaving potential partners to explore the hosting side of the equation.

My conclusion at the time: ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini was artificially limiting the valuation of his own company and the ConnectWise Capital companies. Think of it this way:

• In the past five years, scores of cloud and hosted software companies have attracted millions of dollars in venture capital. Plus, most of the major IT IPOs (initial public offerings) since 2007 or so have involved cloud and social media companies.
• In stark contrast, how many on-premises software companies have attracted big investment dollars on the way to a successful IPO in the past five years or so? Off the top of my head I can’t name any such players.

Cloud Comes Into Focus

Fast forward to the present and the ConnectWise cloud story is stronger. An educated guess: Quick math suggests cloud revenues alone are large enough to land ConnectWise quite high on the annual Inc. 5000 report, which tracks the most successful privately held companies in the U.S. Now, toss in the growing Quosal and LabTech cloud strategies and you’ve got an interesting strategy coming into focus. Over time, I suspect we’ll see the ConnectWise, Quosal and LabTech cloud services come closer and closer together — but that’s merely a hunch from me.

I realize the overall ConnectWise cloud strategy takes some hits from time to time. ConnectWise insists its software was designed for hosting during the ASP (application services provider) wave more than a decade ago. But some readers are quick to point out that rival Autotask built a successful $20 million business purely on the cloud, and ConnectWise was forced to respond. Moreover, Autotask CEO Mark Cattini — on the job about a year now — prefers to compare Autotask to Salesforce.com, NetSuite and other SaaS-centric players that have launched successful IPOs.

So where is ConnectWise ultimately heading next? Plenty of folks have asked me if CEO Arnie Bellini is planning an “exit” strategy or a potential IPO. I don’t have the answer. But I do know this: If the ConnectWise, Quosal and LabTech cloud platforms are gaining partners without diluting profitability, I suspect the valuation for ConnectWise and its portfolio companies continue to rise.

Read More About This Topic

• Incoming Autotask Senior VP Jay McBain: Why He Made the Move
• ConnectWise Capital: Two Years Later
• ConnectWise and Autotask Pursue Vastly Different Long-Term Strategies
• Six Surprises Inside the Halls of ConnectWise
• ConnectWise 2011: A Closer Look

According to the official announcement:

“Shockey Monkey Reloaded is a free technology business automation platform with over 20 technology vendor integration partners that enables solution providers and MSPs to grow their businesses for free.”

Free Strategy?

When I saw the word “free,” I wondered if Shockey Monkey 2.0 was trying to emulate Spiceworks‘ free, advertising-based business model for IT management. I also wondered how Shockey Monkey would attempt to differentiate from the usual PSA names in the market — ConnectWise, Autotask and Tigerpaw Software, among others.

Mazek’s perspective: “With Shockey Monkey we’re not looking to give the IT business a PSA, they can buy that from [ConnectWise CEO] Arnie [Bellini] or Autotask. We’re looking to give the IT business a portal and THEIR customers a PSA through which they can manage their cloud, their files, their devices, etc.”

Mazek sees three areas where Shockey Monkey can connect with users and sponsors. Specifically, he says Shockey Monkey offers:

1. The connected and consolidated management of the cloud offerings (stuff sponsors want to sell and deliver through Shockey Monkey)
2. The management of end-point devices (think inventory, warranties, passwords, RMM functionality); and
3. Business knowledge (tracking clients, relationships, vendors, invoices, payments, etc). “That’s where the money is,” asserted Mazek.

Money Matters

But can free be profitable? Mazek says “I can afford to give away Shockey Monkey for free forever because it translates into sales of our email solutions, our data solutions, our web solutions, all the cloud stuff ExchangeDefender does on both the security and business management fronts. The sponsorships will just raise awareness for Shockey Monkey and give it a larger platform.”

Mazek says Shockey Monkey has 7,000 users. More than 80 percent of the system’s portals are active “on a daily basis,” he adds. Longer term, Mazek wants to take Shockey Monkey beyond VARs and MSPs that need PSA. He ultimately sees Shockey Monkey as “a business platform on the level of Google Apps and Office 365.”

Those are extremely lofty words. Some critics note that Shockey Monkey has been a work in progress since at least 2008. But Mazek’s other efforts — such as ExchangeDefender — have also gained critical mass with channel partners.

Read More About This Topic

• OWN Launches Sync Tool for ConnectWise
• Microsoft Dynamics and MSPs: A Real or Imagined Business Combo?
• Kaseya Connect User Conference: Six Highlights From Day One
• MSP Software Integrations: Read the Fine Print
• Autotask Proclaims UK Momentum Following VARStreet Exit

Here’s how the referral program works. First, Tigerpaw customers can refer a friend or colleague to the company by registering them online. Next, wait for Tigerpaw to send you a confirmation email that the customer you referred is actually eligible for the program. If you get the green light, your referral is free to make a Tigerpaw purchase. And once they do, you can select either a cash reward or credit toward your own Tigerpaw purchase for having delivered the referral.

Tigerpaw has leveraged incentive-based programs before to drive sales. In October the software provider teamed up with Corelytics to challenge its software users to meet sales and other business performance goals.

Read More About This Topic

• Projector PSA: Professional Services Automation for a Different Crowd
• Cepra Chooses Nimsoft RMM, Service Desk for Managed Services
• ManageEngine Previews IT Management Software at Cisco Live
• Bomgar 12.1 Management Gains Security, iPad and Android Support
• Good Technology Secures Android for Department of Defense

January 25, 2012, will mark two years since ConnectWise launched ConnectWise Capital, a $20 million investment fund that seeks to incubate channel-centric technology companies.

Key Moves

Yes, ConnectWise Capital was designed to help channel partners (the IT Nation, as ConnectWise calls ‘em) manage and grow their businesses. But the ConnectWise Capital investments also involved strategic competitive moves. Specifically, I believe…

• ConnectWise invested in LabTech in February 2010 at least partly to counter Kaseya’s potential move into the PSA software market. Instead of waiting for Kaseya to wage a war on ConnectWise’s home turf (PSA software), ConnectWise leveraged LabTech and took the battle to Kaseya’s core market (remote monitoring and management software).
• ConnectWise invested in Quosal in May 2011 at least partly to counter Autotask’s purchase of VARStreet, a SaaS-based IT product sourcing platform.
• ConnectWise invested in CharTec in February 2010 at least partly to counter Zenith Infotech‘s strong position in the BDR (backup and disaster recovery) market.

The Chess Match Changes

I can’t speak for ConnectWise, but I believed the competitive battles listed above were inevitable. But so far they’ve yet to fully emerge. The evidence:

Kaseya: I believe Kaseya remains the largest provider of IT automation software to MSPs. But Kaseya’s PSA effort, rebranded as Kaseya Service Desk, has yet to disrupt the traditional PSA market. Perhaps that’s because Kaseya has been really busy extending its software module strategy for MSPs and enterprise customers.

Autotask: Autotask sold VARStreet back to VARStreet’s employees a few weeks ago.

• On the one hand, Autotask CEO Mark Cattini accurately stated that VARStreet really didn’t fit with Autotask’s global cloud strategy and open software strategy. Cattini doesn’t want to play favorites in the quoting and sales proposal platform market, where companies like VARStreet, Quosal and QuoteWerks often compete.
• But on the other hand, I believe Autotask would not have sold VARStreet if the platform was a rapidly growing, thriving service. Read between the lines and I believe Cattini simply didn’t see enough potential upside for VARStreet. Plus, I think Autotask’s due diligence on VARStreet during the M&A process failed to reveal just how much polish VARStreet required at the time.

Zenith Infotech: The company maintains a big MSP installed base, and Zenith Infotech has been pushing hard into the private cloud market with MSPs. But Zenith Infotech also defaulted on a bond payment in September 2011, and since that time Zenith Infotech has been locked in a legal dispute with bondholders. At the same time, CharTec has offered a range of services that don’t exactly compete with Zenith Infotech.

Successful Investments, Nonetheless

So did ConnectWise — through ConnectWise Capital — make competitive moves that weren’t needed? Actually, the preliminary results look good.

To the best of my knowledge, LabTech continues to sign up about 100 new MSPs per month and the company has introduced pricing competition in the RMM software market — a healthy trend for MSPs. Also, Quosal — the quoting and sales proposal software platform — is in growth mode. Bellini thinks Quosal could ultimately enjoy at least a 50 percent attachment rate with new ConnectWise sales.

And in many respects, CharTec has been a successful investment — though I have a hunch the financial dynamics of the CharTec deal are different from ConnectWise’s investments in LabTech and Quosal.

Rethinking Competition

When I think of the MSP software market, I think of a famous line from Steve Jobs, who once said:

“We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose. We have to embrace a notion that for Apple to win, Apple has to do a really good job.”

So how would I apply that statement to the MSP software market? For ConnectWise to win, Autotask, Kaseya and Zenith Infotech don’t always have to lose. In fact, I believe ConnectWise, Autotask and Kaseya each remain in growth mode — though I can’t make a firm statement about Zenith Infotech’s current growth status, given the debt default.

Also of note: many companies that compete with the ConnectWise Capital investments — names like GFI Max, Level Platforms, N-able, QuoteWerks and PacketTrap MSP — remain in growth mode.

Serving IT Nation

For the Bellini Brothers to maintain their own winning streak, ConnectWise must follow three principles:

• First, ConnectWise has to tighten integration with LabTech and Quosal. Arnie Bellini demonstrated those integration plans (focused on manged print services, as an example) during the IT Nation conference in November 2011.
• Second, ConnectWise must ensure that customer and partner support continues to scale as ConnectWise, LabTech and Quosal grow.
• Third, ConnectWise must keep its APIs open and offer a level playing field for ISVs that compete with LabTech and Quosal. If ConnectWise ever wavers here, ISVs could get even cozier with Autotask.

At times the ConnectWise Capital investments have triggered some competitive angst. But the investments have also helped MSPs to negotiate better pricing with a range of software companies.

Checking the Account Balance

One final thought: When ConnectWise Capital launched in January 2010, ConnectWise said the fund would contain $20 million for channel-centric investments. I wonder: How much of that $20 million has ConnectWise pumped into CharTec, LabTech and Quosal? And how much money — if any — remains for additional investments elsewhere?

Stay tuned.

Read More About This Topic

• ConnectWise and Autotask Pursue Vastly Different Long-Term Strategies
• Ask a Mentor: How Can I Compare Managed Services Software?
• Kaseya Makes Multi-Million-Dollar Acquisition
• A Closer Look Inside the ConnectWise Capital Family
• Seven Managed Services Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write, May 6

7. Unethical M&A Dealings: I traded email with a well-known MSP who wants to warn peer MSPs about unethical moves on the M&A front. The CEO shared some background about how a large publicly held company seemed to string along the MSP, chasing deals together while also discussing a potential M&A combo. But in the end, it seems like the large publicly held company was merely using the small MSP to gather information about the managed services market. More thoughts from MSPmentor soon.

6. Speaking of Mergers and Acquisitions: MSPmentor has confirmed the second and third MSP merger and acquisition deals of 2012. We’ll share details about deal number two later today. Updated, 5:38 p.m. ET, Jan. 2: Canfield Computers and Steel Valley Merge. And details about deal number three — a pretty big deal, I must say — should become public in mid- to late-January 2012. The first MSP M&A deal of 2012, you may recall, involved Network Depot buying Evolve Technologies. Note: We’re tracking all MSP mergers and acquisitions here.

5. Fatal Distraction: Did I mention I got the original Nintendo Entertainment System (circa 1986) for Christmas? I’ve been rocking my 13-year-old son in Blades of Steel. Now, as my birthday approaches, perhaps it’s time to pull the old Atari 2600 out of my attic… where an Intellivision surely looms as well. Yes, you can buy old games for retro video game systems on eBay and Craigslist. But Play n Trade retail locations — which have retro games for sale — have become my preferred destination.

4. Can Both Strategies Win?: In recent days, a few readers have sent me emails asking who has the better strategy — Autotask, which is exiting the product quoting market by selling off VARStreet? Or ConnectWise, which invested in Quosal, the quoting and sales proposal software company? I’m still organizing my thoughts and will share more perspectives soon.

3. How’s That Data Stored?: Several MSPmentor readers have asked me how Cisco’s OnPlus Service for MSPs stores and manages end-customer data. The unspoken question: Can Cisco use that end-customer data to take the end-customers direct and cut MSPs out of the loop? My knee-jerk reaction: I think Cisco is a partner-led company that wouldn’t use Cisco OnPlus Service to upend MSPs. But I’ve reached out to Cisco for perspectives. MSPmentor will share Cisco’s thoughts as soon as we gather the info.

2. Microsoft Office 365 Reality Check: Microsoft Office 365, the SaaS platform for running Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and more, turned six-months-old on December 24, 2011. Some MSPs claim they’ll never re-sell Office 365 since Microsoft controls the end-customer billing. But nearly 43 percent of MSPs that participating in our fifth-annual MSPmentor 100 survey say they’re involved with Office 365. The bigger question: Are MSPs actually generating substantial revenue from Office 365? We’re poking around for perspectives. (Side note: Complete MSPmentor 100 survey results will surface in February 2012.)

1. Did I Say Thank You?: I hope I say it often enough. Nine Lives Media, publisher of MSPmentor, turns four-years-old this month. Our team is still having a blast covering the IT channel across MSPmentor, The VAR Guy and Talkin’ Cloud. Thanks for taking the journey with us. It continues to be a heck of a ride.

That’s all for now. Our entire team will be back to blogging on Tuesday, January 3.

Read More About This Topic

• Managed Services: 7 Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write, Jan. 13
• Managed Services: 7 Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write, Jan. 6
• 10 Most Read Managed Services Stories Q1 2011
• ConnectWise Capital: Two Years Later
• ConnectWise and Autotask Pursue Vastly Different Long-Term Strategies

10. How to Set Managed Services Pricing: Actually, this blog dates back to January 2010 and it offers six tips — from Entrepreneur Magazine — to help MSPs with pricing.

9. Six Surprises Inside the Halls of ConnectWise: When I took a January 2011 trip to ConnectWise’s headquarters, I heard more about ConnectWise’s API strategy and spoke with Co-founders Arnie Bellini and David Bellini about a potential ConnectWise exit strategy.

8. DirectPointe Puts Managed Services Business Up for Sale: MSP M&A activity was fast and furious in Q1 2011. We stumbled onto some documents indicating DirectPointe was up for sale. But come to think of it, I don’t think DirectPointe ever found a buyer for its managed services business — though I need to double-check.

7. Microsoft Office 365 – 10 Frequently Asked Questions: Whether you planned to partner or compete with Microsoft’s cloud, MSPs were eager for information about Office 365. And this FAQ delivered the goods.

6. HP Services, Software — Two Weak Spots In Strong Quarter: Ironically, this is quite an old blog — from February 2010. But it foreshadows the problems that HP would have under CEO Leo Apotheker; HP’s board ultimately replaced Apotheker in September 2011 with former eBay CEO Meg Whitman.

5. Memo to IT Consulting Shops With One to Five Employees: This guest blog, from Quest Software, helped really small MSPs realize that the could potentially compete with the big boys.

4. Kaseya Takes Managed Services to China: Our growing international readership continually digs for information about managed services in Asia. Hence, this 2009 blog entry remains widely read.

3. Microsoft Targeting July 1 for Office 365 Cloud Launch: MSPmentor was nearly on the mark with this blog entry. Microsoft actually delivered Office 365, the successor to Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) a week earlier.

2. ConnectWise, LabTech War Against Kaseya Intensifies: When MSPmentor started hearing some HTG Peer Groups members were jumping from Kaseya to LabTech, we spotted a bigger trend — though Kaseya has since sharpened its focus on existing and target MSPs as partners.

1. Konica Minolta Buys All Covered: This move, announced in January 2011, triggered a major MSP land grab. Interestingly, All Covered has continued to buy MSPs.

We’ll be back on Wednesday, Dec. 28, to share the 10 most read managed services stories from Q2 2011.

Read More About This Topic

• Managed Services: 7 Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write, Jan. 6
• Managed Services: 7 Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write, Jan. 13
• Managed Services: 7 Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write, Dec. 30
• CompTIA Breakaway 2011: Seven Trends Worth Tracking
• Seven Managed Services Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write: June 3