MSPmentor

Another week has flown by. Missed deadlines. Dropped cell phone calls. Delayed video posts. Boy, I’m on a roll. Kidding aside, here are seven managed services blog entries that MSPmentor didn’t have time to write for the week ending March 19, 2010.

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And now for something completely different. Autotask has acquired VARStreet. The move potentially allows VARs and MSPs to have a single dashboard for managing distributor relationships and product sourcing (VARStreet) and IT services automation (Autotask). Here’s some analysis of the deal, the potential implications, and a FastChat video conversation with Autotask CEO Bob Godgart.

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When we were piecing together our MSPmentor 100 report in February, a regional manager from Kaseya reached out to me and asked if we could highlight some managed services trends from South Africa. I concede: MSPmentor doesn’t have that much information (yet) about the South African managed services market. But the anecdotal information we’re tracking looks pretty promising. Here’s a look at some trends, along with 12 South Africa-based MSPs that caught our attention.

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It’s finally starting to happen: mid-size to large software companies are starting to acquire small (but fast-growing) MSP software providers. So far, the buyers include CA Inc., Citrix Systems and Quest Software. The big question: When will the really big IT titans — Microsoft, Cisco Systems, HP and others — open their wallets and get into the managed services software game? Here are some educated guesses.

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CA’s Chris O’Malley (pictured) and Nimsoft’s Gary Read dialed me about an hour ago to offer additional insights on CA’s $350 million buyout of Nimsoft. When did the negotiations start, how did Nimsoft initially react — and why is CA so intrigued by the managed services market? O’Malley and Read provide the answers. Here they are.

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During a media call that continues now, CA and Nimsoft executive team members described why CA paid $350 million in cash to acquire Nimsoft — or a bit more than 10 times Nimsoft’s 2009 revenue. Also, CA explained how Nimsoft will potentially help CA to move deeper into cloud computing and the managed services market.

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Another day, another MSP deal. The latest: CA Inc. has purchased privately held Nimsoft for $350 million in cold hard cash. The move has far-reaching implications for managed services providers as well as the MSP software industry. Here’s a first look at the deal, and how we expect it to impact the MSP landscape.

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The managed services software market continues to consolidate. The latest move involves CA Inc. acquiring privately held Nimsoft for $350 million. We’ll be back shortly with more analysis, and the implications for rival software providers as well as managed services providers. Here are two four updates…

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Some Australian managed services providers allegedly are in an “uproar” over Kaseya’s SaaS pricing vs. on-premise pricing. But take a closer look at the situation, and you’ll likely discover the SaaS “uproar” may actually involve an apples-to-oranges price comparison of tools that offer vastly different capabilities. Here’s some perspective.

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It was another typical week at MSPmentor, filled with planes, trains and automobiles. Before I catch a flight from San Francisco to New York, here are seven managed services blog entries the MSPmentor team didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending March 5, 2010.

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The convergence of SaaS with managed services is on display at the Intermedia Partner Summit in Silicon Valley. A few minutes ago, MSPs started asking Intermedia if the company would integrate its hosted Exchange service with MSP-oriented tools. Intermedia said yes. In fact, some of the work is already complete. And more integrations are coming.

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Kaseya has launched a global Software as a Service partner program. Known as KSP (Kaseya SaaS Partner Program), the initiative allows partners to “promote, refer and market” Kaseya’s SaaS and IT offerings to their respective channels. It’s easy to see what’s in it for Kaseya. The bigger question: What’s in it for partners? And what are the implications for the broader managed services software market? Here are some thoughts.

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Citrix Systems is the latest company to move into the crowded managed services software market. Specifically, Citrix Online has acquired Paglo Labs Inc. — a provider of SaaS-based IT management software. Here are the details, and the potential implications for the MSP software landscape — where mergers, acquisitions and investments continue to accelerate.

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Just when you thought the MSP software market had reached its saturation point, two more software companies are jumping into the pool. Both firms are SaaS-oriented and focus on remote monitoring and management. One of the companies got its start in Australia and New Zealand. The other is a major U.S. software provider that apparently will move into the managed services software market within 24 hours. Here are the details.

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The deadlines kept coming this week. We met most (but not all) of them. Plus, we’re still busy chasing some rather strategic news that will break within days. Here are some clues, plus seven managed services blog entries we didn’t write for the week ending February 19.

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As Kaseya introduces some PSA capabilities and ConnectWise Capital invests in LabTech, I reached out to Autotask for their views on the MSP software market, the competitive landscape, and product interoperability. Autotask Chief Marketing Officer Bob Vogel (pictured) responded to my inquiry with several key points. Here they are.

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Former ConnectWise Chief Operating Officer Santo Cannone (pictured) has joined Open Solutions Inc. as executive VP, group sales. Cannone says he wasn’t looking to leave ConnectWise, but a unique opportunity to move back into the financial services market proved too intriguing to turn down. Here are some details.

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The deal finally happened. ConnectWise Capital has invested in LabTech Software, a remote monitoring and management (RMM) software provider located in Toledo, Ohio. Official news is expected to surface in the next 24 hours or so. At first glance, it’s a relatively small deal. But I think the ConnectWise-LabTech relationship has key implications for the overall MSP software industry. Here’s why.

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Own Web Now (OWN) has launched a synchronization tool that apparently automates billing between ConnectWise and OWN’s cloud services for managed services providers (MSPs). According to OWN CEO Vlad Mazek, his company completed similar work for the Autotask platform in 2009. Here are some details about OWN’s synchronization tools for PSA (professional services automation) platforms.

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Back in September 2009, we mentioned that CA, Inc. had acquired network monitoring solution provider NetQoS, but we didn’t hear much after that. Seeking answers, I spoke with NetQoS and CA about the acquisition, what NetQoS brought to the table, and what they can offer a managed services provider.

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The old rumor is back. Some skeptics think Kaseya is taking more and more of its business direct. Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie has written a blog to combat the rumor. In the piece, Blackie describes where Kaseya works with partners and where Kaseya expects to work directly with customers. So what’s the strategy? Here’s some perspective.

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The MSPmentor 100 consumed most of our team’s efforts this week. There were numerous MSP-oriented blog entries we would have written — if only there were more hours in the day. Here are seven managed services blog posts we didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Feb. 12, 2010.

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In preparation for next week’s third-annual MSPmentor 100 report, I reached out to PEQ Services + Solutions President and CEO Jason Evans for an update on the company’s 2010 strategy. When we spoke earlier today about PEQ’s managed services growth, Evans offered several key insights — including three anecdotes that surprised me.

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