MSPmentor

Several dozen VARs are heading to a managed services luncheon today in New York, where they’ll learn about best practices for hardware as a service (HaaS), managed printing and managed security.

I’ve attended a few of these luncheons, which are hosted by Do IT Smarter, MX Logic and Xerox. At some point during today’s event, an attendee will surely ask that magic question: What’s the difference between HaaS and good old leasing? Read More >

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 >

Roughly 90 percent of companies don’t know what they’re spending on printing, according to Kenneth D. Winters, a business advisor for Xerox’s North American Partners Group. To help VARs and customers quantify and better manage those costs, Xerox continues to evangelize its PagePack managed printer service.

The latest pitch occurred earlier today near Philadelphia, during a VAR luncheon hosted by Do IT Smarter (a member of our MSPmentor 100), Xerox and MX Logic.

PagePack, for those who haven’t heard the Xerox pitch, allows VARs to remotely monitor and manage customers’ printer infrastructure — hardware, software and consumables. And PagePack can deliver 20 percent to 60 percent or more recurring profit margin to partners, according to Winters. Over 36 months, a $22,800 printer hardware deployment can generate roughly $221,400 in managed services revenue, according to one scenario shared by Winters.

Whether you work with Xerox or another printer provider, there are some proven methods for entering the managed printer market. During an earlier luncheon hosted in Boston, Xerox and Do IT Smarter outlined seven key steps to promoting managed print services.

Generally speaking, Xerox partners I’ve spoken with given PagePack good grades. And Xerox’s latest quarterly financial results indicate that the company’s transition to services-led engagements continues to gain momentum.

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.

The Utility Company of Ottawa, Canada continues is building out a managed services franchise program for solutions providers across North America. The effort, known as Beyond Managed Services (BMS) 3.0, offers solutions providers front- and back-office support for the transition to managed services.

The Utility Company isn’t alone. A growing list of software and technology companies are striving to help solutions providers become MSPs through software-as-a-service (SaaS) programs. The business model typically involves solutions providers paying a monthly fee — rather than big up-front licensing costs — for hosted managed services software. Read More >

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 just landed in Boston and I’m heading over to a managed services luncheon hosted by Do IT Smarter, Xerox and several other players. A few dozen VARs will attend the event, which seeks to help solutions providers transform their businesses into true MSPs. I’ll share some observations and attendee perspectives later in the day.