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Two things are competing for my time and attention today: A blizzard here in New York, and the launch of the third-annual MSPmentor 100 — which debuts at 2:00 p.m. eastern today during our special webcast. How will I escape from the blizzard to moderate the webcast? Here’s the answer…
Our third-annual MSPmentor 100 list and report — tracking 100 of the world’s most successful managed service providers — will debut February 10. Check our MSPmentor 100 center for details, or join our special webcast at 2:00 p.m. eastern on February 10. The MSPmentor 100 is a global survey, and we’ll be putting an extra-bright spotlight on international markets such as Europe and Australia this year.
Question: If you’re a managed service provider that resells laptops and other hardware to your customer base, how do you promote your company brand over the hardware maker’s brand? The answer comes from MJ Shoer, president of Jenaly Technology Group, a managed service provider in New Hampshire.
Forgive me for being distracted (again). Our team is busy polishing and posting the MSPmentor 100 report onto a hidden section of our website. The complete report debuts Feb. 10, shortly after a webcast on the topic. In the meantime, here are seven managed services blog entries our team didn’t have the time to write for the week ending Feb. 5, 2010.
A government program rolling out this year provides financial incentives to physicians and hospitals that adopt electronic health records. MSPs may benefit as well as healthcare organizations scramble to meet the program’s deadlines. But this isn’t a run toward easy money. MSPs that chase the healthcare dollars are going to need some key skills and relationships.
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.
To follow the ideas I presented in my January blog post, Getting Ready for the Rebound, we’re all looking to do more with less in 2010. That’s easy to say, but executing the concept in your day-to-day-operations can be a challenge. Here are nine questions you need to consider as you strive to make your business more efficient.
We’re officially in the cloud bubble. Plenty of money continues to flow into the cloud market. Some businesses will succeed. Many will fail. We — many readers and the media — are forgetting the lessons of the dot-com and ASP (application service provider) bubbles. It’s time to get back to discussions about profits, earnings and financial fundamentals. Fast. Here’s why.
Sometimes I jump to the wrong conclusions. A few weeks ago, when the MSPAlliance said there was a potentially “urgent” tax issue facing Florida managed services providers, I dismissed the report because sometimes I think the alliance cries wolf. But to the MSPAlliance’s credit, there’s now a healthy, growing discussion around MSP taxation in certain states. Here’s the update.
Savvis Inc. has a message for anyone doubting the cloud computing market: Check out our cloud revenues. Although still a small portion of Savvis’s business pie, cloud revenues at the company nearly doubled in 2009 — getting a boost from new customers and existing media industry clients. Here’s a closer look at Savvis’ cloud revenue trends.
Sometimes broad business discussions relate pretty darn well to the managed services market. A prime example: Marketing guru Mary Schmidt says there are three types of people that every start-up needs to employ. Her points definitely relate to aspiring MSPs. Let’s take a look.
Gillware has a rather intriguing recommendation to help MSPs drum up business: The company says you should hook up with an accountant, and provide the CPA with a free-for-life managed backup/online backup solution for their QuickBooks financial files. How can that lead to more recurring revenue? Here are some clues.
A lack of focus on sales is a common error I see a lot of small MSPs make. Heck, most have no dedicated sales staff or sales plan whatsoever. The standard way of doing business is to wait for the phone to ring and hope for new business. This is a mistake. All great businesses are built with a strong sales attack.
We’re careful not to hype the managed services market. Not everyone succeeds. But anecdotal evidence reinforces the fact that the managed services industry continues to grow. The latest example comes from Nimsoft CEO Gary Read’s personal blog, and some follow-up emails with MSPmentor.
Where did the top managed services providers find new customers in 2009? The surprising answer: Many of the best performing MSPs secured revenue in 2009 from target customers that had previously said no in 2008. Want more sales and business tips? Join our next MSPmentor live webcast, scheduled for February 10 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. Here’s what we’ll cover.
Windows Azure, Microsoft’s cloud for independent software vendors and partners, officially debuts with a paid pricing model today. Matt Weinberger offers some timely Azure perspectives over on The VAR Guy. But I’d like to weigh in with a few perspectives for managed services providers — particularly thoughts on Azure vs. Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite. Here they are.
We didn’t exactly race across the finish line this week. A range of deadlines consumed our team’s collective bandwidth. Lots of blogs didn’t get written. Here are seven managed services blog entries the MSPmentor team didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Jan. 29, 2010.
When I want to learn about a business topic, I always try to get the scoop from people who are battling it out in the trenches. Real-world success trumps the white board gurus any day. So, for this blog post, I’m culling business insights, sales advice and cloud strategies from three MSP All-Stars. Here’s their guidance.
A software market for MSP middleware seems to be emerging. From Rezitech to Directive Technology Integrators, managed services providers (MSPs) are writing middleware for PSA (professional services automation) platforms like Autotask and ConnectWise. Here’s a closer look at the trend.
The New York Internet Company (NYI) recently landed a colocation deal with Meetup, a social network site for coordinating local get-togethers. Now here’s the twist: The customer’s selection decision was based, in part, on NYI’s business experience with startups. Is it time for MSPs to specifically target startups as customers? Here are some insights.
It’s the question I hear all the time: “How much should I charge for managed services?” The obvious answer (as my dad often tells me): As much as your customers are willing to pay. Still, that’s over simplifying matters. I realize MSPs use a range of metrics and formulas to set pricing. But perhaps it’s time to go back to basics.
Our first MSPmentor Live webcast of 2010 has nearly arrived. It’s scheduled for January 20. Here’s a look at the topic, our guest speakers and two surprises (yes: they involve Amazon’s Kindle) we have in store for the webcast.
Zenith Infotech has introduced a Certified Partner Reseller (CPR) program to help managed services providers and VARs recruit new business customers. Here’s a quick overview of the effort — which also provides some clues about Zenith Infotech’s private cloud strategy.
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