Earlier this week MSPmentor noted that Kaseya had launched multiple Kaseya 2 updates — including new modules for management and security. I was confused on a few points. On the module front — especially in the areas of security and storage — I wanted to determine what Kaseya had developed on its own and what Kaseya had licensed or leveraged from third-party software partners. Here’s the quick update…
add a comment
Kaseya 2 Updates: What’s Home Grown and What’s OEMed?
Posted February 3rd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Opsview Open Source Network Monitor Targets MSPs
Posted November 24th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
Open source network and applications monitoring solution vendor Opsview is reaching out to the managed services provider market. Specifically, Opsview has launched a major new release of its flagship product, which apparently provides MSPs with deeper reporting tools. Here are some details.
Cirtas, Nasuni Point Storage Cloudward, Cultivate Channel
Posted September 21st, 2010 by John Moore
We’ve written a lot lately about the intermingling of disaster recovery and the cloud, but some vendors aim to link the cloud to primary storage. For instance, Cirtas Systems this week launched a cloud storage appliance, which the company will market purely through the channel. Dan Decasper, Cirtas’ chief executive officer, said his company’s Bluejet Cloud Storage Controller plays a role analogous to a storage controller in an onsite enterprise storage array. But instead of storing information on racks of direct-attached disk drives, the Bluejet appliances tie into a cloud storage provider on the backend, he said. Here’s how.
MSPintegrations: Managed Services Meet Amazon Cloud
Posted July 26th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
Each time MSPmentor blogs about Amazon Web Services (AWS), I hear from readers who want practical, real-world examples of AWS in action. The big question: How can MSPs potentially leverage Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)? The answer: Check out what Travis Austin is working on over at MSPintegrations.
Amazon S3 Gains Better Support For Less Redundancy
Posted July 15th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
Back in May, I mentioned Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) decision to offer an option for less redundancy on their Amazon S3 storage cloud. I found the move perplexing. Well, Amazon S3 now gets enhanced Reduced Redundancy Storage (RRS) support, but it leaves me even more confused who it’s for. Here’s the scoop.
Amazon Cloud: SQS Gets Free Tier, Longer Retention
Posted July 2nd, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
If you’re developing cloud applications, now could be the time to take a look at Amazon Simple Queue Service: Amazon Web Services has announced that the first 100,000 SQS requests per month are now free. Better yet, they’ve amped up the message size limit and how long it can be retained in the cloud. Here’s the scoop.
Zmanda Launches 3rd Generation Cloud Backup
Posted June 25th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
Forget Web 2.0 and anything else 2.0. Zmanda, the open source backup specialist, is pitching Zmanda Cloud Backup (ZCB) 3.0. Zmanda certainly has plenty of competition when it comes to online backup. But the company says ZCB 3.0 includes enhanced geography control across datacenters on three continents, optimized Microsoft Exchange data backup, bandwidth management, and cloud-based disaster recovery. And it drops the overall price, too. Here’s the scoop.
Amazon Web Services Gets Less Redundant
Posted May 20th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
One day, Amazon Web Services announces that it’s adding additional redundancy to its services. A few days later, Amazon announces they’re giving users of their Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) cloud storage solution the option for less redundancy as a cost-saving measure. I don’t know what to think. Here are the facts of the matter, and you can decide for yourself.
CloudBerry Explorer: Amazon S3 Management Made Simple
Posted April 19th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
For such a powerful cloud storage platform, Amazon S3 management can be a pain in the rear. Enter CloudBerry Lab, and their newly released CloudBerry Explorer v2.0, a Windows application that allows users to manage files in Amazon’s cloud as they do on their local computers. Better still, it’s compatible with open-source cloud platform Eucalyptus too. Here are some emerging details.
CTERA Launches Appliance-Integrated Cloud Platform
Posted April 14th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
CTERA, the Israeli cloud storage and data protection company, has launched CTERA Portal, a platform to allow MSPs to resell cloud storage solutions to customers. Moreover, Portal storage can go hybrid with CTERA’s existing Cloud Attached Storage appliances to provide disaster recovery and backup. Here are some perspectives.
Asigra: Cloud Storage With Any Provider?
Posted January 26th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
The year of the cloud/on-premises hybrid model marches on. The latest example: Asigra, a cloud backup and recovery software provider that works closely with MSPs, says its Hybrid Cloud Backup and Recovery software is now open to a who’s who of cloud service providers. Here’s the list, and why I think this move is a sign of things to come.
New Mind Group: Why We Chose Google Apps
Posted December 28th, 2009 by Matthew Weinberger
It started in 2007: New Mind Group, purveyors of managed services to SMBs in the greater Kalamazoo, Mich. area, began to run into severe scalability issues with traditional Microsoft Exchange installations. As businesses grew, so did their computing needs, but they didn’t have the money or facilities to grow proportionately. That’s when New Mind Group decided to help blaze a trail now being followed by the city of Los Angeles and go to Google Apps.
SaaS Stocks Up 53 Percent So Far In 2009
Posted November 29th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
With one month remaining in 2009, software as a service (SaaS) stocks remain red hot. Nine Lives Media Inc.’s SaaS 20 Stock Index is up 53.74 percent so far this year — with 19 of the 20 index members seeing their shares rise. Here’s a look at the index’s year-to-date winners, plus the reason why Rackspace Hosting Inc. is joining the SaaS 20 Stock Index.
Amazon Web Services: The Big MSP Disconnect
Posted October 27th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Talk about two extremes: Yesterday, Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth (the guy behind Ubuntu Linux) said Amazon Web Services has emerged as a de facto cloud standard until open, vendor-neutral cloud standards can be developed. Yet only three percent of MSPs leverage Amazon’s cloud, according to our ongoing MSPmentor 100 survey. What’s behind the disconnect? Here are some thoughts.
Microsoft’s Windows Azure Cloud: Dark for a Day
Posted March 17th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Windows Azure — Microsoft’s cloud platform — went dark for nearly 24 hours last weekend. Let’s keep the darkness in perspective: Azure is not a production network yet; it’s merely a test cloud environment that Microsoft is still optimizing. But 22 hours of darkness doesn’t inspire peace of mind in cloud systems. And I’m starting to think that Amazon.com — backed by loads of open source applications — is the cloud to beat.
Amazon Web Services: MSPs Keep An Open Mind
Posted February 5th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Can Amazon Web Services and other cloud services from the online retailer catch on with managed service providers? The vast majority of MSPs are keeping an open mind as Amazon continues to expand its cloud, according to MSPmentor’s latest weekly reader poll. Take a look at the results.
SaaS Stocks Fall Nearly 7 Percent In January 2009
Posted January 30th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
First, the good news: Software as a service (SaaS) stocks performed better than the Dow Jones Industrial Average (down 8.84 percent) and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (down 8.57 percent) in January 2009. Now the bad news: SaaS stocks still fell almost 7 percent during the month, according to our SaaS 20 Stock Index. Here’s a look at the biggest monthly SaaS winners and losers, plus a SaaS market forecast from IDC.
Managed Cloud Services: Build vs. Rent
Posted January 26th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Should you build your own cloud computing system or simply leverage a third party cloud service? The answer to that question depends on which managed service provider you ask.
Salesforce.com Enters Web Hosting Business
Posted November 3rd, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Competition in the Web hosting market continues to rise. The latest example involves Salesforce.com, which has unveiled a new service — called Force.com Sites — that allows customers to run their Web sites in the Salesforce.com cloud. The move comes only a few days after Microsoft launched its Azure cloud services.
Windows Server, SQL Server Move Into Amazon Cloud
Posted October 1st, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
It was only a matter of time. Amazon.com’s Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) will soon support both Windows Server and SQL Server, according to this blurb on the Amazon.com Web site.
IBackup Recruits 2,000 Online Storage Resellers
Posted August 21st, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
At what point does the online backup market become saturated? I ask myself that question at least once a week. The reason: I get flooded with emails, voicemails and press releases about managed service providers and resellers signing up for online backup services.
Amazon.com Lifts SaaS 20 Stock Index for Week Ended July 25
Posted July 26th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
A strong financial report from Amazon.com lifted the SaaS 20 Stock index a tiny 0.20% gain for the week ended July 25. The index has now climbed almost four percent since early July. Are software as a service (SaaS) stocks ready to continue a rally? We’ll find out on July 30, when RightNow (RNOW) is scheduled to announce 2Q results after the market closes.
Apple’s MobileMe Managed Service Misses Mark
Posted July 24th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Does Apple want to be a managed service provider? In some ways, yes. But so far those efforts aren’t going too well. The company’s MobileMe service — a cloud-based system designed to manage your contacts and calendars across a range of devices — is taking a beating from critics. Even The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg, typically an Apple advocate, is telling readers that MobileMe is filled with problems.
