Intronis, an online backup specialist, is the latest company to plug into ConnectWise’s Professional Services Automation (PSA) platform. The move could give ConnectWise’s partner base easier access to the managed storage market. Here’s why.
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.
Will Microsoft Azure Catch On With MSPs?
Posted October 29th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Microsoft’s new cloud service — known as Azure — has multiple implications for managed service providers and the IT channel.
Why Do Managed Service Providers Keep Looking Back?
Posted October 27th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Why do so many managed service provides spend so much time looking in the rear view mirror? That question popped into my head while moderating a session at the N-able Partner Summit last week.
MSPs Will Blur the Line Between SaaS and On-Premise IT
Posted October 20th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Jeff Kaplan did it again. In his latest Think IT Services blog entry, Kaplan describes the a hybrid software as a service (SaaS) model that blurs the line between on-premise and cloud-based services. If you’re skeptical of this trend, check out these examples involving managed service providers working with Symantec, Vembu, Amazon.com and Fonality.
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.
Not Everybody Believes In SaaS
Posted September 11th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Software as a Service. That little term receives plenty of hype. MSPmentor’s own SaaS 20 Stock Index — down roughly 15 percent so far this year — shows that the SaaS hype isn’t quite living up to expectations this year.
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.
SnapLogic Builds Bridges Between SaaS Islands
Posted July 24th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Software as a service (SaaS) sounds so simple. But the SaaS model gets complicated when businesses depend on multiple SaaS applications from multiple companies. The big challenge: How can an organization — or a managed service provider — coordinate data between multiple SaaS clouds? SnapLogic, an open source startup, is working to address that issue.
Amazon S3 Storage Service Goes Dark Again
Posted July 20th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Amazon.com’s Simple Storage Service (S3) suffered its second big service outage this year on Sunday, July 20, notes GigaOm. Om Malik reports that some S3 services were down for eight hours.
Climbing From Managed Services to SaaS Clouds
Posted April 9th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
The move from managed service provider to software as a service (SaaS) can seem intimidating, but the barriers to market entry continue to fall. Each week, yet another company introduces a SaaS framework that you can plug your managed services business into.
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