After quietly selling off its VARStreet business in December 2011, Autotask is putting the public spotlight back on its international push. The latest chatter: Autotask says 500 IT channel partner customers in the United Kingdom now use the company’s SaaS and cloud platform. Autotask’s timing and wording is worth noting. Here’s why.
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Autotask Proclaims UK Momentum Following VARStreet Exit
Posted February 8th, 2012 by Joe Panettieri
Level Platforms: Help Desk Meets Managed Services Software
Posted January 23rd, 2012 by Joe Panettieri
The lines between managed services software, NOC (network operations center) services and help desk services continue to blur. The latest example involves Level Platforms introducing NOC and Help Desk services tied to its Managed Workplace platform for MSPs in the small business IT services market. This is part of a growing trend in the MSP market.
ConnectWise Capital: Two Years Later
Posted January 3rd, 2012 by Joe Panettieri
ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini and President David Bellini have spent the past two years preparing for software industry convergence and competitive wars. The result: ConnectWise and its investments — most notably LabTech Software and Quosal — have been in growth mode. But ironically, the anticipated MSP software wars never fully emerged. Here’s the back story.
Managed Services: 7 Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write, Dec. 23
Posted December 26th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
I’m a little late with this weekly managed services blog because of family commitments — a good excuse this time of year. Happy Holidays to all of our readers. Now, here are seven managed services blogs and MSP news tips that the MSPmentor team didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Dec. 23, 2011.
A Closer Look Inside the ConnectWise Capital Family
Posted November 18th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Now that the IT Nation conference is over, I’ve had some time to think about the continued evolution of ConnectWise and its sister companies — CharTec, LabTech Software and Quosal. I hesitate to say ConnectWise “owns” each of those companies, since I hear investment terms — organized through ConnectWise Capital — are likely different for each company. Also, each ConnectWise Capital investment has a different mission and market focus. So how will the ConnectWise Capital portfolio members evolve in 2012? I’ve got some educated hunches.
ConnectWise: Building a Microsoft Office for VARs and MSPs?
Posted November 11th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
At the ConnectWise IT Nation conference today, CEO Arnie Bellini demonstrated deeper integration between ConnectWise, LabTech Software and Quosal. The move reinforce’s Bellini’s vision to build a Microsoft Office-like suite for the IT Channel. But Bellini also evangelized continued integration with third-party RMM and quoting software platforms. Here’s a look at the keynote so far.
ConnectWise IT Nation: Private Meeting Chatter
Posted November 11th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
At ConnectWise’s IT Nation conference yesterday, the MSPmentor team met privately with a range of managed services and channel influencers. So what are we hearing during the briefings and meetings? And what can attendees expect from ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini’s keynote later this morning? Here’s the chatter.
IT Help Desk and IT Service Desk Strategies: Back to Basics
Posted September 20th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Before you race toward cloud services, mobile device management and other shiny opportunities, it’s time for VARs and MSPs to get back to basics. Start with your IT help desk and IT service desk strategy. Over the past three weeks, I’ve come to realize just how much your IT help desk will influence customer retention, customer satisfaction and revenue growth.
ConnectWise, LabTech Software Heading to New Headquarters
Posted August 9th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
ConnectWise and LabTech Software have confirmed plans to move into a new, larger headquarters in Tampa, Fla. The move is part of ConnectWise’s ongoing expansion, and it also provides some clues about growing synergies between ConnectWise and LabTech.
HP Service Manager 9.3: SaaS Service Desk Gains Enhancements
Posted August 1st, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
Hewlett-Packard continues to march forward with HP Service Manager 9.3 — an IT service management (ITSM) and service desk platform that’s available in a SaaS configuration. It’s designed to service customers with 1,000 or more end-users. Version 9.3 has four key areas of enhancement, according to Chuck Darst, head of HP ITSM product marketing.
Building Culture: CEOs Who Know Every Employee — and Every Partner
Posted July 27th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
How do employees really feel about your company? And how does your CEO really feel about his or her employees? Surveys, annual reviews and other “formal” processes can help you answer those questions. But sometimes the answers come from far simpler interactions. And those interactions can shape your corporate culture for years to come. Let me give you a few examples.
Seven Managed Services Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write: July 22
Posted July 22nd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
The heat wave continues here in New York. I gave up iced latte earlier this week… but that resolution ended when the temperature here hit 100 degrees. So, I’m back on my caffeine kick — with just enough energy to tell you about the seven managed services blog entries that MSPmentor didn’t have time to write for the week ending July 22, 2011. Here they are.
A Surprise Buyer for Managed Services Providers
Posted June 21st, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Consolidation continues in the managed services market, where large MSPs, vendors, telcos and other types of companies have stepped forward to acquire smaller MSPs. But in some cases, those small MSPs may be overlooking a potential bidder. Who is the potential buyer? Here’s the surprise answer.
That’s A Wrap: Bob Godgart’s Last Day at Autotask
Posted May 31st, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
A decade after launching Autotask, former CEO Bob Godgart wrapped up his final day at the company today. Although Godgart remains chairman of the PSA software provider, he no longer has a day-to-day role at Autotask. Here’s the update and some perspectives on Godgart’s legacy in the managed services market.
ConnectWise and Autotask Pursue Vastly Different Long-Term Strategies
Posted May 26th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
This is blog entry 2,340 for me here on MSPmentor. I typically stand by the views I share. But the blog entry I regret most (April 6, 2009) described similarities between Autotask and ConnectWise in the PSA (professional services automation) software market. Hey, I had a bad day on that one. I think readers in Albany and Tampa both lost their lunch when I hit publish on that item. ConnectWise and Autotask are vastly different companies. And the differences are multiplying. Here’s why.
Seven Managed Services Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write, May 6
Posted May 8th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
It was a busy week at the Kaseya Connect User Conference (Las Vegas), the Managed Print Services Conference (Orlando, Fla.) and HTG Peer Groups Spring Conference (Dallas). There were numerous managed services stories and news tips that we have yet to cover. In fact, here are seven managed services blogs and news leads for the week ending May 6, 2011.
HTG Peer Groups: Larger MSPs Sit Down At New Table
Posted May 5th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Scores of managed services providers (MSPs) participate in HTG Peer Groups to discuss business, financial and personal development strategies. The typical MSP within HTG has about 15 employees, I believe. But now, HTG has launched a new peer group — called IT Nation 50 Group 1 HTG50+ powered by IT Nation. It’s designed for MSPs with 50 employees or more. Take a closer look and you might spot the next evolution of the SMB managed services market.
Rumor: ConnectWise Capital Investing in Quosal?
Posted May 2nd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
The rumor mill is particularly active tonight. The tip: A couple of trusted sources suggest ConnectWise Capital has made its third investment. The alleged partner: Quosal, a popular quoting software and proposal system for VARs and MSPs. The move, if true, could allow ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini to reinforce and extend his “modern office” vision. The potential ConnectWise Capital-Quosal relationship also would set up some interesting competitive showdowns in the MSP software market.
ConnectWise Delivers New Kaseya Integration
Posted April 15th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
ConnectWise and Kaseya appear to be fulfilling their promise to cooperate even if they compete in some sectors of the managed services software market. The two companies have issued a short-but-sweet announcement, disclosing that ConnectWise 2011.2 now integrates with Kaseya 2.
Jay McBain: The View From Inside Autotask
Posted March 23rd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Within the halls of Autotask Corp., there’s talk about knocking down a firewall. The chatter goes something like this: The Autotask online community has roughly 34,667 users — mostly MSPs and VARs. But outside of Autotask (outside the firewall, that is) few solutions providers know about the community. Jay McBain, senior VP of strategy and market development, is aiming to change that. On the job for roughly 100 days now, McBain is part of a growing Autotask executive team that wants to more fully leverage the existing Autotask online community while pushing deeper into new verticals worldwide. Here’s how.
ConnectWise-LabTech War Against Kaseya Intensifies
Posted February 1st, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Publicly, ConnectWise and Kaseya continue to cooperate in the managed services market. But privately, a war between LabTech Software (funded by ConnectWise Capital) and Kaseya has started to intensify, according to MSPs who are witnessing the action first-hand. To understand the high-stakes managed services showdown, turn your attention to a recent HTG CEO Forum meeting in Tampa, Fla. Here’s the scoop.
ConnectWise Capital: More Investments Coming?
Posted January 29th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
It has been roughly a year since Arnie Bellini (pictured) and David Bellini launched ConnectWise Capital, an investment fund that seeks to incubate channel-centric IT solutions for managed services providers (MSPs) and VARs. So, how are the first two investments — CharTec and LabTech Software performing? And can we expect ConnectWise Capital to make new investments? Both Arnie Bellini and David Bellini share some insights in an MSPmentor FastChat Video.
Can MSPs Work Closely With Corporate IT Departments?
Posted January 25th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Instead of competing with corporate IT departments, a healthy number of managed services providers (MSPs) cooperate with corporate IT managers — creating a virtual bridge between MSP and corporate IT. Tools like ConnectWise StreamlineIT and Autotask Taskfire can help the process. But the effort also takes serious commitment from MSPs. Here’s the update, including a FastChat Video conversation with ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini.
