As managed services providers (MSPs) consider outsourced help desk options, here’s a new spin on the conversation: There’s a new 24 x 7 help desk for service providers that focuses on Asterisk — the increasingly popular IP PBX platform. Here’s the background for MSPs that are pushing into VoIP and unified communications, but may need some extra support.
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24×7 Global Asterisk Help Desk: Will MSPs Call for VoIP Help?
Posted February 3rd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Would You Dial An Open Source Help Desk?
Posted August 4th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
From time to time, MSPmentor explores open source trends in the managed services market. There are anecdotal examples of MSPs leveraging open source. But for the most part, I think MSPs serving small business leverage traditional, Microsoft- and Windows-centric tools. Still, OTRS (Open Technology Real Services) caught my attention this week with a 3.0 help desk beta release. As you may have guessed, OTRS focuses on open source solutions. Is the OTRS help desk ready for prime time? Here’s a reality check.
Autotask Community Live: 13 Final Observations
Posted April 20th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
As the second-annual Autotask Community Live conference wraps up in Miami, here are 13 observations and takeaways for managed services providers (MSPs) and VARs. Among the highlights on my mind…
Podcast: Fonality’s CEO on Asterisk, IP PBXes And Cloud Services
Posted January 29th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
I interviewed Fonality CEO Chris Lyman for a podcast originally posted on TheVARguy.com. Our discussion offers managed service providers a high-level overview of Fonality’s IP PBX strategy. We touch on such topics as Asterisk, open source, and hybrid-hosted services that combine on-premise solutions with cloud services.
Tech Data, Fonality Ink Hosted Unified Communications Deal
Posted January 12th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
In a deal between Tech Data and Fonality, multiple managed services trends are converging with one another. The business relationship, expected to be announced today, will involve a blend of open source software, software as a service (SaaS) and unified communications. For managed service providers, the Tech Data-Fonality relationship provides further evidence that open source and SaaS will play a key role in the next-generation IT channel.
Open Source SaaS Finally Connecting With Managed Services
Posted September 4th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
I’ve been hyping the convergence of open source, software as a service (SaaS) and managed service providers (MSPs) in recent months. But I have to admit, it has been difficult to find MSPs that actually run a large mix of open source SaaS systems. That all changed tonight at the MSP Revolution conference, when I met John Truitt, president of Kalleo Technologies.
Managed VoIP Services Shifting to Open Source
Posted June 24th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
If you’re a managed service provider mulling your VoIP options, keep this in mind: A growing number of customers — especially in Europe — are embracing IP phone systems that leverage open source and Asterisk. In fact, the European market for open source VoIP is growing 70 percent annually, according to one market researcher. Here’s the scoop.
JAJAH Launches Managed Voice Service
Posted April 29th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Smith on VoIP, one of my favorite blogs, has an interesting piece today about JAJAH — a fast-growing “Voice 2.0″ company that just signed up its 10 millionth customer. Now, according to Smith on VoIP, JAJAH is launching JAJAH Managed Services, positioned as:
“a turnkey telephony service, with everything from network services to billing incorporated in the package.” More importantly, however, Yahoo! will be utilizing the JAJAH platform to provide voice services for their 97 million Yahoo IM users.
For managed service providers, JAJAH represents the latest opportunity to embrace and extend a telephony platform with your own custom code.
Fonality: Open Source VoIP Meets Managed Services
Posted April 15th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Chris Lyman is setting in the middle of a perfect storm. As CEO of Fonality, Lyman is building an IP-PBX company that leverages Asterisk (an open source platform) and embraces managed service providers. In other words, Fonality has converged three hot markets (unified communications, open source and managed services) into a single solution.
Managed Services Meets Voice Over IP
Posted October 1st, 2007 by Joe Panettieri
On their own, voice-over-IP and managed services are hot markets. Toss the two together, and maybe you can fan the flames of opportunity. For instance, check out how Cistera Networks is hosting VoIP managed services for schools.
Five Disruptive Technologies for MSPs
Posted September 25th, 2007 by Joe Panettieri
I lifted the headline for this blog entry from a presentation David Strom delivered this morning at the MSP Alliance conference in San Jose. So, what were the five disruptive technologies? Three of them were obvious, but David caught my ear with his analysis of the other two — and some timely perspective on Microsoft Small Business Server.
