Anecdotal evidence suggests Microsoft Lync — the unified communications platform — continues to gain momentum. For instance, both Volkswagen Group of America and LA Fitness have rolled out Lync, the software giant says. Plus, the Microsoft Pinpoint partner locator tool now lists at least 100 Lync channel partners across the U.S. My bigger question: Can MSPs somehow generate recurring revenues from Lync?
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Microsoft Lync: Gaining Momentum with Partners, Customers?
Posted October 12th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Office 365: Five Managed Services Industry Leaders Weigh In
Posted June 28th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Yes, Microsoft launched Office 365 today. We’ve developed an extensive Office 365 FAQ to help MSPs understand Microsoft’s cloud strategy and the potential implications for channel partners. Overall, we think Office 365 divides channel partners into four camps. But what exactly are MSPs and MSPmentor readers saying about Office 365? Here’s a sampling of opinions from five managed services industry leaders, followed by an MSPmentor reality check.
Azaleos Launches ViewX CIO Dashboard for IT Customers
Posted May 12th, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
The challenge: How can managed services providers (MSPs) continually show their business value and IT expertise to end-customers? One potential answer comes from Azaleos Corp., which has launched the Azaleos ViewX CIO Dashboard. The dashboard, available to end-customers, tracks the health of unified communications and other IT services that Azaleos manages.
Azaleos: MSP Continues to Bet Heavily on Microsoft
Posted March 1st, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
Azaleos, the Seattle, Wash.-based MSP, continues to build a closer working relationship with Microsoft. In fact, Azaleos has once again earned the Microsoft Gold Partner status. Looking ahead, it sounds like Azaleos will help customers migrate from Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite (BPOS) to the forthcoming Office 365, among other initiatives.
MSPs Launch Microsoft Lync Managed Services
Posted November 18th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
When Microsoft Lync — a unified communications platform — officially launched this week, multiple MSPs jumped on the bandwagon. Among the prime examples: Azaleos Corp. introduced a managed service for Lync, supporting private cloud, data center and on-premise deployment models. But is Lync really set to catch on with MSPs? Here are some initial thoughts.
SaaS Competition: Pushing MSPs Up to Mid-Market?
Posted June 28th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
Azaleos, which specializes in managed services for Exchange, is gaining momentum with mid-market customers and in some cases connecting with Fortune 100-type accounts. There’s also an interesting twist to the Azaleos mid-market momentum: The company has less and less interest in the small business market where competition from SaaS and cloud companies seems to be intensifying. Here are the details.
Quest Software Launches Managed Services Partner Program
Posted June 16th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
It’s starting to feel like Groundhog Day in the managed services market. Indeed, each day I get ready to blog I hear about yet another software vendor launching a managed services provider partner program. The latest example involves Quest Software, owner of PacketTrap Networks and other administration tools. Here’s how Quest plans to engage MSPs and hosting companies, plus a look at rival service provider partner programs launched in recent days.
Azaleos To Provide Managed Exchange 2010 to CDC
Posted June 3rd, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
Managed messaging and collaboration provider Azaleos Corporation dropped MSPmentor a line to let us know that they’ve recently closed a deal with the US Government to provide managed Microsoft Exchange 2010 services for 20,000 seats at the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. Here’s the scoop.
Hosted Exchange 2010 Nears Tipping Point
Posted May 7th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
Hosted Exchange 2010 seems to be gaining critical mass. Verio this week became the latest hosting company to offer Microsoft’s latest email platform release. And we’ve heard from several additional hosting providers that are preparing to offer Exchange 2010. But can MSPs continue to differentiate — especially as Microsoft prepares to offer Exchange 2010 as part of BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite)? Here are some thoughts.
Azaleos Launching Managed SharePoint 2010 Services
Posted May 7th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
Some chatter from the managed messaging and collaboration market: Azaleos is updating their managed Microsoft SharePoint services next week to include the 2010 version of the popular collaboration platform — and they’re launching alongside a new managed file transfer (MFT) service that reduces bandwidth and storage burdens on large Microsoft Exchange attachments. Here’s the scoop.
Azaleos: Large Enterprises Plan Exchange 2010 Migration
Posted April 30th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
Azaleos Corp., the managed messaging and collaboration provider, has released the results of a study that finds that 44% of companies with 1,000 seats or more plan a move to Microsoft Exchange 2010 in the next 18 months. Here’s what Azaleos has to say about the stats.
The Cloud As Strategic Imperative
Posted March 14th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
When I wrote about the wait-and-see attitude managed Exchange provider Azaleos was taking to the cloud back in December 2009, I got a lot of feedback from MSPs on both sides of the argument. I recently caught up with Azaleos VP of Marketing and Product Management Scott Gode, and he says that while the company’s not giving up on on-premises messaging by a long shot, they’ve seen a rise in demand for their managed hybrid Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) services. Here’s why services providers should care.
Azaleos: Keeping the Cloud In Perspective
Posted December 11th, 2009 by Matthew Weinberger
To listen to some of the cloud computing vendors tell it, all data has to be delivered remotely from a data center and on-premise installations are evaporating. So when I find out that Azaleos, which provides managed Microsoft Exchange services (among others), isn’t betting the company on a cloud strategy, it gives me pause. Here’s the scoop.
MSPs Prepare for VMworld 2009
Posted August 13th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Managed services and virtualization. The two have been converging for several years. But even I’m surprised by all of the MSP-oriented activity that will likely occur at VMworld 2009 (Aug. 31-Sept. 3, San Francisco). Here are some initial thoughts.
Need Managed Services Revenue? Dial An Attorney
Posted May 13th, 2009 by John Moore
Law firms, over the years, have been somewhat reluctant to shell out for technology. I seem to remember Wang VS machines — once a staple for law firm billing and document chores — holding out in legal a bit longer than other industry sectors. The same cautious view has applied to services. But adversity is proving the mother of adoption. Law firms perhaps hit harder by the current downturn than previous recessions now look to outsourcing to trim costs. This has created an opening for MSPs and cloud-based offerings in the legal market.
Small Business M&A Activity Slows
Posted April 29th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
I keep hearing from managed service providers who are scouring the market for potential acquisitions. But that MSP trend appears to be the exception to the rule. The number of small businesses that were purchased/sold in Q1 fell by 36 percent compared to Q1 2008, and small business valuations are falling. Can MSPs really buck those macroeconomic trends?
Azaleos Expands to Managed SharePoint Services
Posted April 23rd, 2009 by John Moore
Azaleos made its name managing Microsoft Exchange environments. Now, the managed service provider is taking a similar path with Microsoft SharePoint. Here are the details.
Economy Beater: Azaleos Bundles Hardware With Managed Exchange Services
Posted February 4th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Azaleos Corp., a managed service provider that specializes in Microsoft Exchange, has introduced an “Al-In-One” financing option that wraps hardware, managed services, deployment and migration services into a single monthly subscription. The financing effort — which essentially includes hardware as a service (HaaS) aims to accelerate customer buying decisions amid the recession.
Kaseya Employees Dial the iPhone 3G
Posted July 24th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Still skeptical about Apple’s iPhone for business users? I’m not. And neither is Kaseya, the managed services platform provider. After extensive testing, Kaseya’s IT department has added the iPhone to its list of supported smart phones.
Azaleos Bolsters Managed Services for iPhone 3G
Posted July 10th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
The iPhone 3G goes on sale July 11, but Azaleos — a top managed service provider focused on Exchange Server — is already promoting a strategy for the new Apple device. Smart move. I wonder: Why aren’t more MSPs copying the Azaleos iPhone strategy?
Half of All Exchange Server Deployments Will Involve SaaS Within Five Years
Posted May 20th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
If you’re a Microsoft partner that’s skeptical about software as a service (SaaS), consider this: Half of all Exchange email inboxes will involve hosted systems within five years, notes Mary Jo Foley’s All About Microsoft blog. I’ve been alerting readers in recent weeks about Microsoft’s SaaS strategy for Exchange, Dynamics CRM and SharePoint. Ultimately, Microsoft will need to compete and cooperate with managed service providers (MSPs) that host those applications. Here’s how some Microsoft partners intend to cope with the software giant’s SaaS moves.
Managed Microsoft SharePoint Services Continue to Proliferate
Posted April 30th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Anecdotal evidence suggests that managed service providers are pushing deeper into the Microsoft applications market. Most of the Microsoft-centric initiatives seem to involve hosted Exchange Server, Dynamics CRM and /or SharePoint applications.
MSP Combines Security With Exchange Server
Posted April 10th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
How can a managed service provider differentiate itself from Microsoft’s own hosted Exchange Server offering? Azaleos, an MSP in Seattle, has found one potential answer. The company has launched security services to safeguard its Exchange email customers. Here’s some background.
