MSPmentor

MSPWorld, the MSPAlliance’s conference for managed services providers, will be co-located this year at ITExpo West 2010, scheduled for Oct. 4-6 in Los Angeles. The move potentially opens up MSPWorld to a broader audience of Internet Telephony experts, but MSPWorld will also need to compete with roughly six other conferences that will be co-located at ITExpo. Here are the details.

Read More >

Roughly 220 managed service providers and VARs are set to converge in Orlando, Fla., at the HTG Peer Group meetings. Cloud computing will be a central theme for the meeting. But there will also be a big focus on so-called “legacy plans.” Here’s what to expect at the HTG gathering, and the clues it may offer about the MSP industry’s evolution.

Read More >

Do you love your managed services platform or are you ready to make the leap to an alternative provider? Before you answer, consider this:

• 25 percent of MSPs have switched platforms three times in the last three years
• 18 percent have switched twice
• 13 percent have switched four times
• And seven percent said they have switched 10 times or more

The data, based on a Channel Insider survey, begs the question: Are MSPs happy with their platforms? Generally speaking, I think most of the platforms are pretty mature at this point, and true MSP success depends on other factors such as sales, marketing and technology engagement strategies.

Read More >

As managed service providers seek to outsource work to one another, you’ll need to do your homework before signing on the dotted line. Generally speaking, I believe most managed service providers are honest, hardworking entrepreneurs. But there are a few horror stories in the managed services sector — the most famous one involving former Compulinx Managed Services CEO Terrence Chalk.

Read More >