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.

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Every time I blink there seems to be another merger or acquisition in the managed services market. The latest deal involves Serenity Systems Inc., a Houston-based IT managed services provider, acquiring “certain assets” of Kommar Solutions to help increase its customer base. I expect at least two more MSP-related acquisitions to onfold this week. In the meantime, the Serenity deal has an interesting twist. It involves advice and financial guidance from Ephor Group LLC. Here are some perspectives.

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Sometimes I jump to the wrong conclusions. A few weeks ago, when the MSPAlliance said there was a potentially “urgent” tax issue facing Florida managed services providers, I dismissed the report because sometimes I think the alliance cries wolf. But to the MSPAlliance’s credit, there’s now a healthy, growing discussion around MSP taxation in certain states. Here’s the update.

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If only you had more time — or more cash — to build your business in 2010. Sure, you can reach out to a credit union or local bank for a line of credit. But I’m starting to hear from managed service providers (MSPs) who are mulling another path: Finding an angel investor. Smart move?

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This just in: The MSPAlliance plans to offer SAS 70 audits for its members — a smart move considering the growing list of managed service providers, Web hosts and data center providers that are expressing interest in SAS 70. But the MSPAlliance isn’t the only association expanding its accreditation and certification efforts. The grapevine says CompTIA and MSP Partners continue to prepare a managed services accreditation program that could be announced within hours or days.

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The MSPAlliance is applying some polish to its managed services summit brand. Earlier this week MSPAlliance President Charles Weaver informed me the association was planning summits in multiple cities. Now comes word that Weaver (pictured) has re-branded the events as MSPWorld. And I have to admit: I like the move.

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Despite all the bleak economic information around us, there are still some bright spots in the managed services market.

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MSPAlliance President Charles Weaver has written a white paper for Nimsoft, focused on 12 strategic best practices for managed service providers. The white paper, along with more than 40 other customer case studies and videos on managed services, is available now in our MSPmentor Resource Center (registration required).

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The MSP Alliance continues to build out its Vendor Advisory Board. Next to join is Autotask CEO Bob Godgart (pictured), we hear. The Godgart announcement should come in a few days or so. So, how will MSP Alliance differ from the MSP Partner organization? We received some thoughts from MSP Alliance CEO Charles Weaver. Here’s a look.

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Gavin Garbutt, CEO of N-able Technologies, is on a role. Last week, he strolled around N-able’s Ottawa offices displaying an award from Deloitte, ranking N-able among the 500 fastest growing companies in North America. Now, he’s been named the first executive member of the MSP Alliance’s (MSPA) new Vendor Advisory Board. But what does the working relationship between N-able and MSP Alliance mean to other platform providers?

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MSP Alliance President Charles Weaver spent some time telling me about the organization’s new accreditation program during a conference last month. Sounds like the program is gaining some traction.

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