MSPmentor

Before MSPmentor marches forward with you into 2012, we’re spending this week looking back at the most read managed services stories of 2011. Let’s get started: Here’s a look at the most read MSP stories from Q1, 2011 and their implications for managed services providers.

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The MSPmentor team plans to unplug for a full three days as the U.S. celebrates Presidents’ Day Weekend. (Of course, we may surface if any big, breaking news happens over the extended weekend.) In the meantime, here are seven managed services blogs MSPmentor didn’t find time to write for the week ending Feb. 18.

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DirectPointe has put its $8.2 million managed services business up for sale in order to focus on hosting and enterprise SaaS applications, MSPmentor has learned. DirectPointe apparently has retained Redwood Capital Group to assist with the potential MSP business practice sale, sources say. Here’s an insider’s look at the potential sale.

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Say hello to the ninth managed services acquisition that MSPmentor has spotted so far in 2011. The latest deal involves mindSHIFT Technologies — a perennial MSPmentor 100 company — acquiring ORBIT Systems, a managed services provider (MSP) in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. This is mindSHIFT’s second MSP-related acquisition of 2011. Here are some initial details.

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So much for a slowdown in the M&A market. The New Year has started with a flurry of managed services mergers and acquisitions. The latest deal involves mindSHIFT — consistently ranked atop our MSPmentor 100 list — buying Alpheon, another MSPmentor 100 company that focuses on health care. Here are the details, plus rumors about more M&A activity ahead.

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For the second time in recent hours, I’m blogging about an acquisition within the managed services market. This time the deal involves Printelligent acquiring DirectPointe‘s printing and imaging group. The deal is newsworthy for two reasons. On the one hand: Printelligent is increasing its managed print services investments. On the other hand, DirectPointe — a seasoned MSP — is exiting managed print services to focus more on Platform as a Service. Here’s the update.

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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.

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So, what generated buzz on MSPmentor in 2009? Here’s a look at the individual blog entries that attracted the most readership for Q1 (January – March) 2009…

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More proof that the best managed service providers are holding up pretty well during the recession: Eurodata Systems PLC, a solutions provider in London, says managed services helped the company lift profits 21.5 percent (I assume that’s 2008 vs. 2007). The 120-person company says demand for its managed services grew 17% last year, and Eurodata expects the trend to accelerate in 2009. But I think Eurodata needs to spin the story slightly differently: Executive leadership is the No. 1 reason the company is growing in a bad economy.

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As you sort out your managed services marketing strategy for 2009 (here are some tips), be sure to keep marketing’s best friend in mind: Public relations. Through some simple steps, you can generate positive media buzz about your managed services practice in 2009. And that buzz, in turn, can generate new sales leads.

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GroundWork Open Source and Roaring Penguin Software Inc. are preparing a technology alliance to jointly serve VARs and managed service providers starting in January 2009, MSPmentor has learned.

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I’m hearing a familiar trend in the managed services market: MSPs seem to be embracing more and more open source tools. The latest example involves Zenoss, a commercial open source company that specializes in applications, systems and network monitoring.

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DirectPointe, the top managed service provider in our 2007-2008 MSPmentor 100 report, apparently has spun off a new company called CentralPointe. The start-up intends to blend open source and cloud computing to make IT more affordable and easier to manage. An official announcement about CentralPointe is expected the week of December 1, but here are some early details.

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Open source is starting to influence portions of the managed services market. But can MSPs really trust open source?

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I’m not suggesting managed service providers are immune to the economic turmoil, but here’s a piece of good news all MSPs should note: DirectPointe, ranked No. 1 on last year’s MSPmentor 100 list, announced record-setting revenue for its third quarter. How does that compare with other MSPs? Here’s the scoop.

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In the 1990s, long distance phone companies wanted to offer “last mile” local phone services. Now, a similar trend is emerging in the managed services market — where regional and even national MSPs want to offer personalized, local, on-site services.

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We were meeting for breakfast, but Autotask CEO Bob Godgart wasn’t ready to pick up his fork. Instead, he opened his HP notebook and walked me through his vision for multi-partner customer engagements. Everyone from ConnectWise to OnForce (and soon, Partnerpedia) has communities to help VARs and managed service providers outsource work to one another. But I could tell Godgart has something different in mind. So we pushed aside breakfast, and dove into conversation.

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