MSPmentor

I’ve been especially critical of Hewlett-Packard in recent months, openly wondering how the company has so badly missed the managed services market in the US. But a new partnership in India may provide some clues abou where HP is heading in the MSP space.

A case in point: Netmagic Solutions, a managed IT service provider in India, has inked a partnership with HP to service midmarket customers in such markets as retail, healthcare, utilities, education and manufacturing, according to a release from Netmagic. In order to win over potentially skeptical customers in the US, Netmagic promotes the fact that its data centers are ISO 27001 and SAS 70 Audit (Type II) compliant.

Other MSPs should follow that lead. Here’s why.

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Dell, in its latest bid to build trust and profitable relationships with managed service providers, hosted a Web seminar for about 75 partners on May 1. More Web seminars are planned, but something far more interesting caught my attention: It seems like some Dell managers truly do have the channel in their DNA.

In fact, Dell’s partner team includes channel veterans who have built partner networks for Cisco Systems, ComputerLand and McAfee, just to name a few. And Mike Menegay, director, Dell Business Services, has been a solution provider himself.

Does that mean Dell’s partner program will be perfect? Absolutely not. But is Dell sending the right signals to managed service providers? In many cases, yes.

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Dell on May 1 is set to host a webinar for its certified managed service provider partners. The company is working overtime to brief press (including MSPmentor) about the webinar.

I will certainly welcome the briefing. I beat up Dell a bit on April 25 for issuing a press release in which the company described how end-customers will benefit from managed services. Unfortunately, the release made no mention of Dell’s MSP partners.

This time around, I expect Dell to communicate much more clearly. Here’s what to expect from the company on May 1. Read More >

My email inbox today had a Webinar invite from Dell. The company on April 22 plans to educate corporate customers about Everdream, a remote administration and asset management tool for PCs and mobile systems.

Now for the challenge: When Dell acquired Everdream and Silverback in 2007, some managed service providers worried that the PC giant would circumvent partners and market managed services directly to corporate customers.

Memo to Dell: Here’s how to eliminate such fear in your partner base. Read More >

Sorry for being so “Dell-centric” on our Web sites today, but a conversation I had with Dell’s Channel VP Greg Davis has triggered multiple posts. The latest: Davis and Michael Menegay, Global Director of Dell Managed Services, today sent a jointly signed letter to managed service providers. The letter provides MSPs with an update on:

1. Dell’s Managed Services Partner Certification, with more details about plans for the Everdream platform
2. Dell’s own Managed Services for small business plans, with more details on Dell’s intention to test managed services with selected small businesses
3. Future communications. Dell is planning a Web seminar the week of April 21 to continue the conversation with partners.

Here is some analysis, along with a link to let you read the entire letter for yourself. Read More >

Channel conflict. Trust. While some VARs and managed service providers continue to fret over those words, more than 6,200 solutions providers have joined Dell’s channel program since its official launch on December 5, according to Greg Davis, the company’s channel chief.

During an extended phone interview on Friday, Davis described Dell’s progress so far with VARs and MSPs — and also discussed some of the challenges Dell has faced during the company’s foray into the channel.

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Dell is among the companies attending next week’s managed services conference in Atlanta. But I’ll get a jump on some of that Dell discussion by visiting the PC giant on March 28.

I’ll be meeting with Dell Channel Chief Greg Davis, and hope to get an update on the company’s overall managed services strategy. Several readers have asked me to drill down with Davis on how Silverback and Everdream (two of Dell’s 2007 acquisitions) may evolve into an integrated solution for MSPs.

If you have more questions for Davis, I’m all ears. Post them here or send them to joe [at] ninelivesmediainc.com.

Windows Vista has sold more than 100 million licenses as of January 2008, but the operating system hasn’t exactly been a hit in business environments — where many companies are holding strong to Windows XP, and some firms are exploring Windows alternatives.

But an announcement from Dell could signal a potential turning point for Vista. The PC giant has announced a Client Migration Solution that aims to accelerate and simplify migrations to Vista. The services are designed for companies moving 2,500 or more PCs to Vista.

Dell’s announcement made no mention of Silverback Technologies and other managed services tools that the company has acquired over the past year. However, Silverback partners should watch Dell’s Vista strategy closely. Here’s why.

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