MSPmentor

Over the past few years, Dell has made multiple software acquisitions. You remember the names — Silverback, Everdream, etc. But now, Dell Cloud Evangelist Barton George is starting to tell people how those deals fit together into a $450 million cloud and SaaS (software as a service) push.

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Why isn’t every VAR a successful managed service provider (MSP)? There are many paths to success, but aspiring MSPs also make many common mistakes that hinder their ability to become profitable. In our previous guest blog, we talked about four common errors MSPs make. Interested in becoming a successful provider of managed services? Here are four more common blunders you need to avoid.

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Hewlett-Packard is emerging from its famed R&D garage and joining the managed services party. The hardware giant has announced some new SMB initiatives for solutions providers. Buried within the release was news about HP’s Insight Remote Support tools for MSPs. HP also partnered with USA.NET to offer hosted Microsoft applications to VARs. Here’s MSPmentor’s perspective.

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Dell continues to maintain a direct and indirect balancing act in the managed services market, this time as the company marches into the New York Metro area. Here are updates on the Dell’s overall MSP strategy, including direct monthly pricing info and the company’s latest certification momentum.

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And so it begins: Dell has started promoting MessageOne as a cost-effective managed service for corporate email. But it’s unclear how, when or if managed service providers (MSPs) will be able to join Dell’s MessageOne party.

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Welcome to MSPmentor Live: Podcast edition. In this episode, I interview Dell’s Greg Davis, VP and GM, Americas Channel Program, about a range of issues (PartnerDirect, managed services, acquisitions, and plenty more). Tune in now…

• Episode #: 009 (August 27, 2008)
• Featured Guest: Greg Davis, VP and GM, Americas Channel Program, Dell Inc.
• Topics Covered: The podcast runs about 15 minutes and has four main sections:
  • 00:49: PartnerDirect: The story so far
  • 05:21: Global partner strategy
  • 07:29: Acquisitions: Sorting out Silverback, Everdream, MessageOne and EqualLogic
  • 13:01: What’s ahead for partners?
• Other Highlights: Davis describes how partners can contact him directly with questions; and he touches on new initiatives that will lower deal registration requirements to $25,000 (from the current minimum of $50,000); plus a push toward IT certifications for vertical markets (health care, federal government), MSPs and ISVs.

And check the MSPmentor Live: Podcast Center for additional weekly podcasts.

 

 MSPmentor Live: Podcast Featuring Dell Channel Chief Greg Davis [16:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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SMB Nation is gearing up for its east coast conference, scheduled for March 29-30 at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey. The event will feature a managed services panel discussion led by Matt Makowicz, author of “Selling Managed Services.”

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Circle the date: Dell is inviting partners and MSPs to participate in a major channel briefing on December 5. During the teleconference, Greg Davis, VP and GM of Dell’s Americas Channel Group, will discuss Dell’s long-term vision for working with partners, and he’ll announce Dell’s latest channel plans. The call runs 1:15 to 2:15pm eastern. You can join in by visiting here.

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Circle November 29 and December 5 on your calendars. During those days, respectively, Dell will announce quarterly results as well as its new channel initiatives. Both events should provide important clues about Dell’s managed services strategy.

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As you likely heard, Dell is acquiring Everdream, the software-as-a-service and managed service platform provider. I firmly believe this will be part of a growing trend in 2008. Here are seven key lessons and considerations to keep in mind as Dell digests Everdream.

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