In a blog to Kaseya’s managed services partners, CEO Gerald Blackie looks back on 2011 and offers a preview of 2012. After reading Blackie’s blog, MSPmentor zeroed in on at least seven themes and moves that are worth a closer look. Here’s a summary for MSPs.
Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie: Seven Moves Worth A Look
Software CEOs Respond to Channel Partner Conflict Rumors
Are some managed services providers (MSPs) poised to suffer from software vendor channel conflicts? Or, are recent channel conflict rumors based on fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD)? Either way, MSP software industry executives are striving to assure partners they remain committed to the channel. Two prime examples: Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie has sent MSPmentor an unsolicited email describing Kaseya’s partner strategy. Separately, Vembu CEO Sekar Vembu has written a lengthy blog entry addressing alleged partner concerns. Here’s a closer look at both moves.
Kaseya Connect User Conference: Top 10 Keynote Highlights
During the Kaseya Connect User Conference this morning, CEO Gerald Blackie said the company is marching toward $100 million in annual revenues. Blackie and other Kaseya executives also described the bigger mission for Kaseya 2, a managed services platform that experienced a launch delay from 2009 to early 2010. And that’s not all. Here are 10 highlights from Blackie’s keynote plus additional observations from Kaseya Executive VP Jim Alves and President Mark Sutherland.
Kaseya Connect User Conference: What’s the Mood?
Like scores of managed services providers, I’m scheduled to arrive today at the Kaseya Connect User Conference in Las Vegas. The event, as I’ve written before, arrives at a rather intriguing time. On the one hand, Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie (pictured) says sales have never been stronger. But on the other hand, the Kaseya 2 launch in February hit a few initial bumps. So, how are Kaseya and its MSP partners feeling now?
Kaseya Clarifies Channel Strategy (Again)
The old rumor is back. Some skeptics think Kaseya is taking more and more of its business direct. Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie has written a blog to combat the rumor. In the piece, Blackie describes where Kaseya works with partners and where Kaseya expects to work directly with customers. So what’s the strategy? Here’s some perspective.
Seven Managed Services Blog Entries We Didn’t Have A Chance to Write: Nov. 25
In the U.S., this is a short work week for many readers because of the Thanksgiving Holiday (Nov. 25). We’ll continue to update MSPmentor daily for our international readers. But in the meantime — for U.S. readers who are unplugging soon — here are seven managed services blog entries we didn’t have a chance to write for the business week ending Nov. 25.
Kaseya’s SaaS Cloud: Coming In October
Kaseya continues to put the final polish on its next major software platform — which will include on-premise and SaaS (software as a service) components. But the company is rethinking whether to call a major new release Kaseya 6, according CEO Gerald Blackie. Here’s more on Kaseya’s branding and launch strategy.
Kaseya, Tata: India’s Big Managed Services Deal
Kaseya and Tata Consultancy Services see a massive managed services opportunity in India, according to Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie. In fact, Tata hopes to serve 50 percent of India’s SMB managed services market within 10 years. Here’s some fast math to show what’s at stake in India.
Updated: Managed Services Videos
The MSPmentor FastChat Video Center contains several new videos — including interviews with Google Apps Channels Director Stephen Cho, Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie, Level Platforms CEO Peter Sandiford, Red Hat North America Channel Chief Roger Egan, and Motorola Channel Chief Janet Schijns (who’s preparing a managed services strategy). Each interview contains three questions and answers. Short, sweet and to the point.
Update: Kaseya 6 and SaaS Meet Managed Services
Kaseya is launching a white label SaaS (software as a service) offering for ASCII Group members. Plus, the company is polishing the Kaseya 6 framework for both SaaS and on-premise deployments. Here’s where Kaseya is heading next, according to CEO Gerald Blackie (pictured).
ASCII Group to Promote Kaseya SaaS, Managed Services
Something is brewing between the ASCII Group and Kaseya. Details about an expanded, SaaS-oriented relationship are expected to surface at CompTIA’s Breakaway 2009 conference, which starts Aug. 3 in Las Vegas. I’ve got some early details and I see a larger story emerging.
Are MSPs Really Pro-Active?

Conventional wisdom says managed service providers are pro-active. But a new survey, commissioned by Kaseya, shows that most VARs and MSPs remain in reactive mode. So are pro-active managed services a myth — or a goal that hasn’t been achieved yet? Here’s some more on Kaseya’s study.
Kaseya and the VAR500?
I’ve been mulling this item in the back of my head for about two weeks, trying to figure out how to write a responsible blog. Let me start with the facts, then dive in with my own thoughts. The facts: Kaseya, the managed services software provider, landed on the latest VAR500 list — which tracks North America’s largest solutions providers. Then Kaseya issued a press release announcing the VAR500 honor. That’s when the industry chatter started.
Kaseya Launching SaaS Portal
During a briefing at the Kaseya Connect User Conference, CEO Gerald Blackie walked me through the company’s software as a service (SaaS) strategy — which includes a portal that will allow managed service providers (MSPs) and VARs to pick and choose from a range of SaaS services. Here’s a look at Kaseya’s plans, including work with Terremark and Amazon Web Services.
Coming Soon From MSPmentor
The Kaseya Connect User Conference dominated my time this week. But there is additional news from across the managed services market that we still need to cover. Here are six key topics you’ll be hearing more about on MSPmentor real soon…
Kaseya COO Discusses SaaS Strategy
Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie says the company remains committed to on-premise managed services software. But that doesn’t mean Kaseya is ignoring the SaaS (software as a service) opportunity. Although “official” SaaS details have yet to be announced, Kaseya COO Tim McMullen offered some thoughts regarding the SaaS road ahead.
Kaseya CEO: On-premise Software Here to Stay
During a “Tonight Show” style discussion at the Kaseya Connect User Conference that continues now, Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie and President Mark Sutherland are offering their views on cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS), IT Resource Planning, open source, iPhone and Google Android support, and the so-called shelfware software problem in the managed services market. Here’s a recap of the session.
Kaseya Connect User Conference: Four Managed Services Trends
I’m heading to the 2009 Kaseya Connect User Conference on May 26. Now that I’ve had a chance to study the event agenda, here are the four key managed services trends I expect to explore at the event — plus a Google technology that I think Kaseya and its rivals will need to address over the long haul.
Kaseya Connect User Conference: Five Questions Worth Asking
The Kaseya Connect User Conference kicks off May 26 in Las Vegas. I plan to blog live from the event. If you have questions for Kaseya’s management team, customers and partners, feel free to email them to me (joe [at] ninelivesmediainc.com) or post comments below. In the meantime, here are five key questions I hope to have answered at the event.
Kaseya Takes Managed Services to China
Kaseya is pushing into China as part of its continued global expansion, according to a report on ChinaTechNews.com. I’ve traded email with Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie for his thoughts. Read on and check out the comments section for more from Blackie.
Managed Services Software Mergers: Who Will Fire the First Shot?
Picture this: You compete in an emerging, fast-growth software market. The highly fragmented industry is filled with multiple, successful software companies. Most of the companies are relatively small and privately held. Suddenly, industry growth rates slow a bit amid the recession. So, what happens next? Mergers and acquisitions. That’s the scenario facing the managed services software market. Here’s where I think we’re heading next.
Can Kaseya Ever Go Public?
Several MSPmentor readers allege Kaseya can never pursue an initial public offering (IPO) because CEO Gerald Blackie (pictured) had a previous run-in with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In order to address — and eliminate — the rumors, a Kaseya spokesman sent MSPmentor a comprehensive statement. Take a look.
Kaseya CEO Sets the Record Straight On Channel Sales Strategy
Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie has strongly denied a rumor that the company plans to take its business direct and circumvent VARs and managed service providers. Here’s the scoop, directly from Blackie.