MSPmentor

CA’s Chris O’Malley (pictured) and Nimsoft’s Gary Read dialed me about an hour ago to offer additional insights on CA’s $350 million buyout of Nimsoft. When did the negotiations start, how did Nimsoft initially react — and why is CA so intrigued by the managed services market? O’Malley and Read provide the answers. Here they are.

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Another day, another MSP deal. The latest: CA Inc. has purchased privately held Nimsoft for $350 million in cold hard cash. The move has far-reaching implications for managed services providers as well as the MSP software industry. Here’s a first look at the deal, and how we expect it to impact the MSP landscape.

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It was another typical week at MSPmentor, filled with planes, trains and automobiles. Before I catch a flight from San Francisco to New York, here are seven managed services blog entries the MSPmentor team didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending March 5, 2010.

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The convergence of SaaS with managed services is on display at the Intermedia Partner Summit in Silicon Valley. A few minutes ago, MSPs started asking Intermedia if the company would integrate its hosted Exchange service with MSP-oriented tools. Intermedia said yes. In fact, some of the work is already complete. And more integrations are coming.

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The deal finally happened. ConnectWise Capital has invested in LabTech Software, a remote monitoring and management (RMM) software provider located in Toledo, Ohio. Official news is expected to surface in the next 24 hours or so. At first glance, it’s a relatively small deal. But I think the ConnectWise-LabTech relationship has key implications for the overall MSP software industry. Here’s why.

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In preparation for next week’s third-annual MSPmentor 100 report, I reached out to PEQ Services + Solutions President and CEO Jason Evans for an update on the company’s 2010 strategy. When we spoke earlier today about PEQ’s managed services growth, Evans offered several key insights — including three anecdotes that surprised me.

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Kaseya appears poised to launch the Kaseya 2 platform this week. The effort includes on-premise and SaaS (software as a service) tools for managed services providers and IT administrators. In fact, I think Kaseya is set to debut at least three SaaS tools for MSPs and IT administrators. Here are some perspectives.

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In a tough economy, the largest IT service providers — outsourcing firms and systems integrators — have been known to move downstream, seeking smaller deals with smaller customers. Cloud computing — and the ability to reduce the vendors’ cost of service — may also tempt the multi-billion-dollar, multinational IT firms to journey downmarket. Whatever the motivation, $6 billion Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is making moves in the small and medium business (SMB) arena. Here’s how.

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It’s the question I hear all the time: “How much should I charge for managed services?” The obvious answer (as my dad often tells me): As much as your customers are willing to pay. Still, that’s over simplifying matters. I realize MSPs use a range of metrics and formulas to set pricing. But perhaps it’s time to go back to basics.

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After studying the managed services market for most of 2009, Lenovo is pulling back the curtain on a software partner strategy. It starts today with a Lenovo-Kaseya relationship, but Lenovo’s efforts will expand to include a range of RMM (remote monitoring and management) and PSA (professional services automation) partners. In my mind, today marks the start of PC vendors getting serious about managed services. Here’s why.

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As Kaseya gears up to launch the Kaseya 2 managed services framework in late January 2010, the company also is preparing Kaseya Mobile — a suite of applications for smart phones. After that, watch for Kaseya to introduce remote management capabilities for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Novell SUSE Linux, and other Linux distributions. Here are the details.

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Kaseya in late January 2010 will officially unwrap Kaseya 2, the company’s next generation software framework. Earlier today, Kaseya Executive VP Jim Alves (pictured) described Kaseya 2 and the company’s plans to push into multiple areas — including SaaS (software as a service), online back and some low-end professional services automation (PSA). What’s more, Kaseya appears to be taking aim at everyone from Citrix Systems to LogMeIn. Here’s the scoop.

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This Just In: Kaseya around January 25 is expected to officially announced Kaseya 2, a next generation framework for managed services, remote access and even a bit of professional services automation (PSA). The framework is a platform of sorts designed for on-premise or SaaS (software as a service) users. We’ve got details about the strategy. – which targets everyone from large enterprise IT shops down to small break-fix resellers. We’ll be back later today with a complete report, analysis and multiple FastChat videos.

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Site upgrades. Software debugging. Santa. It’s been an intense week of fun and play at MSPmentor. Here’s a look at the seven managed services blog entries we didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Dec. 31, 2009:

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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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Intronis, an online backup specialist, is the latest company to plug into ConnectWise’s Professional Services Automation (PSA) platform. The move could give ConnectWise’s partner base easier access to the managed storage market. Here’s why.

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Kaseya threw a surprise punch at N-able in Australia. But was it really a significant blow — or just a PR stunt? At first glance, the “story” involves Kaseya recruiting an “instrumental” employee away from N-able. But I think the real story involves intensifying competition between the two companies in the land down under.

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Sources say something is cooking between ConnectWise and CharTec — which specializes in Hardware as a Service. What could be brewing? At first glance, I don’t know much. At all. (Surprised?) But take a closer look and you might start to see the bigger picture. It involves PSA (professional services automation) and RMM (remote monitoring and management) software companies eventually cooperating and competing in the cloud. Here’s why.

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First things first: Yes, Staples — the office supply store with red storefronts and the easy button — operates a managed services business. Instead of countering Best Buy’s Geek Squad, Staples Network Services provides outsourced IT solutions to SMBs with between 10 and 250 employees. I spoke to Jim Lippie, president of Staples Network Services, about the history of the company and the future of managed services, among other things. Here are some perspectives.

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Level Platforms is looking to expand in Asia, where it is building relationships with master MSP partners. Peter Sandiford, Level Platforms’ chief executive officer, called Asia the “next really great market for managed services.” Here’s why.

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As Apple marches forward in the consumer market, we decided to check in with MSPs to see if they’re increasingly specializing in Apple products and/or Apple-related services. So far, major MSP and VAR peer groups — like HTG Peer Groups — say they aren’t seeing an uptick in demand for Apple-oriented solutions. But if you look hard enough there is a small Apple MSP niche. Here’s some perspective.

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This is going to be a strange week. I’m leaving a massive IT event (Oracle OpenWorld) and heading toward a smaller, highly targeted managed services conference (N-able Partner Summit). I can’t help but wonder: Is the next Larry Ellison (pictured) or Scott McNealy competing somewhere — right now — in the managed services software market? Here’s why I ask.

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Another week of travel is over. Amy Katz (my business partner) and I spent much of the week in Boston at meetings. Great conversations. But my inbox is filled with news tips and chatter that I haven’t had a chance to cover yet. So, here are the seven managed services blog entries I didn’t have time to write for the week ending Sept. 25.

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