A managed services community is finally taking shape with CompTIA — the Computing Technology Industry Association. I don’t have exact numbers, but I hear 80 to 90 people attended an MSP Partners session yesterday at the CompTIA Breakaway conference in Washington, D.C. And a large number of the attendees were resellers and VARs who are exploring recurring revenue business models.
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Aspiring Managed Services Providers Engage at CompTIA Breakaway
Posted August 2nd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
A Closer Look: CompTIA’s New MSP Partners Trustmark
Posted May 20th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
CompTIA President and CEO Todd Thibodeaux is scheduled to attend Autotask Community Live (May 22-24, Miami). Among the items on his agenda: Discussing the new MSP Partners Trustmark. I wouldn’t call the trustmark a certification or accreditation. Rather, I think it seeks to be like a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for the managed services industry.
Autotask Community Live Preview: 10 Themes Worth Tracking
Posted May 18th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
More than 700 people — mostly managed services providers and VARs — are registered to attend next week’s Autotask Community Live conference (May 22-24, Miami, Fla.). There will be a flood of news announcements. But what’s really going on behind the curtains? And what key questions should attendees be asking? Here are 10 trends, themes and potential news nuggets that MSPmentor will pursue at the conference.
Peer Groups: MSP Centrifuge Partners With Paul Dippell
Posted March 25th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
The MSP Centrifuge, an emerging managed services peer group, has partnered with Service Leadership Inc., Paul Dippell’s well-regarded consulting firm for solutions providers and channel-centric vendors. Meanwhile, the market for MSP peer groups appears to be growing. In addition to MSP Centrifuge and HTG Peer Groups, it sounds like Stuart Selbst is preparing to launch virtual peer groups (online gatherings) for MSPs in the SMB market. Here’s the update.
CompTIA Prepares April 2011 Managed Services Effort
Posted January 27th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
CompTIA, which acquired MSP Partners in 2009, is making some adjustments and preparing some new moves that should surface by April 2011. Specifically, CompTIA is preparing a “managed services industry credential” that seeks to help top MSPs stand out from the masses. Interestingly, CompTIA does not use the term “accreditation” or “certification” to describe the forthcoming industry credential. Here’s the update.
Managed Services: 5 Biggest Surprises in First 5 Days of 2011
Posted January 6th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
I have a confession. I was a little depressed on Monday, January 3. The news cycle was a little slow and it seemed like the managed services market was trying to wake up from a holiday hangover. (I despise slow news days.) And then: Boom. Lots of managed services news and surprises that, quite frankly, I didn’t expect. We’re only five (and a half) days into the New Year. But here are the biggest managed services surprises I’ve seen so far.
Managed Print Services: Can CompTIA Help MSPs to Print Money?
Posted November 11th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
There’s money in managed print services. How do I know? First, Photizo Group started organizing managed print services conferences — and the buzz tied to the events has been pretty positive. More recently, CompTIA organized a community for managed print services. The big question: Can Photizo Group, CompTIA and print manufacturers help to turn the sleepy managed print services industry into a big money maker for MSPs? Here are some perspectives.
CompTIA Launches Managed Services Business Templates
Posted August 23rd, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
CompTIA has launched four templates to help managed services providers organize their customer agreements, on-board customers, develop pricing models and organize best practices. Here’s a quick overview.
CompTIA Breakaway: Where Cloud Meets Managed Services?
Posted August 2nd, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
Plenty of MSPmentor readers are heading to CompTIA Breakaway (Aug. 9-12, San Antonio). No doubt, the conference will stir plenty of cloud channel chatter. I wonder: How many VARs and MSPs attending Breakaway generate some revenues from cloud and SaaS applications right now? Also, how will the worlds of managed services and cloud computing converge? Here are some clues.
Top 10 Managed Services Blog Entries, Q2 2009
Posted December 30th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
So, what generated buzz on MSPmentor in 2009? Here’s a look at the individual blog entries that attracted the most readership for Q2 (April – June) 2009…
Google Set to Accelerate Enterprise Push
Posted October 23rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
If you check in with enough sources close to Google, you start to get the feeling that the search giant is preparing to accelerate an enterprise-oriented SaaS (software as a service) push in Q4 2009 or early 2010. Here’s what apparently is coming — and the potential implications for managed service providers.
Free: The New MSP Strategy?
Posted October 22nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
A so-called “free” strategy continues to sweep across the managed services market. But whether you’re an association, a software provider or a managed services provider (MSP), “free” is a tricky strategy to manage — especially as you try to convert free clientele into paying customers. Here’s a look at the trend.
MSPAlliance Responds to CompTIA-MSP Partners Deal
Posted September 30th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
MSPAlliance President Charles Weaver (pictured) has offered up his thoughts regarding CompTIA’s acquisition of MSP Partners (the deal was announced earlier today). Here’s a recap of Weaver’s perspectives, plus my two cents.
CompTIA, MSP Partners Unite Efforts on Managed IT Services Summit
Posted July 31st, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
As much of the IT channel prepares to converge at CompTIA Breakaway (Aug. 3-6, Las Vegas), I’m keeping one eye on CompTIA’s Managed IT Services Summit, planned for October in Southern California. The reason: The event will be presented in partnership with MSP Partners — a clear indication that CompTIA and MSP Partners are serious about face-to-face conferences. Here’s some analysis.
Most Read Managed Services Stories, First Half 2009
Posted July 3rd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Now that we’ve reached the mid-point of 2009, let’s take a moment to review the 10 MSPmentor blog entries you read most during the first half of 2009.
Five Ways MSPs Can Engage Customers During Transition Periods
Posted June 30th, 2009 by Andrew Pohran
I can’t really say that I look forward to transition periods. Activities like searching for a new job, taking on a new role at work, or moving to a new place of residence equal long hours and (often) sleepless nights. But there’s also something I like about transition, something fascinating: I can control the outcome of the activity. I can choose a new job. I can create structure and processes in a new role at work. And I can paint walls, install flooring, and make numerous renovations in a new home.
Microsoft: Waking Up to Managed Services?
Posted June 12th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Another sleeping giant is waking up to the managed services opportunity. Microsoft has launched a managed services landing page on its partner web site, and is beginning to connect the dots between managed services, software as a service (SaaS) and the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS).
The Real Key to Managed Services Success
Posted June 2nd, 2009 by Andrew Pohran
“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” Variations of this quotation have been attributed to Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford and other revolutionaries in our history. I’m not sure if anyone really knows who coined the phrase…but I don’t think anyone would contest its truthfulness. Planning and success go together like PB&J. And although we are fairly comfortable in planning our business meetings, sales pitches and supporting data I’m willing to bet that most managed service providers do not sit down and plan a marketing strategy.
MSP Partners Launches Managed Services Exam
Posted May 26th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
MSP Partners is set to debut MSP Pro — an online exam that allows managed service providers to “demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Managed Services Best Practices,” according to a press release that will hit the wires May 26.
N-able, Peers Bolster Managed Services Business Education
Posted April 22nd, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Question: When do you know a technology industry is starting to grow up? Answer: The technology vendors themselves begin to offer vendor-neutral business education. The latest case in point involves N-able, which has launched online training tools called Business e-Training Essentials. Here’s a bit more about N-able’s move based on a phone chat with CEO Gavin Garbutt (pictured), and the broader MSP education market.
More MSPs March Toward SAS 70
Posted April 9th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
A quick observation: Larger, more successful managed service providers continue to embrace SAS 70 II (Statement of Auditing Standards No. 70), an American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) standard for auditing service organizations. The latest example involves FusionStorm, an MSPmentor 100 company that says it has completed SAS 70 Type II certification.
MSPAlliance Launches SAS 70 Audits for Managed Service Providers
Posted March 13th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
This just in: The MSPAlliance plans to offer SAS 70 audits for its members — a smart move considering the growing list of managed service providers, Web hosts and data center providers that are expressing interest in SAS 70. But the MSPAlliance isn’t the only association expanding its accreditation and certification efforts. The grapevine says CompTIA and MSP Partners continue to prepare a managed services accreditation program that could be announced within hours or days.
Would You Guarantee Your Managed Services Price — for a Lifetime?
Posted March 10th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
The recession is triggering some rather wild IT service strategies. Consider the situation at Cincinnati Bell. The service provider has launched a “Price for Life” program that gives customers a permanent monthly rate for several bundled services. Plus, there’s no contract requirement. It sounds to me like an act of desperation by a telcommunications company trying to retain residential customers. But I wonder: Would managed service providers be crazy enough to make similar guarantees?
