MSPmentor

LabTech Software, the remote monitoring and management (RMM) software provider, has developed a software certification program for the company’s MSPs, VARs and IT service providers. Such certification efforts are part of a growing trend in the managed services software market.

Read More >

It’s not quite an earnings release, but N-able Technologies has offered some anecdotal information to describe the company’s continued momentum in the managed services software market — including key MSP milestones outside of North America.

Read More >

MSPWorld, part of IT Expo West, runs Sept. 13-15 in Austin, Texas, this week. So what exactly should managed services providers expect to see and hear at the conference? Here are six potential clues from MSPmentor.

Read More >

Roughly 90 technology professionals — including managed IT services providers and corporate IT managers — are now Kaseya Certified Engineers, estimates Brendan Cosgrove, Kaseya’s director of social media and community. Kaseya launched the certification for IT automation professionals in May 2011. But are MSPs ready for another software-centric certification? Here’s the update?

Read More >

ProVal Technologies, an international IT services provider for SMBs and the enterprise, is taking a new approach to meeting its clients’ networking monitoring and server support needs with its Remote Engineer service. Here are the details.

Read More >

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.

Read More >

Loyal MSPmentor readers know the story: It’s the end of the week. Time for the MSPmentor staff to unplug just a bit. But before we do here are seven managed services blog entries our team didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending May 20, 2011.

Read More >

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.

Read More >

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.

Read More >

Founders Investment Banking LLC has considerable experience in the managed services market. The company is currently assisting ETG — a top MSP focused on the healthcare vertical — with several funding considerations. But what exactly is the state of the MSP investment market right now? And what do private equity firms — or large MSPs — look for before they pump money into smaller MSPs? Zane Tarence, a managing director at Founders Investment Banking, offers some clues.

Read More >

Here’s an interesting trend: When Cisco Systems launched a Cloud Partner Program last month, some pundits wondered if cloud-related certifications would begin to suffocate or leapfrog established managed services partner programs. In Cisco’s case the answer is no. Poke around the industry and you’ll find plenty of well-known MSPs partnering more closely with Cisco on managed services. Here’s the update.

Read More >

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.

Read More >

The MSPmentor team plans to unplug for a full three days as the U.S. celebrates Presidents’ Day Weekend. (Of course, we may surface if any big, breaking news happens over the extended weekend.) In the meantime, here are seven managed services blogs MSPmentor didn’t find time to write for the week ending Feb. 18.

Read More >

Say hello to the ninth managed services acquisition that MSPmentor has spotted so far in 2011. The latest deal involves mindSHIFT Technologies — a perennial MSPmentor 100 company — acquiring ORBIT Systems, a managed services provider (MSP) in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. This is mindSHIFT’s second MSP-related acquisition of 2011. Here are some initial details.

Read More >

Each Tuesday, MSPmentor’s Ask a Mentor service publishes a reader question and invites you to weigh in with recommendations. This week’s question comes from a reader in Europe who is seeking information about managed services software — options and recommendations. Here’s the question and our reply…

Read More >

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.

Read More >

It was a pretty intense week for MSPmentor and our sister sites, The VAR Guy and our newly launched Talkin’ Cloud. Even as we expand our blogging staff there are still quite a few blog entries that the MSPmentor team didn’t have time to write. So, here we go: Seven managed services blog entries MSPmentor didn’t publish for the week ending December 10, 2010.

Read More >

Here’s a novel idea: What if there was a central, well-organized list of channel partner conferences and partner summits designed for managed services providers (MSPs), VARs and solutions providers? And what if you could use that list to plan your schedule for 2011? Alas, MSPmentor doesn’t have such a list… Only a lunatic like The VAR Guy would be crazy enough to pull together all that information. And here it is: 75 channel partner events and channel partner conferences designed for MSPs, VARs and everything else channel. Take a look and feel free to post your suggested changes/updates.

Read More >

The MSPAlliance has launched an Angels Network, which the association calls a “unique community that will connect early-stage Managed Service Providers (MSPs) with potential investment opportunities.” Details about the angels network are expected to surface at this week’s MSPWorld conference in Los Angeles. Here’s what the MSPAlliance has said so far, plus some MSPmentor perspectives.

Read More >

The MSPmentor staff didn’t have enough time to chase every piece of managed services news in recent days. But for the sake of weekly closure, here are seven managed services blogs MSPmentor didn’t write for the week ending October 1, 2010.

Read More >

Waypoint Solutions Group continues to expand its geographic reach through merger and acquisition deals. The latest agreement involves Waypoint merging with Charlotte Techsupport LLC, which has  The combined companies will operate as Waypoint, with former Charlotte Techsupport President Tony Shannon joining Waypoint as VP, focused on business development and client relationships. Here’s a closer look at Waypoint’s strategy.

Read More >

The managed services gold rush has created a cottage industry of consultants and organizations that are assisting MSPs with marketing, sales, mergers, acquisitions and other strategic business tasks. Three recent examples include MSPexcellence, MSPXchange and Ulistic’s MSP Marketing initiative. Here’s a closer look at each organization and its backers, plus a broader update on the coaches and pundits assisting MSPs with their business efforts.

Read More >

Across Australia and New Zealand, hundreds — perhaps thousands — of IT service providers are joining managed services user groups and attending local MSP-centric conferences. The latest examples involve Autotask and Kaseya. But the examples don’t end there. Here’s an update.

Read More >