MSPmentor

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.

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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.

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I’ve spent recent weeks speaking with more than a dozen MSPs (managed services provider) executives, each of whom was involved in a merger or acquisition between 2007 and 2010. All of the deals involved regional MSPs in North America. My key question to them: What type of valuations do MSPs generate? The answers varied a bit. But I came to a pretty simple conclusion. Here it is…

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In the latest managed services merger, outsourceIT and Bald Eagle Technologies are combining forces to offer small business customers help desk, managed services, CIO, infrastructure migration, virtualization, security and complete hosting services, the two companies say. Here’s a closer look at the deal and the broader market for MSP mergers and acquisitions.

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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.

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I’m not sure how, when or why it happened. But this weekly “Seven things…” blog entry has developed a cult following of sorts. My inbox is filled each Friday morning with rumors, gossip and, um… music picks (thanks Gerard…) from readers. And each Friday afternoon, we publish seven pieces of reader chatter that MSPmentor’s blog team otherwise didn’t have a chance to cover. Here’s the rundown for the week ending June 25, 2010.

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What a week for managed services mergers and acquisitions. Covad, Megapath and SpeakEasy are rolling up to form a national voice and data service provider. PC Mall is buying Network Services Plus Inc., a 73-person MSP. All Covered is dialing MSPs up and down the U.S. East Coast to see if they’d like to be acquired. And ETG, a health care MSP, is receiving unsolicited inquiries about its business. All this confirmed and potential M&A activity makes me wonder: Can small MSPs continue to go it alone?

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The Kaseya Connect User Conference started yesterday (June 1) with an expansive panel, a poolside party and plenty of back-room chatter. Here are five key takeaways and highlights from Day One at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas.

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Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity continues across the managed services landscape. But plenty of MSPs are still struggling to formulate their own exit strategies. And some M&A buyouts ultimately fall through. Why’s that? Here are eight “deal killers” small business owners make when they try to sell their companies.

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A quiet race to recruit managed service providers into associations and user groups continues. The latest example: CompTIA MSP Partners has announced a relationship with PartnerConduit Network, an online community that helps solutions providers to manage collaborative opportunities. Here’s a look at the relationship. Plus, a broader look at the effort to find and recruit MSPs into associations, organizations and user groups.

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It’s finally starting to happen: mid-size to large software companies are starting to acquire small (but fast-growing) MSP software providers. So far, the buyers include CA Inc., Citrix Systems and Quest Software. The big question: When will the really big IT titans — Microsoft, Cisco Systems, HP and others — open their wallets and get into the managed services software game? Here are some educated guesses.

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MSPWorld, the MSPAlliance’s conference for managed services providers, will be co-located this year at ITExpo West 2010, scheduled for Oct. 4-6 in Los Angeles. The move potentially opens up MSPWorld to a broader audience of Internet Telephony experts, but MSPWorld will also need to compete with roughly six other conferences that will be co-located at ITExpo. Here are the details.

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Every time I blink there seems to be another merger or acquisition in the managed services market. The latest deal involves Serenity Systems Inc., a Houston-based IT managed services provider, acquiring “certain assets” of Kommar Solutions to help increase its customer base. I expect at least two more MSP-related acquisitions to onfold this week. In the meantime, the Serenity deal has an interesting twist. It involves advice and financial guidance from Ephor Group LLC. Here are some perspectives.

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Blink an eye and you may miss the latest managed services merger and acquisition news. This one involves Waypoint Solutions Group and Carolina Computer Network Solutions merging their businesses. And more deals are coming. Here’s an update.

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Sometimes I jump to the wrong conclusions. A few weeks ago, when the MSPAlliance said there was a potentially “urgent” tax issue facing Florida managed services providers, I dismissed the report because sometimes I think the alliance cries wolf. But to the MSPAlliance’s credit, there’s now a healthy, growing discussion around MSP taxation in certain states. Here’s the update.

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We didn’t exactly race across the finish line this week. A range of deadlines consumed our team’s collective bandwidth. Lots of blogs didn’t get written. Here are seven managed services blog entries the MSPmentor team didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Jan. 29, 2010.

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If only you had more time — or more cash — to build your business in 2010. Sure, you can reach out to a credit union or local bank for a line of credit. But I’m starting to hear from managed service providers (MSPs) who are mulling another path: Finding an angel investor. Smart move?

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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 Q2 (April – June) 2009…

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I’m seated in Starbucks, waiting for a train from Manhattan to Long Island. Another day of channel chief and MSP meetings is nearly over. Plenty of news to share next week. In the meantime, here are seven managed services blog entries MSPmentor didn’t have time to write for the week ending Dec. 11.

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Imagine focusing your business on the financial services vertical during the global economic crisis. Somehow, HEIT — an MSPmentor 100 company — did exactly. And the results have been impressive. HEIT’s latest move includes a close relationship with Plumas Bank of California. Here’s a look at the strategy, including thoughts from CEO Dan Holt (pictured).

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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.

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Another business week is nearly done. Plus, I’m heading out a little early today to attend Atlanta LinuxFest this weekend. So, here are the seven managed services blog entries I didn’t have time to write for the week ending Sept. 18.

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MSP Services Network (MSPSN), an Omaha-based Master MSP that also promotes industry collaboration, is partnering with CompTIA to develop content for three regional managed services workshops. The effort emphasizes business and financial education rather than technology talk. Here’s a look at the MSPSN-CompTIA relationship, plus a broader look at conferences and educational efforts across the managed services industry.

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