ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini and President David Bellini have spent the past two years preparing for software industry convergence and competitive wars. The result: ConnectWise and its investments — most notably LabTech Software and Quosal — have been in growth mode. But ironically, the anticipated MSP software wars never fully emerged. Here’s the back story.
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ConnectWise Capital: Two Years Later
Posted January 3rd, 2012 by Joe Panettieri
N-able Backup Manager Update Emphasizes Virtualization, Cloud
Posted October 14th, 2011 by Charlene OHanlon
N-able partners who use N-able Backup Manager will be treated to a slew of new features designed to help them make the leap further into virtualization and cloud services.
Managed Print Services: Threat or Opportunity for MSPs?
Posted October 14th, 2011 by Charlene OHanlon
One of the underlying conversations at the 2011 N-able Partner Summit involves managed print services. Indeed, two of the event’s sponsors are Oki and Xerox, which both have been putting on their managed print services game faces of late. In some ways, MSPs must now compete with printer and copier dealers. But Oki and Xerox also want to partner with MSPs.
N-able Challenge to MSPs: 100% Managed Services Growth in 2012
Posted October 13th, 2011 by Charlene OHanlon
N-able is tasking its managed services partners with the goal of 100 percent growth in the next year, matching the goal it set at its 2010 N-able Partner Conference but giving MSPs additional tools to help them get there a little easier.
N-Able, Ingram Micro Partner on Freemium Managed Services Software
Posted August 12th, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
N-able Technologies and Ingram Micro continue to extend their managed services software partnership. The latest effort involves N-able promoting its freemium software strategy to Ingram Micro channel partners. Under terms of the relationship, Ingram partners can receive an unlimited number of N-Able N-Central Essentials Licenses, five Security Manager and Endpoint licenses, five Professional Licenses and the new N-Able MSP Sales and Marketing Digital Binder, all through the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace.
Nimsoft: Same Strategy, New Leadership, 80 Percent Growth
Posted July 21st, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
When CA Technologies acquired Nimsoft about 15 months ago, I openly wondered if CA would suffocate Nimsoft’s corporate culture and business strategy — which involves selling managed services software into the midmarket. Instead of killing Nimsoft, CA maintained a hands-off approach and Nimsoft flourished. But more recently, a new challenge has popped up: Some of Nimsoft’s top talent — including former CEO Gary Read and former VP Phil LaForge — have left in recent months. So how has Nimsoft responded?
Tigerpaw Software Prepares Multiple Moves for VARs and MSPs
Posted July 21st, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Tigerpaw Software Inc. is working on a new telecom initiative to help the company’s 1,400+ voice partners move into the data space, MSPmentor has learned. Meanwhile, Tigerpaw 11R2 — an upgrade to the company’s software platform — is set to debut in the next few weeks. As frequent MSPmentor readers know, Tigerpaw is a PSA (professional services automation) platform that allows VARs, MSPs and telecom resellers to more effectively manage their day-to-day business operations. Tigerpaw President James Foxall (pictured) gave me some clues about where Tigerpaw is heading next.
VaultLogix Updates Storage Partner Portal for MSPs
Posted July 21st, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
VaultLogix, the online backup and recovery specialist, has updated the VaultLogix Information Portal (VIP) to help MSPs and VARs more easily manage client accounts. The VIP portal lets partners manage their online backup businesses while automating many tasks.
Roaring Penguin Enhances CanIT Archiver
Posted July 19th, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
It’s been a few months since Roaring Penguin Software Inc. introduced its CanIT Archiver – an e-mail archiving and continuity platform that the company released in early May, 2011. How is the strategy progressing? I checked in for a brief update with Roaring Penguin Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Co-Founder Bill White. He described what the anti-spam and e-mail filtering provider has been up to since CanIT Archiver debuted.
Oki Data Revamps Partner Portal
Posted June 24th, 2011 by John Moore
Can a vendor-agnostic tool propel printer dealers and VARs into the realm of managed print services? Oki Data Americas seems to think so. The company this week previewed its Total Managed Print Portal, which it says will help partners migrate to the services side. an official announcement is slated for June 27. The portal, which pulls together a number of managed print tools, already has helped one partner land two managed print deals in a 24 hour period, according to Tim Brien, director of Managed Print Service at OKI Data Americas. That partner hadn’t previously sold a printer or toner cartridge, he added.
Seven Managed Services Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write: June 3
Posted June 3rd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
I spent much of the week at Ingram Micro Cloud Summit in Phoenix, Ariz. There was plenty of managed services chatter at the conference. But as usual, we’ve got too many news leads and too little time. So here are seven managed services blog entries MSPmentor didn’t have time to write for the week ending June 3, 2011.
Kaseya Launches IT Automation Bundle for K-12 Schools
Posted May 10th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Yes, Kaseya sells its managed services software directly to midsize businesses with 100 or more seats. And now, Kaseya is accelerating that strategy in the education vertical. Indeed, Kaseya has launched an automation software bundle — with specific education pricing — designed for IT departments within K-12 school districts. At first glance the move has little to do with managed services providers (MSPs). But take a closer and you’ll get a better feel for (A) vertical market sales strategies and (B) channel program variants in the managed services market.
Axcient, Autotask Integration Provides Autotask Direction Clues
Posted April 26th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Axcient, a hybrid cloud backup company, continues to build stronger relationships in the managed services market. The latest effort involves integration with Autotask, the PSA (professional services automation) software provider. The Axcient-Autotask integration also provides some clues about how CEO Mark Cattini is positioning Autotask for potential growth.
Former IBM Executive Leads Kaseya Australia
Posted March 18th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Over the past two or three years, most of the major managed services software providers have made the leap from North America to Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). But if you take a closer look at the story, Kaseya was one of the companies that enjoyed first-mover advantage in the ANZ market, thanks to executives like Martin Ashby and Tim Dickinson. Now, IBM veteran Dermot McCann is joining the Kaseya team to drive further expansion in ANZ.
Seven Managed Services Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write: March 11
Posted March 11th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
We’re coming down the home stretch. The MSPmentor team is nearly done blogging for this week — though we’ll be back online if we spot any big, breaking news. In the meantime, here are seven managed services blogs the MSPmentor team didn’t have time to write for the week ending March 11, 2011.
MSPs: Rolling Out Managed Unified Communications, VoIP?
Posted March 8th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
For many managed services providers (MSPs), proactively monitoring PCs and servers is old news. Looking ahead, it seems like a growing number of MSPs are expanding their focus to managed unified communications and maybe even hosted PBX services. And companies like Cisco Systems, Intermedia, N-able, NetEnrich, Parallels and Tigerpaw Software are more than happy to accelerate the trend. Here’s the update — including the latest move by NetEnrich CEO Raju Chekuri (pictured).
VaultLogix Generates Profits Amid International Storage Push
Posted February 25th, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
Hit the “pricing” tab atop the VaultLogix web page, and you’ll be able to get a quick quote based on the applications you use, the amount of data you’re trying to store and how soon you will need to use the service. VaultLogix CEO Tim Hannibal (pictured) is willing to bet that quote will be lower than what the majority of other online storage backup companies would be able to offer.
The Big Financial Question: How Does RMM Really Help MSPs?
Posted February 22nd, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Generally speaking, the vast majority of MSPs (managed services providers) use RMM (remote monitoring and management) software to proactively maintain customer networks, and reduce service calls and truck rolls. But is it possible to quantify the financial benefits of RMM software? CoreConnex is trying to find the answer to that question.
N-able: CEO Garbutt Embraces CIOs as N-central 7.2 Arrives
Posted February 8th, 2011 by Matthew Weinberger
At first glance, N-able Technologies is marching forward with its traditional business strategy — launching N-central 7.2 to help managed services providers (MSPs) better serve their customers. But take a closer look and you’ll find N-able CEO Gavin Garbutt (pictured) evangelizing managed services and IT automation to the the CIO community. But don’t worry: N-able isn’t pursuing direct sales into the corporate IT market. Instead, Garbutt continues to connect the dots between MSPs and mid-market corporate IT opportunities. Here’s how.
Ask a Mentor: How Can I Compare Managed Services Software?
Posted February 1st, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
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…
WiFi Wants to Be Free (And That’s A Good Thing for MSPs)
Posted November 16th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
In the 1990s, one of my editors made the following statement to me: “Software wants to be free.” At first I didn’t quite understand the statement. Gradually, I caught on. Fast forward to the present and I think WiFi also wants to be free. But there’s still opportunity ahead of VARs and MSPs. Here’s why.
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.
Managed Services: First Mover Advantage Is Over In Australia
Posted November 11th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
In the Australia managed services market, anecdotal evidence suggests first mover advantage is over — especially as MSP software vendors begin to turn their attention to larger growth opportunities in Asia. Yes, the Australia managed services market continues to grow, both organically and through mergers and acquisitions. But recent moves by Kaseya and Level Platforms, among others, suggest the biggest managed services opportunities ahead are in Asia. Here’s why.
