When I wrote about the wait-and-see attitude managed Exchange provider Azaleos was taking to the cloud back in December 2009, I got a lot of feedback from MSPs on both sides of the argument. I recently caught up with Azaleos VP of Marketing and Product Management Scott Gode, and he says that while the company’s not giving up on on-premises messaging by a long shot, they’ve seen a rise in demand for their managed hybrid Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) services. Here’s why services providers should care.
Azaleos: Keeping the Cloud In Perspective
Posted December 11th, 2009 by Matthew Weinberger
To listen to some of the cloud computing vendors tell it, all data has to be delivered remotely from a data center and on-premise installations are evaporating. So when I find out that Azaleos, which provides managed Microsoft Exchange services (among others), isn’t betting the company on a cloud strategy, it gives me pause. Here’s the scoop.
MSPs Embrace Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Posted June 9th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
If you believe the Microsoft bashers, open source and software as a service (SaaS) will ultimately destroy Microsoft’s traditional software markets and revenue streams. But while open source continues to gain serious momentum, we’re not seeing solutions providers and SaaS experts abandon Microsoft. On the contrary, a growing number of Microsoft partners are lining up to support Dynamics CRM, SharePoint and Exchange Server.
How Savvy Managed Service Providers Attract Investor Attention
Posted May 27th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
If you’re a managed service provider that’s seeking potential investor dollars — or if you simply want to promote your business momentum — perhaps you should steal a page from mindSHIFT Technologies. The MSP acquired a software as a service (SaaS) specialist in April, and is now stepping into the spotlight at Capital Connection 2008, a major investor conference this week in Baltimore, Md.
Managed Microsoft SharePoint Services Continue to Proliferate
Posted April 30th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Anecdotal evidence suggests that managed service providers are pushing deeper into the Microsoft applications market. Most of the Microsoft-centric initiatives seem to involve hosted Exchange Server, Dynamics CRM and /or SharePoint applications.
MSP Acquisitions: Alentus Buys Linux Hosting Firms
Posted April 28th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Mergers and acquisitions continue at a rapid pace in the managed services industry. The latest deal involves Alentus — a managed service provider with software as a service expertise — acquiring two Linux-centric hosting firms.
mindSHIFT Acquires Software as a Service Specialist
Posted April 3rd, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
mindSHIFT, a managed service provider, is pushing deeper into the software-as-a-service (SaaS) market. The company has acquired Collaboration Online, which specializes in hosted Microsoft applications.
Microsoft SharePoint As A Managed Service?
Posted April 2nd, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Each time I chat with a VAR or solutions provider, the topic of Microsoft SharePoint seems to pop into the conversation. Channel players are having great success deploying SharePoint for their customers. It begs the question: Will SharePoint emerge as a managed service as well? I believe so, but what’s your take?
Microsoft and Managed Services: 10 Things to Know
Posted October 2nd, 2007 by Joe Panettieri
It’s a classic Microsoft tactic: Arrive late to a party and then attempt to steal the show. The has company announced the next chapter of its Software as a Service (SaaS) effort. If you offer managed services, it’s time to listen up. I spent some time analyzing the Microsoft initiative and I see some clear opportunities–and challenges–ahead for managed service providers. Here’s a rundown of the 10 things MSPs need to know about Microsoft’s SaaS strategy.
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