And that’s a wrap: We’ve finally completed the fifth-annual MSPmentor 100 report. Complete results will be unveiled February 15. In the meantime, here are seven managed services blogs and MSP news stories for the MSPmentor team didn’t have time to write for the week ending February 10, 2012.
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Managed Services: 7 Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write, Feb. 10
Posted February 10th, 2012 by Joe Panettieri
Symantec Confirms Managed Services Partner Strategy
Posted November 10th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Symantec confirmed its managed service provider strategy today at ConnectWise’s IT Nation conference in Orlando. The Symantec MSP effort includes security and storage software integrations with RMM (remote monitoring and management) software providers, and growing promotion of service provider licensing. Is the effort radically new or different? Perhaps not. But Symantec’s moves are worth noting. Here’s why.
ConnectWise IT Nation: 10 Pieces of Early Chatter
Posted November 8th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
The ConnectWise IT Nation conference kicks off November 9, but most attendees are already on hand for numerous pre-conference sessions. So what’s the managed services chatter so far? Here are 10 conversations, trends, and news tips worth tracking.
Acquisitions Fuel Software Vendors’ e-Discovery Services Push
Posted September 23rd, 2011 by John Moore
We’ve written about the e-discovery services market a few times, describing the software landscape and discussing alliances between MSPs and application vendors. MSPs carving a niche in the legal market wrap a range of services around e-discovery software products. Those services include consulting, remote management, hosting, and services specific to the e-discovery process. But the trends don’t end there.
Palo Alto Networks: Partners Promote Managed Security Services
Posted August 23rd, 2011 by Dave Courbanou
Palo Alto Networks, a firewall provider, has partnered with five key security and networking vendors to deliver managed security services inside their next-gen firewalls. Punit Minocha, VP of corporate and business development for Palo Alto Networks, says the company has growing relationships with BT Global Services, Solutionary, Symantec, Verizon and Dell SecureWorks (initially launched in late July 2011). Here’s a closer look at the strategy.
E-discovery: Best of Breed Options Emerge for MSPs
Posted June 8th, 2011 by John Moore
The handling of electronic evidence is a complicated, multi-faceted process. There’s the identification and collection of records, review and analysis, and then production and presentation. A deployment might call for several products to cover the spectrum of e-discovery activities. With that in mind, some software houses have opted to pursue all-in-one solutions. Here’s the update for MSPs.
Managed Services: How Much Market Upside Remains?
Posted April 13th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
Sometimes I worry about the managed services market. Worldwide, I suspect roughly 1,500 MSPs are really executing well. Perhaps another 15,000 are moving right along — doing well but not exactly firing on all cylinders. And in North America alone, there are 70,000-plus VARs and resellers that are evaluating a range of options — managed services, cloud, IT project work, and so on. My key question: Is there still upside in the managed services market? Are more resellers still coming in? I found the answer earlier this week at the Synnex Varnex conference in Boston, Mass.
Synnex MSPs Pursue $100 Million Managed Services Opportunity
Posted April 10th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
New, confirmed details about the Synnex managed services channel strategy have finally emerged. The distributor is working closely with MSPs and VARs to pursue one million freemium managed nodes and a mid-market opportunity of at least $100 million. The catch: MSPs need to leverage the freemium software nodes by end of 2011. Confirmed partners in the Synnex managed services effort include Axcient, Intronis, Level Platforms, Symantec and Reflexion. Here’s the scoop.
Seven Managed Services Blogs MSPmentor Didn’t Write: April 8
Posted April 10th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
I’m hanging out at the Synnex Varnex conference today in Boston — and catching up on some work — before heading to Ingram Micro VTN in Chicago on Monday night. Among my key tasks today: Telling you about the seven blog entries MSPmentor didn’t have time to write for the week ending April 8, 2011. Here they are…
Keeping Compliant: How MSPs Can Protect SMB Customers
Posted April 4th, 2011 by Matthew Graven
In an article for Risk Magazine, Clive Davidson looks at how software-as-a-service (SaaS) may save smaller financial firms. He describes the current climate where firms, big and small, are preoccupied with changing systems and processes to comply with regulatory changes. “But,” Davidson points out, “there is only so far the resources at many smaller institutions can be stretched.” Could a managed service be the solution to their problems?
Computer Service Partners: Managed Services Meet Rugged Solutions
Posted March 17th, 2011 by Nicholas Mukhar
Life’s good for Computer Service Partners, an MSPmentor 100 organization. The nearly 20-year-old custom IT solutions company based in Raleigh, N.C., has grown into a roughly 50-person company targeting small and midsized business (SMB) throughout the United States focused on data center initiatives, virtualization, unified communications and ruggedized computing. So what’s new? Here’s some perspective from CSP Director of Managed Services John Kilgore (pictured).
Kaseya Extends Managed Services Brand Into Security, Storage
Posted February 1st, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
When the Kaseya 2 managed services platform debuted in 2010, Executive VP Jim Alves described the offering as a platform that would ultimately gain numerous plug-ins and modules. It’s a familiar strategy, since most RMM (remote monitoring and management) software platforms offer integration with third-party storage and security solutions. But I sense something different is going on at Kaseya, since a growing number of modules seem to be home-grown and/or Kaseya-branded. Here’s the update.
Microsoft, Symantec Jump on Managed Services Bandwagon
Posted January 25th, 2011 by Joe Panettieri
As Level Platforms prepares to host managed service provider (MSP) gatherings in 19 cities, two software giants — Microsoft and Symantec — will hitch a ride to more closely monitor and learn about the MSP sector. It’s the latest sign that both Microsoft and Symantec are finally waking up to the next-generation channel. Here’s why.
Labtech and AVG Partner On Remote Monitoring, Anti-Virus
Posted September 23rd, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
Here’s an ironic twist: Labtech Software, the remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform provider, has embraced AVG’s anti-virus offerings. The move comes several months after Labtech rival Kaseya differentiated beyond AVG to promote Kaspersky Lab’s anti-virus. Here’s the update on how anti-virus companies are trying to work more closely with MSPs and RMM software providers.
Disaster Recovery & the Cloud: Like Peanut Butter & Jelly?
Posted September 9th, 2010 by John Moore
Like peanut butter and jelly, disaster recovery and cloud computing seem destined to stick together. Two prime examples: Disaster recovery in the cloud saw more action this week with announcements stemming from Axcient Inc. and Symantec Corp. Here’s the update.
SEPATON Expands Sales Into Central Europe
Posted July 29th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
Disk protection solution provider SEPATON has announced the expansion of sales operations into the Central European market, looking for reseller partners and enterprise customers alike. Here’s the scoop.
Quest Software Launches Managed Services Partner Program
Posted June 16th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
It’s starting to feel like Groundhog Day in the managed services market. Indeed, each day I get ready to blog I hear about yet another software vendor launching a managed services provider partner program. The latest example involves Quest Software, owner of PacketTrap Networks and other administration tools. Here’s how Quest plans to engage MSPs and hosting companies, plus a look at rival service provider partner programs launched in recent days.
Symantec Archiving and eDiscovery Specialization
Posted June 10th, 2010 by Dave Courbanou
Symantec is introducing an Archiving and eDiscovery specialization for partners. Storage, management and unstructured information are the name of the game, of course. Here’s a high-level overview of the Symantec strategy.
Sophos Jumps On Cloud Protection Bandwagon
Posted June 9th, 2010 by Dave Courbanou
Sophos is adding “Live” protection technology to their suite of security software. This cloud end-point security, like some rival options, is designed to deliver rapid, zero-day protection against threats and provide low overhead on systems. Here’s the story…
Spiceworks: Serving 1 Million IT Pros?
Posted June 3rd, 2010 by Dave Courbanou
More than 1 million IT professionals and managed services providers now leverage Spiceworks, a free advertising-driven remote management platform, according to the latest company news release. But instead of promoting “Managed IT,” Spiceworks is taking up “Social IT.” Here’s why.
Symantec: Ready to Buy Managed Services Software Company?
Posted April 2nd, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
Symantec is taking another look at the managed services software market, and mulling a potential acquisition in the area of remote monitoring and management (RMM) software, according to three separate sources close to Symantec. Here are the potential implications for MSPs.
Security as a Service Accelerates at RSA Conference
Posted March 1st, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
As the RSA Conference kicks off today in San Francisco, much of the buzz involves security as a service. But here’s the challenge: Nearly 80 percent of top managed services providers already offer some form of managed security to their customers, according to our third-annual MSPmentor 100 results. So where can MSPs go next with managed security? Here are some clues.
McAfee: We’re In Acquisition Mode
Posted March 1st, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
McAfee, Inc.’s Chief Executive David DeWalt made waves last Friday when he told Reuters that they were looking to acquire multiple technology companies this year. Here’s the scoop from the security sector.
