During a managed services panel discussion at the recent SMB Nation conference in Las Vegas, ClearCenter CEO Michael Proper stood up and asked attendees if open source was part of their managed services framework. One attendee’s reply: “What does open source have to do with a managed services conversation?” Let me take a second stab at the discussion: To be sure, most MSPs within the SMB market seem to leverage traditional closed-source solutions. But there are pockets of opportunity for open source. Here’s where.
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Does Open Source Fit Into a Managed Services Strategy?
Posted November 10th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
GroundWork Open Source Launches Certification Sweepstakes
Posted July 13th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
GroundWork Open Source, which develops management and monitoring solutions for the IT channel, has announced a sweepstakes they say is designed to help their partners expand their business. Just buy a GroundWork Enterprise QuickStart package, and you’ll be entered to win $4,500 towards getting certified with organizations like the Linux Foundation or JBoss. Here’s the scoop.
New GroundWork Open Source Release Targets MSPs
Posted July 8th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
Network management specialist GroundWork Open Source (GWOS) today launches version 6.2 of GroundWork Monitor Enterprise, bringing role-based views to the table — a feature the company says is aimed squarely at the managed services community. Here’s the scoop.
GroundWork Open Source Quadruples Customer Base
Posted June 25th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
GroundWork Open Source (GWOS), the open source systems and network management specialist, says it has quadrupled its customers base during the past eight months or so. GWOS already has a channel partner program but it’s safe to expect a strong focus on MSPs within the next few months. Here are the details.
Eucalyptus Private Cloud Adds Windows VM Support
Posted June 17th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
Eucalyptus Private Cloud, the Amazon EC2-compatible, open-source platform, has hit version 2.0 with an update that adds support for Microsoft Windows VMs, along with user group management tools designed to make it more attractive as a scalable enterprise solution. So where do MSPs potentially fit in? Here’s the lowdown.
Autotask Community Live: 13 Final Observations
Posted April 20th, 2010 by Joe Panettieri
As the second-annual Autotask Community Live conference wraps up in Miami, here are 13 observations and takeaways for managed services providers (MSPs) and VARs. Among the highlights on my mind…
Eucalyptus Continues Private Cloud Momentum
Posted January 27th, 2010 by Matthew Weinberger
Back in October 2009, I wrote a bit about Eucalyptus Systems — which develops open-source cloud computing software. In some ways, it’s positioned as an open, private cloud alternative to Amazon Web Services. Fast forward to the present, and Eucalyptus seems to be showing some momentum. Here’s an update, including perspectives from Eucalyptus CTO and co-founder Rich Wolski.
Eucalyptus: Another Cloud Effort Worth Watching
Posted October 29th, 2009 by Matthew Weinberger
We’ve already conceded that most MSPmentor readers have yet to try major clouds like Amazon Web Services. But if you’re just starting to give Amazon a look you might also want to keep one eye on Eucalyptus Systems Inc. — an open source system for private and hybrid clouds. Here’s why.
When Managed Services Fail…
Posted March 15th, 2009 by Joe Panettieri
Monday at 9:15 a.m. eastern, I will find out whether this is going to be a good week or a bad week. My MacBook Pro died on Sunday. My brother in law — a managed service provider who takes care of Apple servers — tried a range of remote trouble-shooting tools but couldn’t revive the system. Now, my best (and last) hope is break-fix support from the Apple Store’s Genius Bar on Monday morning. But I’m not in panic mode.
MSPmentor Launches Sister Web Site Called “Works With U”
Posted May 2nd, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Forgive me for going slightly off topic. I have some news to share: MSPmentor has a new sister Web site. It’s called Works With U, and it covers an emerging, disruptive Linux distribution called Ubuntu.
Sun Launches Software as a Service Blitz
Posted April 23rd, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Sun made a major software as a service (SaaS) announcement today involving the Solaris operating system. But I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. There’s a high probability, I believe, that Sun will rapidly expand its SaaS efforts to include the MySQL database (near term) and potentially Ubuntu Linux (long term). Here’s why managed service providers should care.
Network Security Converges With Ubuntu Linux
Posted April 7th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
Ubuntu, the fastest-growing version of Linux, is starting to attract interest from the managed services industry. One prime example: Untangle, which develops security solutions for managed service providers, is preparing to add support for Ubuntu within the next few months, MSPmentor has learned.
Virtualization Meets Managed Services
Posted February 19th, 2008 by Joe Panettieri
In the world of journalism, there’s an old saying: “Three’s a trend.” I thought of that truism this morning when I learned Tech Data plans to offer VMware to its resellers. Managed service providers should take note. In addition to Tech Data, at least two MSP platform providers are striving to help VARs more effectively manage virtualized servers.
Open Source Desktops Meet Managed Services
Posted November 30th, 2007 by Joe Panettieri
So, you’re thinking about offering managed hardware as part of a monthly service contract. Before you make the move, consider this: Perhaps it’s time to take a close look at open source desktops (particularly Ubuntu Linux running OpenOffice) as an option for your customers. Here’s why.
Open Source Meets Managed Services
Posted September 20th, 2007 by Joe Panettieri
Sometimes I just can’t let go of a hunch. For a few weeks now, I’ve been asking MSP platform providers if they would ever open source their software. The open source approach, as you likely know, would allow customers and VARs to add incremental value to MSP software components.
