MSPmentor

Starting today, several hundred VARs, MSPs and telecom resellers are attending this week’s Tigerpaw User Conference in Dallas. The big question: Can this second-annual Tigerpaw conference build upon last year’s event, which pumped some fresh ideas into the managed services and telecom reseller markets?

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SMBs are increasingly investing in sophisticated communications technologies. But the quest for true unified communications (UC) remains elusive for most SMBs, according to a new study from IDC. Many SMBs may not even realize they are taking steps toward a UC environment. That’s where MSPs can enter the picture.

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ManageEngine, the network management software provider, is hitting the road to strike up more conversations with SMB customers and MSPs. Owned by ZOHO Corp., ManageEngine is trying to educate IT service providers and customers about five key solutions for business automation.

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When MSPs think about the benefits they provide their SMB clientele, they probably focus on internal efficiencies that can benefit the bottom line. But MSPs need to take a broader look at how their services can aid all aspects of an SMB’s operations. For example, managed contact center services can aid your SMBs clientele in providing high quality customer service, and even in charging a premium for them.

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Here’s a slightly different spin on the real estate vertical. Appia Communications Inc. is promoting its managed services and telecom services to owners of office buildings and campuses throughout Indianapolis, Ind. The pitch: Appia claims its telecom services can cut telecom bills by about 50 percent, allowing landlords and building owners to potentially reduce tenants’ cost per square foot.

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Call it a teaser or a cliff hanger: Tigerpaw Software, the PSA (professional services automation) specialist, is striving to reach out to more than 1,000 telecommunications vendors across North America. Publicly disclosed details about the effort remain vague at best — though it sounds like Tigerpaw will share more partner news in Q2 2011.

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At the moment, it’s only for consumers, but Google has announced that you can now make phone calls directly from the Gmail web interface. Here’s the lowdown on the service, and how it may eventually impact managed services providers.

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Proving that even a 137-year old dog can learn new tricks, Cincinnati Bell subsidiary Evolve has launched a voice-over-IP (VoIP) suite designed for business customers. Here’s the scoop.

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At the Ingram Micro Cloud Summit in Dallas earlier this month, an attendee asked a keynote speaker why big service providers had yet to promote cloud computing. My response: Careful what you ask for because companies like Verizon Business are very serious about the cloud. For instance, Verizon Business claims to be the first U.S.-based  global service provider to deliver hosted Cisco unified communications and collaboration applications in the cloud “as-a-service.” What does that mean for MSPs that specialize in VoIP and unified communications? Here are some thoughts.

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Back in February, I wrote on our sister site The VAR Guy that unified communications (UC) provider Alteva was going to release an integrated solution that combined their hosted VoIP products with the Microsoft Communications Services suite. Well, now that product’s a reality, and they’re aiming it at enterprises with less than 25 seats. Here’s an overview.

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Back in September 2009, we mentioned that CA, Inc. had acquired network monitoring solution provider NetQoS, but we didn’t hear much after that. Seeking answers, I spoke with NetQoS and CA about the acquisition, what NetQoS brought to the table, and what they can offer a managed services provider.

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CharTec, the hardware as a service (HaaS) specialist, is promoting a new voice-over-IP solution — called a Voice Management System — for managed services providers. But that’s not all. I’m keeping my eyes on CharTec for a range of reasons.

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We spend quite a bit of time on MSPmentor covering small but fast-growing software companies that cater to the managed services market. But occasionally an industry titan will catch our attention. A case in point: IBM made a key move this week, and it involved small and midsized communication service providers (CSPs). Does this mean the Big 4 systems management companies (BMC, CA, HP, IBM) are finally waking up to managed services? Here’s some perspective and speculation.

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The last thing the tech world needs is another acronym. But I was rather intrigued to learn about a managed service provider that offers so-called communications as a service (CaaS). The telecom company, Cypress Communications, is successfully branding CaaS as a way to describe hosted unified communications and VoIP services to customers. Here’s how.

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Chris Lyman is setting in the middle of a perfect storm. As CEO of Fonality, Lyman is building an IP-PBX company that leverages Asterisk (an open source platform) and embraces managed service providers. In other words, Fonality has converged three hot markets (unified communications, open source and managed services) into a single solution.

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TelePresence, the next-generation video conferencing technology, is slowly catching on with big customers. But it could be a few more years before TelePresence becomes a mainstream opportunity for managed service providers. First, the good news: Hewlett-Packard says its Halo video conferencing deployments have been doubling annually since the product’s launch in 2005, according to Reuters. And as new TelePresence systems go in, customers will need managed service providers to deliver related bandwidth optimization services.

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When people mention the city of Detroit to me, I think of struggling car companies and Thanksgiving football. But for Cbeyond, a managed service provider and Cisco Systems partner, Detroit represents a growing business opportunity. Cbeyond expects to employ roughly 100 people in the Detroit area by the end of this year as it seeks more small business customers for its IP telephony services. Equally important, Cbeyond has found creative ways to publicize its expertise. Here’s a look.

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On their own, voice-over-IP and managed services are hot markets. Toss the two together, and maybe you can fan the flames of opportunity. For instance, check out how Cistera Networks is hosting VoIP managed services for schools.

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I lifted the headline for this blog entry from a presentation David Strom delivered this morning at the MSP Alliance conference in San Jose. So, what were the five disruptive technologies? Three of them were obvious, but David caught my ear with his analysis of the other two — and some timely perspective on Microsoft Small Business Server.

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