http://technorati.com/tag/MSPs Posts tagged with "MSPs" on Technorati Fri, 16 May 2008 20:21:32 -0700 Technorati v1.0 http://static.technorati.com/pix/logos/logo_sm.gif http://technorati.com/tag/MSPs support@technorati.com (Technorati Support) http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 MSPs http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/05/16/managed-services-arent-just-for-vars/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/05/16/managed-services-arent-just-for-vars/ Fri, 16 May 2008 07:42:41 -0700 At first glance, managed services platforms represent the perfect business opportunity for VARs. But take a closer look — and talk to companies like Kaseya and Nimsoft — and you’ll discover a completely different target customer for MSP-centric systems. Here’s the scoop. (more…) 2008-05-16 07:42:41 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/05/16/managed-services-arent-just-for-vars/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/05/15/mspmentor-podcast-may-15-2008/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/05/15/mspmentor-podcast-may-15-2008/ Thu, 15 May 2008 19:00:23 -0700 Welcome to MSPmentor Live: Podcast edition. Episode Date: May 15, 2008 Featured Guest: Cheryl Snapp Conner, managing PR, Snapp Conner PR. Topics Covered: Why small MSPs need PR strategies; how Web 2.0 technologies are impacting PR; when and why MSPs should launch their own PRs; the biggest PR mistakes small tech companies make; how to measure the effectiveness of your PR efforts. Listen Now: Check the MSPmentor Podcast Center for our conversation with Cheryl Snapp Conner, along with previous p 2008-05-15 19:00:23 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/05/15/mspmentor-podcast-may-15-2008/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/05/13/how-much-are-msps-worth/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/05/13/how-much-are-msps-worth/ Tue, 13 May 2008 09:14:48 -0700 It’s a question I get asked all the time: How much is a managed service provider (MSP) business worth, and what metrics should MSPs use to set their company valuations? I still don’t have an exact answer for readers, but here are some clues based on anecdotal info I’ve gathered plus Hewlett-Packard’s buyout of Electronic Data Systems (EDS). (more…) 2008-05-13 09:14:48 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/05/13/how-much-are-msps-worth/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://jmkwriteswell.com/?p=220 http://jmkwriteswell.com/?p=220 Sun, 11 May 2008 17:12:45 -0700 A Spot for My Radio Show May 11, 2008 at 6:12 pm · Filed under General, Music, Radio Well, DJ Sketch called me last week and asked me to put together some spots for my show, The Mad Squid Punk Show, so that he can throw them into the promotional play list to be played randomly throughout the day. I was bored this morning and had the house to myself so I put the following clip together. I figured it would serve as the perfect first test for adding audio to my blog posts now that I’m on an offic 2008-05-11 17:12:45 PDT http://technorati.com/search/jmkwriteswell.com/?p=220 1 1 http://smbitpros.com/2008/05/05/great-game-of-business-takeaways-for-msps/ http://smbitpros.com/2008/05/05/great-game-of-business-takeaways-for-msps/ Sun, 04 May 2008 22:21:47 -0700 I have to say that I will be writing a lot about the lessons learned from the conference over the coming weeks as we distill them and implement the ideas in our business but tonight I am still swimming in the possibility of it all. For those of you that read Mike’s blog you know we were at this conference on open book management from the Great Game of Business this week: http://www.greatgame.com/ We were fortunate enough to hear great speakers and have lunch with great minds as we wrestled ou 2008-05-04 22:21:47 PDT http://technorati.com/search/smbitpros.com/2008/05/05/great-game-of-business-takeaways-for-msps/ 18 36 smbITpros.com : a resource for managed service providers and other small business IT professionals http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/30/weak-economy-begins-to-impact-managed-service-providers/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/30/weak-economy-begins-to-impact-managed-service-providers/ Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:47:49 -0700 I’m not ready to press a panic button or sound an alarm. Generally speaking, the managed services market remains healthy and growing rapidly. But the weak US economy is starting to impact some managed service providers, according to a recent MSP roundtable attended by Axis Business Solutions. Here are some anecdotal stats and trends culled from the event. (more…) 2008-04-30 09:47:49 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/30/weak-economy-begins-to-impact-managed-service-providers/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/29/dell-prepares-to-brief-managed-service-providers/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/29/dell-prepares-to-brief-managed-service-providers/ Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:23:10 -0700 Dell on May 1 is set to host a webinar for its certified managed service provider partners. The company is working overtime to brief press (including MSPmentor) about the webinar. I will certainly welcome the briefing. I beat up Dell a bit on April 25 for issuing a press release in which the company described how end-customers will benefit from managed services. Unfortunately, the release made no mention of Dell’s MSP partners. This time around, I expect Dell to communicate much more clearly. 2008-04-29 10:23:10 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/29/dell-prepares-to-brief-managed-service-providers/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/23/sun-launches-software-as-a-service-blitz/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/23/sun-launches-software-as-a-service-blitz/ Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:00:16 -0700 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. (more…) 2008-04-23 01:00:16 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/23/sun-launches-software-as-a-service-blitz/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://trianglecoalition.blogspot.com/2008/04/final-chance-for-more-stem-ed-money-in.html http://trianglecoalition.blogspot.com/2008/04/final-chance-for-more-stem-ed-money-in.html Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:30:51 -0700 "Dear Speaker Pelosi, Republican Leader Boehner, Chairman Obey, and Ranking Member Lewis: We are writing in support of including funding in the FY2008 supplemental appropriations bill for federal research and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education that will help stimulate good jobs and economic growth and protect U.S. competitiveness..."-Letter from 31 Congress... [[This is a content summary only, click on the article title above to read the complete story at the T 2008-04-22 07:30:51 PDT http://technorati.com/search/trianglecoalition.blogspot.com/2008/04/final-chance-for-more-stem-ed-money-in.html 4 10 http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/22/are-two-executive-brains-better-than-one/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/22/are-two-executive-brains-better-than-one/ Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:30:46 -0700 Can a single visionary transform a solutions provider into a managed service provider? Or does it take multiple executives — each, with different talents — to build a thriving managed services business? Before you answer, consider the situation at Computer Network Solutions LLC, a fast-growing MSP in Plainview, N.Y., that now manages more than 200,000 customer devices, (more…) 2008-04-22 02:30:46 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/22/are-two-executive-brains-better-than-one/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/22/msp-partners-what-you-need-to-know/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/22/msp-partners-what-you-need-to-know/ Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:00:24 -0700 Solution providers have a lot to gain from adopting managed services. Less appreciated is the fact that vendors have a lot at stake, too. Increasingly they realize that adoption of managed services by their channel partners is not only a winning strategy, but an essential strategy for long term success in the SMB market. MSP Partners represents a common voice for vendors that understand the importance of managed services and want to do their part to contribute to the growth of the business mod 2008-04-22 01:00:24 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/04/22/msp-partners-what-you-need-to-know/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://www.smokingbanisshit.co.uk/2008/04/campaigners-call-on-msps-to-license.html http://www.smokingbanisshit.co.uk/2008/04/campaigners-call-on-msps-to-license.html Sat, 19 Apr 2008 05:26:15 -0700 Campaigners call on MSPs to license tobacco sales ANTI-SMOKING campaign group ASH Scotland has urged MSPs to license all businesses selling cigarettes. The Scottish Government is currently looking at proposals aimed at reducing the harm done by smoking to people's health, and particularly children. It has released a study which show that by age 15, half of young people have tried smoking. A licensing system would see retailers risk losing the right to sell cigarettes if they were caught selli 2008-04-19 05:26:15 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.smokingbanisshit.co.uk/2008/04/campaigners-call-on-msps-to-license.html 10 54 http://srikanthdudaka.vox.com/library/post/network-operations-center-noc-for-managed-services-providers-msps.html http://srikanthdudaka.vox.com/library/post/network-operations-center-noc-for-managed-services-providers-msps.html Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:31:47 -0700 Many Managed Service Providers (MSP) would like to operate their own Network Operations Center (NOC) using their own technicians but simply cannot afford the startup and on-going support costs for doing so. Building a NOC requires operational expertise and high capital expenditure. NetEnrich provides a private labeled NOC solution to Managed Service Providers who do not want the costs and hassles of building and operating a NOC, yet still achieve the operational scalability to serve end cust 2008-04-17 23:31:47 PDT http://technorati.com/search/srikanthdudaka.vox.com/library/post/network-operations-center-noc-for-managed-services-providers-msps.html 1 3 http://smbitpros.com/2008/04/18/are-there-barriers-to-entry-in-the-msp-industry/ http://smbitpros.com/2008/04/18/are-there-barriers-to-entry-in-the-msp-industry/ Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:18:57 -0700 I just read the recent announcement from N-Able stating that they are giving free access to their entry-level product to Microsoft partners as a way to further speed the adoption of managed services in the marketplace. It begs the question: can anyone become a competitive managed service provider? Are their any barriers to entry in this business? My answer: Yes and No. Yes, practically anyone can become and MSP within a week if they so desire. The tools are all available, and they are all ge 2008-04-17 23:18:57 PDT http://technorati.com/search/smbitpros.com/2008/04/18/are-there-barriers-to-entry-in-the-msp-industry/ 18 36 smbITpros.com : a resource for managed service providers and other small business IT professionals http://smbitpros.com/2008/04/02/what-really-matters-to-clients-when-evaluating-an-msp/ http://smbitpros.com/2008/04/02/what-really-matters-to-clients-when-evaluating-an-msp/ Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:24:34 -0700 I’ve been a part of a conversation about the importance (or lack of importance) of certifications in the MSP industry. See the posts at MSPMentor here. It’s a very important issue, as managed service providers need to look for every edge possible to be successful in competitive sales situations, and they don’t typically have the funds or time to go for every certification available. So what really matters to clients? I’m sure the responses will vary based on all kinds of factors, but I’ve fou 2008-04-01 22:24:34 PDT http://technorati.com/search/smbitpros.com/2008/04/02/what-really-matters-to-clients-when-evaluating-an-msp/ 18 36 smbITpros.com : a resource for managed service providers and other small business IT professionals http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/03/29/memo-to-msps-keep-traveling-during-economic-slowdown/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/03/29/memo-to-msps-keep-traveling-during-economic-slowdown/ Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:40:31 -0700 Web seminars are fantastic for quick, educational tutorials about managed services and business management. Skype and other tools allow us all to connect for free over vast distances. But as we all consider the economy and our second quarter budgets, one thing just became super-clear to me: We can’t afford to stop traveling to highly targeted industry events. Here’s one example to prove my point. (more…) 2008-03-29 19:40:31 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/03/29/memo-to-msps-keep-traveling-during-economic-slowdown/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/03/27/managed-services-built-on-open-source/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/03/27/managed-services-built-on-open-source/ Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:46:14 -0700 Ben Yarbrough has seen it. Bob Walters has seen it. And now, hundreds of managed service providers are starting to see it. What exactly is “it”? The simple answer: The convergence of open source with managed services. Yarbrough, CEO of Calyptix Security, is seeking 100 managed service providers to embrace his company’s open source-based security appliance this year. Similarly, Bob Walters, CEO of Untangle, has bet his business on an open source network gateway, which is starting to attract str 2008-03-27 14:46:14 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/03/27/managed-services-built-on-open-source/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://smbitpros.com/2008/03/26/intel-is-vpro-chip-set-positioned-to-decrease-the-cost-of-remote-desktop-support-for-msps/ http://smbitpros.com/2008/03/26/intel-is-vpro-chip-set-positioned-to-decrease-the-cost-of-remote-desktop-support-for-msps/ Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:52:43 -0700 At least there is one giant out there not launching their own managed services and instead creating products to enable MSPs to do their jobs more efficiently. If you haven’t checked out Intel’s small business MSP push around their vPro chip set you should take a few minutes to check it out as I guaranty we will all be utilizing the features over the course of 08 and beyond. http://www.intel.com/smallbusiness/ Now if anyone from Intel is out there reading this I am interested to know where you 2008-03-25 20:52:43 PDT http://technorati.com/search/smbitpros.com/2008/03/26/intel-is-vpro-chip-set-positioned-to-decrease-the-cost-of-remote-desktop-support-for-msps/ 18 36 smbITpros.com : a resource for managed service providers and other small business IT professionals http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/03/24/five-business-priorities-for-holiday-weeks/ http://www.mspmentor.net/2008/03/24/five-business-priorities-for-holiday-weeks/ Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:32:36 -0700 Lots of schools are closed this week in the United States. Email and voice mail traffic seems a  little bit lighter. It’s the perfect week to come into the office a little late and leave a little early. Or is it? In reality, big companies are working overtime to win new sales and ensure they meet their 1Q financial goals. And small firms should take some time to carefully review their managed services strategies heading into 2Q. Here are five items that should be on your priority list for the 2008-03-24 13:32:36 PDT http://technorati.com/search/www.mspmentor.net/2008/03/24/five-business-priorities-for-holiday-weeks/ 66 1327 MSPmentor | The Ultimate Guide to Managed Services http://smbitpros.com/2008/03/24/the-3-customer-types-of-the-future-managed-services-marketplace/ http://smbitpros.com/2008/03/24/the-3-customer-types-of-the-future-managed-services-marketplace/ Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:56:05 -0700 One of my favorite things to do is to sit around and dream about the future of the managed services industry - what challenges and opportunities we will face, and what we will become. Josh and I had the opportunity to spend some time doing that this last Friday afternoon, and I think we came away with a some insights that are worth sharing. I’m sure that anyone reading this is aware that the MSP industry is going through some major changes - again.  Five years ago Everon was an early pioneer 2008-03-23 15:56:05 PDT http://technorati.com/search/smbitpros.com/2008/03/24/the-3-customer-types-of-the-future-managed-services-marketplace/ 18 36 smbITpros.com : a resource for managed service providers and other small business IT professionals