MSPmentor

As the hype about software as a service (SaaS) and managed services continues, it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of all the startups and young companies that receive venture funding. But I just stumbled across a Web site that may help you track how investors are pumping money into SaaS and MSP start-ups. Read More >

I spent Wednesday at Zenith Infotech in Pittsburgh. After participating in a Zenith videocast, I sat down with Maurice Saluan, VP of channel management, to get a feel for some of the managed services trends at Zenith. Here are three key takeaways from our discussion. Read More >

Who’s your top rival? Dell Silverback? A local managed service provider? Actually, it’s somebody you know far better. Here’s how to compete with them — and beat them in the market. Read More >

Pick up today’s paper and you’ll see a stunning contrast between Intel and the broader economy. As economic indicators continue to weaken, Intel has announced record quarterly revenue — providing some welcome news to managed service providers and other IT-centric businesses.

Check out these dramatic quotes about economic conditions vs. Intel’s performance, from USA Today:

Read More >

I’m in Pittsburgh Wednesday, meeting with Zenith Infotech and participating in a managed services videocast the company is hosting. If you have any questions for Zenith Infotech, feel free to send me email (joe [at] ninelivesmediainc.com) and I’ll raise them during my meetings. Or join me on the videocast, where I’ll share thoughts about trends culled from the MSPmentor 100 report.

Quick observation: Over the next few weeks it’s safe to expect managed service platform providers to voice support for Intel’s Centrino 2 processors for notebooks.

Level Platforms has already hit the news wires with a press release, and rivals will surely follow. (Update 7/17: I originally overlooked similar news from N-able regarding Centrino 2 and vPro.)

Many platform providers promote their support of Intel’s vPro technology, which allows MSPs to more easily remotely manage PCs and notebooks.

Update 7/17: If you’re an MSP platform provider that supports vPro and Centrino 2, feel free to post a comment below alerting our readers.

When it comes to hosted email, why zig when you can zag? That explains the strategy at EtomicMail, a managed service provider that’s hosting Zimbra — an open source email platform — rather than Microsoft Exchange.

Here’s a look at EtomicMail’s strategy, and the potential lessons learned for rival managed service providers.

Read More >