MSPmentor

A quick observation: Pointivity, which specializes in application hosting, managed services and cloud computing, has signed on to leverage Parallels virtualization software in the company’s data center.

This is the latest example of a managed service provider profiting from virtualization solutions. Virtulization was a big topic of discussion during the ConnectWise Partner Summit, and recent research suggests MSPs that offer virtualization services are growing rapidly.

From VMworld to the ConnectWise Partner Summit, managed service providers attending conferences this week are talking up managed virtualization services.

True believers include ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini, GlassHouse Technologies and several managed service providers that have completed the new MSPmentor 100 survey.

Here’s a bit more on the managed virtualization trend.

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Here’s an interesting statistic: Managed service providers that have virtualization expertise say their new business revenues have grown 34 percent over the past 18 months, according to a recent survey sponsored by Nimsoft.

Admittedly, statistics can be tricky to interpret. Most managed service providers on the MSPmentor 100 list are growing far faster than 34 percent annually. But the Nimsoft-sponsored survey caught my attention because the link between managed services and virtualization is unquestionable. Read More >

What role will Linux and open source middleware play in the managed services market? Gus Robertson, vice president of global business development at Red Hat, is weighing that question right now. Read More >

I asked several managed service providers yesterday whether their customers were interested in Macs and Linux as secure, easy-to-manage alternatives to Windows PCs. The answer was a resounding “no.” Instead, the MSPs said, many of their customers are willing to virtualize their desktops, shifting most applications up to a server.

The discussion points, which surprised me a bit, occurred during the Ingram Micro Seismic partner conference in Chicago. Here are more details.

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Is the party over for VMware and the virtualization market? Yes and no. In a surprise move, former Microsoft executive Paul Maritz has been named president and CEO of VMware, replacing ousted co-founder Diane Greene.

One possible reason, notes Barron’s: VMware’s revenue growth for 2008 won’t quite meet the 50 percent target that Wall Street was expecting. Plenty of companies would welcome such growth problems, but VMware shares are down more than 20 percent on the news.

Here’s part two of our top 30 highlights from the Kaseya User Conference in Las Vegas. This portion focuses on Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie’s keynote, for the most part. Read More >

Business continuity is the ability of an organization to continue functioning after an unplanned interruption. Data disaster recovery is an important part of business continuity capabilities.

Why does your end client need a business continuity solution? And what are the key components of a business continuity plan? Here are some answers.

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