Within Microsoft’s Q3 2013 earnings results (announced today), the company said Office 365 is now a $1 billion cloud business (using annual run rate figures). I’m not suggesting all MSPs (managed services providers) need to run out and start an Office 365 consulting and deployment practice. But you at least need an educated response as more customers begin to ask you about cloud suites from Microsoft, Google and others.
Category Archives: Partner Program
Xtium‘s cloud-focused software, hosting and virtual BDR services have been attracting some industry attention recently in the form of a $11.5 million Series A round of funding by OpenView Venture Partners; a new CEO from Red Hat, Inc. (former Red Hat COO Tim Buckley); and news about its new desktop as a service (DaaS) offering in partnership with Desktone, Inc. Now the company is launching a formal partner program and Xtium Co-founder and Managing Director Shawn Carey (pictured) shared the details with MSPmentor. Here’s a quick background on the company, along with an overview of Xtium’s new partner program.
Cloud and IT monitoring software solutions provider Zyrion Inc. has scored a new customer win, adding unified communications and network solutions provider Integration Partners. The service provider company will use monitoring software, Zyrion Traverse, to provide managed services to customers. Here’s the scoop.
When it comes to cloud-based backup and disaster recovery (BDR) services, the market is still growing rapidly but some MSPs are starting to worry about commoditization. No doubt, vendors want to stay ahead of the commoditization curve. Among the moves we’re watching: Some key developments over at Axcient, CA Technologies, CloudBerry Lab, Datto, GridStore and Veeam. Here’s the background.
New York and New England continue to brace for Nemo, a potential Nor’easter snow storm that could trigger blizzard conditions on Feb. 8 and 9. Among those making storm preparations: MJ Shoer, president of Jenaly Technology Group, an MSP and IT service provider in Portsmouth, N.H. The company issued a storm advisory to its customers earlier today, offering a list of best-practices ahead of the potential blizzard. Here’s a look a the guidance.
Chris Cramer, formerly of I.T. Works, has joined NetEnrich as partner manager. Cramer will work closely with GM and Senior VP Justin Crotty to further enable the company’s MSP partner base. The hire comes as NetEnrich extends beyond traditional NOC (network operations center) services to handle more day-to-day tasks for managed services providers.
Autotask Community Live, the company’s partner and customer conference, is going international. In addition to the U.S. event (June 2-4, Scottsdale, Ariz.), the company will also host a sister conference in Barcelona Spain (Oct. 16-18, 2013). The decision to launch a European event, rumored for about a year, reinforces Autotask’s vision to internationalize and localize its SaaS-based business management platform.
The cloud backup and disaster recovery (BDR) market remains in growth mode. BDR- and business continuity companies like Axcient, Datto, and Intronis have surfaced on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing privately held companies. Managed services providers (MSPs) are leveraging those and other types of BDR services to protect customer data. But I keep thinking the BDR market will blend with the file syncing and sharing market. At the same time, I think MSPs need a real business alterative to Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iCloud. Here’s why.
When CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) announced Q3 2013 results today, new CEO Mike Gregoire put a big spotlight on the company’s managed services provider (MSP) software business. Indeed, he mentioned CA Nimsoft by name in an earnings release, a timely statement that could quiet some of the company’s M&A critics. Plus, there are signs CA’s AppLogic cloud platform also gained renewed focus. Here’s why.
Anchor (launched by Quest Software, PacketTrap MSP and SonicWall veterans) is building a Box and Dropbox alternative for MSPs to promote to customers. So far about 30 MSPs are self-hosting Anchor, providing file sharing and storage services to end-customers, according to Co-Founder A.K. Kapoor and VP of Product Pierre Tapia. Next up, Anchor is preparing a SaaS platform (running in SoftLayer data centers) that MSPs can plug into without hosting the software on their own. Here’s the story.