No one believes a calamity will wreck their house until the day it happens. That same mindset also keeps countless business owners from recognizing how vulnerable they are to ransomware threats, phishing scams, and other attacks by cybercriminals that could destroy their companies.
Citing statistics that predict the world population (currently at 7.7 billion) leveling off at around 11 billion by 2100, ConnectWise president Arnie Bellini called on the IT channel to play a lead role in the global challenges associated with overpopulation at his annual IT Nation Connect conference in Orlando last week.
I just returned from the Ingram Micro ONE event in Washington, DC and here’s what I liked most about it. If I’ve heard one vendor or distributor exec implore a crowd of their VAR and MSP customers to do something innovative, something non-traditional, with their clients, I’ve heard a million.
We dedicate a good amount of editorial to encouraging VARs to innovate, to add to their line cards, and to transition their business models. We should spend more time reminding VARs the importance of keeping existing customers happy by ensuring your customer support operation is up to par.
If Geek Squad is a nursery school for MSPs, its founder Robert Stephens, is the headmaster. I sat down with Stephens in Phoenix last week at the SolarWinds Empower user conference. Among many interesting points in our conversation were exchanges about IT services marketing and pricing.
Back when Channel Executive was named Business Solutions and VARinsights.com was BSMinfo.com, those publications used to host Channel Transitions conferences. The name of those events was quite literal – they were designed to help VARs in the IT channel transition to a managed services business model. Our brand names have changed, but we are still providing content to help break/fix VARs transition to the wonderful world of recurring revenue. I distinctly remember several panelists at Channel Transitions conferences advising audience members to tackle the VAR-to-MSP transition gradually: start with a small handful of customers, and only add more when your cash flow allows it.
Today, simple headsets are bundled as free accessories to any mobile phone, giving them a perception of “nice to have” gimmicks in the consumer market. But in some areas, such as professional office environments, headsets are so much more than mere accessories, having evolved into complex pieces of IT equipment that can transform the business of communication. Jesper Kock, Director of Research and Development at Sennheiser Communications explains why that is and why the right choice of headsets is crucial for businesses.
At Webroot, we stay ahead of cybersecurity trends in order to keep our customers up-to-date and secure. As the end of the year approaches, our team of experts has gathered their top cybersecurity predictions for 2019. What threats and changes should you brace for?
There are a variety of reasons moving to the cloud could be right for your business. If you’re hesitant about stepping away from your self-hosted remote support software, here are a few more things you should consider.
It’s a fact that even companies with the best products and services can struggle to find a winning formula for growth in the marketplace. And with upstarts introducing competitive products of their own every day, it's more critical than ever that your company stand out from the crowd. But are you?
Let’s start by taking the subject at face value. Quarterly business reviews (QBRs) offer valuable face-to-face time with clients, and that plays an important role in relationship and retention. The QBR is a chance to check your customer’s pulse and an opportunity to demonstrate value. Tell them how many updates you’ve pushed, bugs you’ve squashed, threats you disarmed, and so forth. Here are a few pointers for making a QBR productive and profitable.
This paper addresses the security of Sennheiser DECT Contact Center and Office (CC&O) headsets. It describes the DECT security chain comprised of “Pairing”, “Per Call Authentication” and “Encryption”, which are all part of the standard DECT protocol.
Bluetooth® is a wireless technology standard for exchanging voice and data over short distances between Bluetooth enabled devices. Ericsson introduced Bluetooth to the market in 1994 to overcome the challenges of connecting devices with different types of technology and communication protocols.
Your client’s online presence matters — and it matters in a big way. Resellers can help clients grow their businesses and simultaneously deepen their relationships by guiding them in the use of digital tools and explaining why they matter.
Webroot delivers intelligent cybersecurity for endpoint, mobile and web to channel partners, consumers, businesses, and enterprises worldwide. Powered by its BrightCloud® collective threat intelligence network, Webroot protects the internet of everything. Our cloud-based threat detection, high performance, lightweight agents, and single, web-based point of control have changed the way businesses think about protecting mobile devices, PCs and servers. Named a ‘Visionary’ in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms, Webroot’s smarter approach to security is why companies including Cisco, F5 Networks, GateProtect, HP, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint, RSA and others choose our solutions for advanced threat protection for their security products and services.
Global Technology Systems is the trusted expert in mobile power technology. GTS designs and manufactures high-performance batteries, chargers, and power management technologies for essential mobile devices. Millions of business professionals, public safety, government, and military worldwide rely on GTS to power mission critical communications and mobile computing applications. Founded in 2000, GTS is headquartered in Framingham, MA.
At Barracuda MSP, our mission is to drive the success of our IT service provider partners, delivering industry-leading security and data protection via a purpose-built MSP platform, steadfast commitment to partner success, and a wealth of channel expertise.
The ASCII Group is a vibrant community of independent MSPs, VARS and solution providers in North America. The organization offers members leveraged purchasing programs, education and training, knowledge sharing among peers, discounts on business services, and more. Founded in 1984 by Alan Weinberger, ASCII is the oldest and largest group of independent IT solution providers, integrators and VARS in the world.
| RSPA stands for Retail Solutions Providers Association. We are the only association dedicated to the retail technology industry. |
As the world’s leading provider of IT solutions delivered by Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Datto believes there is no limit to what small and medium businesses can achieve with the right technology. Datto offers business continuity and disaster recovery, networking, business management, and file backup and sync solutions, and has created a one-of-a-kind ecosystem of partners that provide Datto solutions to half a million businesses across more than 130 countries. Since its founding in 2007, Datto has earned hundreds of awards for its rapid growth, product excellence, superior technical support, and for fostering an outstanding workplace. With global headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut, Datto has international offices in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Australia, China, and Singapore.
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An IT Professional Services Automation (PSA) solution is the central hub for any MSP. A proper solution integrates with critical applications that an MSP needs to run their business, providing full visibility into customers, internal operations, and profitability. The PSA solution should be purpose-built for MSPs and have a user experience that is optimal for unique workflows and business processes.
Building, delivering, and maintaining a cybersecurity service for your clients can be a huge challenge. To be successful, MSPs like you need to establish a defense that is cost-effective, predictable, and easy to understand when you're making the pitch, and you have to deal with the fact that security itself can be tough to sell.
Your security services need to be as adaptive as the shifting attack methods used by today's cybercriminals, so it’s critical to stay up to date on the current threat landscape. In this educational webcast, join industry expert Nick Cavalancia and Tyler Moffitt, Webroot Sr. Threat Research Analyst, as they provide a mid-year update to Webroot's 2018 Threat Report.
When it comes to IT decision making, the moment of truth can often be determined by a single factor: price. Particularly in the realm of cybersecurity, if service offerings are priced too high, too low, or are just plain confusing, you could lose a customer. So, how do you properly price a security offering for your particular market and business model?
Home services companies have dispatchers who take calls and assign them, techs who service the calls, and support personnel who order parts, keep them stocked, and handle financials. Sounds familiar, right? These companies are also time sensitive and customer loyalty is thin. So, when selling to these businesses, keep in mind they don’t have the stickiness we do with our clients so there are some things you will need to cover with them and come to mutual understandings.
The retail cash drawer evolved from a basic wooden box with a bell to a metal box to a secure, intelligent device that keeps track of currency amounts by cashier and transaction and helps retailers improve their operations. One of the biggest benefits of intelligent drawers is loss prevention.
Owner/Executive Coaching is a one-on-one engagement with the principal(s) of the business. These typically are focused on one or two areas of the business where the principal does not have experience or is struggling with implementing a solution. Executive Coaching is also used to help accelerate the company’s growth and ensure your growth objectives are met.
Business Improvement Groups (or BIGs) consist of 10-12 non-competing members. The group will become a close network of advisors that you can call upon when you have any business issue facing you that you would like input from outside the company. Every member signs a non-disclosure agreement, so whatever is said or presented stays within the group.
Sleek and streamlined, the Caddy™ SPM cleans up your work space cabling and allows positioning of your LCD display for greater productivity. Reposition your LCD to organize your POS workstation with just a touch.
Good processes support your team, not stifle them, enabling them to operate at their highest levels. This is doubly true for managed service providers, where operational efficiency and effectiveness are critical to client retention, team retention, and profitability.
