Like a couple that doesn’t understand why they’re broke before every payday, small business owners rarely understand where their money comes from and where it goes. What’s worse, many depend on false metrics originating from one’s gut or a POS system giving out bad data. Getting and analyzing data is never fun and can be intimidating to an operator who hasn’t dealt with equations since high school algebra, but by establishing clear metrics and following good data gathering practices even the most numberphobic operator will have clean data to make informed decisions.
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’s managed services practices are using increasing levels of automation to succeed. Whether it’s remote monitoring and management (RMM), professional services automation (PSA), or something else, automation allows the MSP to deliver consistent, efficient services at a predictable price for customers.
The security landscape is changing, and customers need solutions that can protect them against attacks. They also want a more automated approach to data reliability. Cybersecurity and data recovery shouldn’t be addressed separately. A unified data protection solution that combines cybersecurity with data backup and recovery resources working together seamlessly to quickly identify potential threats and safeguard data simultaneously.
A well-researched, gradual transition to managed services is best – but don’t wait too long.
As more companies shift their IT infrastructure, data, and applications to the cloud, the need for reliable cloud security has become more acute. Fact is, the cloud has increasingly become a target for cyberattacks, as criminals follow the data from on-premises servers to cloud platforms.
Low-tech security strategies are a vital part of protecting customers from email-borne threats.
Reselling Cloud PBX is never an easy task, but you should not let that hold you back from adding it to your portfolio of managed services. Now is the perfect time to dive right into the lucrative telecom market. Every Business Needs a PBX and we can help you provide your clients with an up-to-date PBX system that fits their needs.
Due to federal legislation, U.S. cannabis dispensaries face the singular challenge of having to process most transactions in cash.
Beginning around 2007, traditional endpoint security was becoming ineffective. Stopping infections was based around finding a user with an infection (patient zero), creating a detection signature (inoculation) and then updating every device to stop any further infections (eradication). The ineffectiveness was a direct result of the volume, variety, and velocity of infections. These factors completely overwhelmed the ‘patient zero’ approach. There were simply too many patients and not enough inoculations.
| RSPA stands for Retail Solutions Providers Association. We are the only association dedicated to the retail technology industry. |
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.
Shif4 Payments is a leading national provider of touch-screen point of sale (POS) systems and payment processing services. As pioneers of the "as a service" model, Shif4 Payments offers an unprecedented "free" POS program that allows the company's sales partners to offer a full-featured POS system with no up-front costs.
CompTIA is the voice of the world's information technology (IT) industry.
Datto protects business data and provides secure connectivity for tens of thousands of the world's fastest growing companies. Datto's Total Data Protection solutions deliver uninterrupted access to business data on site, in transit and in the cloud. Thousands of IT service providers globally rely on Datto's combination of pioneering technology and dedicated services to ensure businesses are always on, no matter what. Datto is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut and has offices in Rochester, Boston, Portland, Toronto, London, Singapore and Sydney. Learn more at www.datto.com.
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.
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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.
Join CloudBerry & Amazon Web Services for a webinar where we discussed the combined solution for Backup-as-a-Service (plus a customer who tells his own story).
Hear from Joe Steele with Blackwater Business Partners as he talks about his business' experience with the CloudBerry Managed Backup solution.
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.
Barracuda Backup – MSP appliance is an all-in-one, subscription-based solution that simplifies data backup and recovery from advanced threats, disasters and human error. Also available in a virtual version, the appliance is flexible enough to meet the requirements of your customers running physical, virtual, and multi-site environments – all from a single, centralized management console.
Exceeding customer and industry expectations, the Series 4000 is the ultimate heavy-duty cash drawer. Unmatched durability along with flexible storage space, and various sizing, color and customized options, these features make the Series 4000 another reason for APG’s reputation as the preferred choice.
Taylor Business Group has successfully coached many of our clients through the acquisition process. Typically, our clients will ask for our assistance when they have an active deal in play (we don’t act as brokers to find the deal).
