What is going on in cybersecurity as we head down the homestretch of 2018 and transition into 2019? Great question. In the context of the channel and after a year on the road, following are some observations as to what’s good, what needs some work, and what’s missing.
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.
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.
The hottest word in IT is automation. More and more companies are using automated technology to speed up repetitive tasks, improve consistency and efficiency, and free up employees’ time. But what exactly is IT automation, and is it worth making changes so you can include it in your IT department or company? By looking at all the facts, options, and benefits, you can make an informed decision and maximize the potential of IT automation for your team.
Remote support tools play a principal role in running efficient help desks of all sizes. Whether the objective is to support mobile workforces, large groups of unattended machines, or one-off support requests from end users, they ensure that customer satisfaction stays high by allowing technology solution providers (TSPs) to deliver immediate support wherever or wherever it’s needed.
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.
Datto surveyed more than 2,400 managed service providers (MSPs) around the world about ransomware and published the key takeaways in this report. Download the report today to unlock new trends and statistics on the biggest threat facing the Channel, and what your peers are doing to prepare.
As a managed service provider, being able to proactively address issues as they emerge, rather than after they happen, is essential to deliver exceptional service. Investing in remote monitoring and management (RMM) software is the best way to address this need. In this eBook, industry leading MSPs are offering up their best advice for fellow IT pros who are evaluating RMM software.
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.
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.
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.
Taylor Business Group is an executive coaching and peer group firm that focuses on IT Solution Providers and Copier Dealers. Founded in 2001, Taylor has brought efficiencies and higher profits to IT Solution Providers through a focused effort in delivering best practices to the Service Provider and Copier Dealer's service, sales and administrative functions.
For more than 30 years, APG Cash Drawer has been designing and delivering cash drawers with a variety of size, color, interface, and integration options. An APG cash drawer will provide years of smooth, trouble free service with virtually no downtime, no service required, and no headaches. Our cash drawers are so well constructed and so reliable that our customers install them and forget them - even in the most demanding environments.
CompTIA is the voice of the world's information technology (IT) industry.
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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.
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).
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.
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).
The Caddy™ SP Organizer is a slim profile POS integration tray that brings easy cable routing and organization to APG heavy duty cash drawers.
Your client’s organization runs on mobility. Mobility runs on batteries.
