The Business Solutions Network

If you're not currently selling network security and managed services to SMBs, you can't miss today's blog. Consider this: according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau statistics, there are more than 2 million firms with 5 to 99 employees. A recent independent study commissioned by web and email security vendor GFI Software, revealed the following alarming statistics:

I recently spoke with MJ Shoer, president of Jenaly Technology Group, an eight-person MSP that made a major move into selling cloud computing services this year. Shoer collaborated with 16 other MSP companies he knows via his Robin Robins Producers Club peer group and started TOGL, which is a cloud services company. Jenaly is projecting 30% revenue growth this year, and the majority of this is attributed to selling cloud services.

In my recent blog posts, I've been focusing a lot on selling cloud services, and more specifically, how to overcome objections to selling cloud services. So far, I've touched upon the security differences between cloud services, and more recently, I talked about overcoming price objections.

If you're an IT solutions provider that's selling or planning to sell cloud services -- especially to SMBs -- there's one weapon you need to have in your arsenal, no matter which vertical markets you're selling to. This weapon can be deployed when you face the price objection of your solution compared to a less expensive consumer-grade cloud alternative.

In the July issue of Business Solutions magazine, I wrote a tech trend article based on a recent distributor event I attended where I was struck by how unfamiliar the attendees were — many of them long-time partners of this particular distributor — of the various services the distributor offered. After the show, I was curious to find out whether this scenario was unique to that particular distributor or whether this was a common occurrence. To my further surprise, I learned that some of the best low cost (and in some cases free) services these distributors offered are being used by only 1% of their channel partners.

You may have heard about IBM's latest news announcement that it banned the use of DropBox for corporate use due to security concerns. It was also reported recently that presidential candidate Mitt Romney's DropBox account was hacked. You might wonder what this has to do with your present or future cloud storage sales. It actually has a lot to do with it. News about security breaches has a way of spreading rampantly, and the distinguishing points between consumer grade and enterprise grade cloud storage get lost in the panic. My advice to you: Keep up to date with sensational headlines that highlight cloud security breaches and be prepared to clearly point out how your cloud offering has built-in security features that are much better than consumer-grade cloud storage services.

Like all of the VARs/MSPS we cover in Business Solutions magazine, Tom Fox, CEO of Technology Experts Corp. was on a roll when we covered his company in our Aug. 2009 issue cover story. And, like so many of us, Fox felt the negative impact of the economy and even had to deal with a couple of additional setbacks, which he shared with me recently in his usual straightforward manner.

Today's video blog is about breaking out of the VoIP conundrum: If you currently sell VoIP, you're probably struggling with thinning profit margins.