Last week I attended Autotask Community Live! 2013. This event is Autotask’s annual conference where its users come to learn about the vendor’s latest enhancements, get educated, and network with one another. One of the aspects of this event that was refreshing was how vibrant, engaged, and energized the Autotask community of users is. The room was packed with 600+ IT providers who spent their own time and money to attend this...  Continue Reading..

As a managed services provider, you have a lot of choices when it comes to selecting your IT vendor partners — especially in the cloud backup space. The reality is, however, the solution you select won’t often be what ultimately sets you apart from your competitors. More often than not, what separates one IT solution provider from another is the customer’s perception of one provider over another.  Continue Reading..

Datasmith Networks has been in the IT network infrastructure sales and services business for more than two decades, spanning two generations. The MSP specializes in working with companies in healthcare and retail verticals and was highlighted at last month’s Ingram Micro Cloud Summit for its work with PlanetShoes.com, a fast-growing specialty e-tailer that operates six websites – each receiving about 30,000 unique visitors a day...  Continue Reading..

Last week it was formally announced that the RSPA (Retail Solutions Providers Association) was appointed to the 2013-2015 PCI Security Standards Council Board of Advisors. According to a press release issued by the RSPA.  Continue Reading..

We're planning a late addition to this year's testing -- tablet-based POS systems. The problem I face today is not knowing all the players in the market. As you probably know, there've been a host of new apps flooding the industry and it's difficult to keep up. I need your help in determining which to review and what you'd find valuable in a review.  Continue Reading..

According to Lynn Skurla of Skurla's POS Solutions, there's an elephant in the room and many POS dealers (and POS vendors) are ignoring it. The elephant is the trend of low-priced tablet-based POS solutions that have flooded the market. "I think the POS dealer, especially the dealer who sells into the tier 3-4 market, is in serious trouble unless we figure something out," she warns. "Many customers don't want...  Continue Reading..

I recently spoke with three industry experts about the topic of cloud/off-site backups. I asked them about the most common mistakes MSPs make with regard to selling and implementing this kind of solution/service. Here is what they’re seeing as well as some tips they shared.  Continue Reading..

If Square wasn't making waves for you in the past, you might need to buckle up for the future. Today the POS and payments disrupter announced its new Square Stand, which is essentially a fancy mount for an iPad that includes a handsome mag-stripe reader and Square's free Register app. According to the company's Web site, Square is currently taking pre-orders at $299 a pop. Units are expected to ship on July 8.  Continue Reading..

Last week I attended the Ingram Micro International Solutions Partner Invitational in Hollywood, FL. During my time at the event, I had the opportunity to listen to a variety of speakers and interview most of the distributor's top brass. Following are some of the best quotes/learnings I jotted down in my notebook...  Continue Reading..

A few weeks ago I attended the Epson partner conference in Palm Springs, CA. The keynote speaker was futurist/forecaster Daniel Burrus (www.burrus.com) who spoke a lot about technology trends shaping the future. He had three great thoughts in his presentation that are applicable to the reseller community.  Continue Reading..