Articles by Geoff McQueen

1. MSP Teams: Not Just From IT Backgrounds Anymore 7/30/2015

   As the cloud continues to displace locally installed and managed solutions, businesses need experts to help them strategically use technology in a way that improves the efficiency of their business operations. While smart techs who’ve mastered the wizardry of registry keys and quirky Microsoft technology are able to now turn their attention to the equally opaque world of APIs and policies, smart MSPs are adding skills not often seen in technology teams in the small and medium business market: business analysts who combine high level knowledge of complex technology with an understanding of business needs.

2. Time Is Money: How Project Management Can Make Or Break Your IT Business 5/20/2015

   Professional services firms are rapidly growing and show no sign of slowing down. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, professional services firms accounted for 29 percent  of all new jobs in April in the U.S.

3. Advice For A New MSP: Rediscover The Profitability Of Projects 4/15/2015

   Fifteen years ago, the margin pressure faced by VARs by the success of Dell's direct online sales model (and the many others that followed) created the conditions for the evolution of the IT industry from the VAR to the managed services provider (MSP) — transitioning from making retail margins to a recurring revenue model with aligned interests was an exciting salvation for many IT businesses and professionals around the world.

4. Never Enough Time? 5 Key Professional Processes To Automate 11/6/2014

   The last 10 years have brought endless new technology into our personal lives. We no longer use maps, phone books, or disposable cameras because smartphones have automated these tasks to require little more than the click of a button on our iPhones.

5. 4 Tips For Avoiding Professional Growing Pains With Automation 7/30/2014

   Is your professional business growing? Great! You’re in very good company. While the professional service sector makes up only 12 percent of the U.S. economy, it is responsible for almost one in four new jobs being created in this recovery — so stand proud you’re doing your part twice over!

6. Why Your Existing Business Tools Can’t Compare To A True PSA 6/12/2014

   With the recovering economy, service businesses are no longer struggling to survive, but rather struggling to manage their own growth. The professional and business service sector alone was responsible for almost a quarter of all new jobs last month.

7. Your CRM And You: 4 Tests To Determine If It’s Time To Break Up 4/22/2014

   Remember when you first got your CRM? Everything seemed so promising — a single oracle of truth you could turn to for updates on everything going on with your client accounts. For many, though, CRMs stopped being a helpful friend and instead became a burden requiring constant updates and double entry and giving precious little back in return.