http://www.focusonmsp.com/FocusOnMSP provides MSPs with a trusted resource to access the latest research, information and tools needed to run a successful business. (c) 2008, Computing Technology Industry Association. All rights reserved.Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:54:47 GMT5http://www.focusonmsp.comresources/podcasts.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.comresources/podcasts.aspxListen as Dan Wensley of Level Platforms and Ron Cook of Connecting Point Technology Center talk about where managed services has been and where it's going.Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/200800819-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/200800819-1.aspxVertical marketing is an important goal for managed service providers. But how does an MSP that has been successful in one vertical move to another vertical? Is it best to stick with just a few verticals or to try to expand into multiple verticals? Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.comresources/podcasts.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.comresources/podcasts.aspxListen as Jennifer Baier Anaya of Ingram Micro and Marie Meoli of WhiteFox Marketing and Communications give tips on how to market your ?products? ? your services and yourself ? by conveying your business in simple terms, having a strong sense of youWed, 20 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/200800819-2.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/200800819-2.aspxAlthough many companies have taken steps to curb spam in the workplace, it appears that not enough is being done. According to a recent study by the Radicati Group, the typical worker spends one and a half to two hours a day going through e-mail, mucWed, 20 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/200800819-3.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/200800819-3.aspxEverywhere you turn today, you hear that the economy is either in a recession or about to enter a recession. The official data supports those predictions. However, you would never know the economy is off by asking IT Managed Services Providers. WTue, 19 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.comblog/opinions_blog.aspx?authorID=17&blogID=65http://www.focusonmsp.comblog/opinions_blog.aspx?authorID=17&blogID=65While field and managed service technicians both require significant technical training and experience, they each have unique personality traits. Understanding these differing characteristics is essential to building a successful managed services teaTue, 12 Aug 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.comblog/opinions_blog.aspx?authorID=17&blogID=52http://www.focusonmsp.comblog/opinions_blog.aspx?authorID=17&blogID=52While many channel companies have succeeded in gaining the trust of IT managers by selling them reliable products and "break-fix" services, few have gained the trust and respect of business owners and executives who are more concerned with how technoTue, 29 Jul 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080714-2.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080714-2.aspxIn today's competitive marketplace, it is difficult enough for a managed services provider (MSP) to get its business off the ground nationally. Business relationships must be built, services perfected, clients impressed and employees paid. But what sThu, 17 Jul 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080714-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080714-1.aspxKey performance indicators (KPIs) are vital to helping a company meet its performance goals and maintain customer satisfaction. KPIs help companies assess their current performance in key areas and use the information gleaned to determine future actiThu, 17 Jul 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080616-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080616-1.aspxWhile having a disaster-recovery plan in place is a good start for businesses small and large, it remains worthless if the effectiveness of that plan is never tested. Consider this scenario: a hurricane is bearing down on your business? data center; Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080616-2.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080616-2.aspxAs the managed services provider (MSP) model of providing information technology (IT) solutions and service continues to become the rule rather than the exception, the market is becoming increasingly crowded and competitive. If you?re new to the MMon, 16 Jun 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080610-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080610-1.aspxManaged services is becoming an ever more popular and profitable part of the IT Channel. Respondents to a recent CompTIA Web poll said that managed services or remote network monitoring were one of the most deployed solutions being offered by their cWed, 11 Jun 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080604-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080604-1.aspxThere was a time not that long ago when information technology (IT) resellers could think almost exclusively in terms of hardware and software sales. If a company needed a server, a reseller could provide a host of server options; if a company neededWed, 4 Jun 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/bestpractprintfleet.pdfhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/bestpractprintfleet.pdfCorporations recognize that they need to address out of control costs associated with network printing. How do they get there? Many are looking to solve it by outsourcing their managed print services. What?s hot? Gartner surveys show that organTue, 20 May 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080519-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080519-1.aspxManaged services providers (MSPs) generally have to expect to clear many hurdles when first approaching a potential client, and those hurdles only multiply while traversing the path to a long-term, working MSP/client relationship. While MSPs are aMon, 19 May 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080519-2.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080519-2.aspxDisaster recovery is an important part of a business? information technology (IT) plan. Folks in any IT department that have experienced unplanned downtime could testify to this. Many threats to IT environments exist and are lurking behind the scenesMon, 19 May 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080519-3.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080519-3.aspxManaged services providers (MSPs) are finding new opportunities to promote their services as more companies are looking to utilize managed services.?MSPs are looking for the best way to present the value of their services to help build the success ofMon, 19 May 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080509.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080509.aspxOnly 10% of the $1.8 billion in document management services is billed by dealers, whereas 90% is provided by other document and print service providers who have long history with the corporation. These service providers have primarily focussed on pWed, 14 May 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080429.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080429.aspxOne of the emerging necessities in today's information technology (IT) space has been a growing reliance on managed services providers (managed services providers). In a time when innovations and regulations continually emerge, making it difficult toWed, 14 May 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080422.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080422.aspxBarbara Dove has been in the IT industry for more than 20 years, and started her own company, Dove Help Desk, five years ago. <br><br> "My background is in process engineering and quality," Dove said. "If you want to make things work better, you hWed, 14 May 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/resources/docs/Managed%20Services%20SLA%20Sample%20Template_2008.dochttp://www.focusonmsp.com/resources/docs/Managed%20Services%20SLA%20Sample%20Template_2008.docTo insure managed services success, FocusOnMSP provides tools and templates to address common and not so common, concerns that MSPs, both large and small, face everyday. <BR><BR> A comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) is an essential requirWed, 14 May 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/files/case_studies/Nothing%20But%20Net_nomc.pdfhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/files/case_studies/Nothing%20But%20Net_nomc.pdfNothing but NET embraced managed services in 2005?long before most solutions providers and their customers were aware of such market opportunities. <BR><BR> At first, some customers were either confused or unresponsive to the Tempe, Ariz.-based soWed, 14 May 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080415-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080415-1.aspxAsk any business?large or small?what?s most important in keeping businesses successful and you?ll probably get the same answer: the customers. Customers, especially satisfied customers, are key to sustaining a business. Even though the world of inforMon, 14 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080415-2.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080415-2.aspxOne of the common issues facing managed service providers (MSPs) is assuaging a prospective client that bringing in an MSP won?t impact or compromise existing IT security and data protection. For many companies, inviting an MSP into their IT environmMon, 14 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080415-3.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080415-3.aspxLet?s discuss the importance of, and process whereby we identify our verticals in preparation to market our services as a Managed Services Provider. At some point we?re going to need to implement vertical-specific marketing, in order to leverage the Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080318-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080318-1.aspxThe IT channel and many of its influencers, including us, are predicting a big year for managed services around the globe. Yet many of the aspiring MSPs I speak to don?t know how to go about evaluating and selecting a managed services platform. Here?Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080318-2.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080318-2.aspxKey industries including financial and healthcare services face the issue of solving IT and productivity problems by maintaining compliance requirements, and utilizing managed service providers (MSPs) can help reduce costs and boost productivity. HowTue, 18 Mar 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080311-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080311-1.aspxNo company benefits from high employee turnover. It takes too much time and energy to continuously find and train new hires. This is especially true in the ever-evolving world of information technology (IT), where losing highly experienced and talentTue, 11 Mar 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080311-2.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080311-2.aspxWith all the hype surrounding the ongoing emergence and popularity of managed services providers, it is sometimes forgotten that one of the most long-established areas of managed services has been serving the information technology (IT) space for theTue, 11 Mar 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080311-3.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080311-3.aspxMany companies seem to be jumping on the bandwagon to offer managed services. But managed services is more than the latest technology buzzword. And offering managed services involves more than simply monitoring a customer?s information technology (ITTue, 11 Mar 2008 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080206-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080206-1.aspxWith the environmental movement continuing to grow in influence, and with topics such as global warming - or climate change - regularly gracing the headlines of today's 24-7 news cycle, a burgeoning environmentally conscious worldwide populace is emeFri, 14 Sep 2007 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080206-2.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20080206-2.aspxNavigating the differing psychologies of today's workforce can be a tricky business. With baby boomers representing the old guard, and so-called "Generation X" and "Generation Y" employees making up the burgeoning younger ranks, companies large and sFri, 14 Sep 2007 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20070930-1.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20070930-1.aspxAs information technology (IT) continues to evolve - becoming more complex and more critically important at the same time - businesses are increasingly coping with the difficulties inherent in staying current with the latest innovations while at the Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20070930-2.aspxhttp://www.focusonmsp.com/articles/20070930-2.aspxManaged services is becoming an ever more popular and profitable part of the IT Channel. Respondents to a recent CompTIA Web poll said that managed services or remote network monitoring were one of the most deployed solutions being offered by their cFri, 14 Sep 2007 05:00:00 GMT