Virtualization

Cisco Hedging Virtualization Bets?

• August 25, 2009

Consider the following scenario: Roughly 10,000 people are set to converge at VMworld (Aug. 31-Sept. 3, San Francisco). In many ways, the conference represents the center of the virtualization universe.

Nimsoft Reaches Out to Dell Silverback MSPs

• August 24, 2009

As part of a strategy expected to surface August 25, Nimsoft is offering special migration incentives to managed service providers (MSPs) running Dell’s Silverback Technology platform. In at least one case, a Silverback MSP is making the move to Nimsoft. But Dell is quick to note that the company’s MSP partner ecosystem has nearly doubled […]

MSPs Prepare for VMworld 2009

• August 13, 2009

Managed services and virtualization. The two have been converging for several years. But even I’m surprised by all of the MSP-oriented activity that will likely occur at VMworld 2009 (Aug. 31-Sept. 3, San Francisco). Here are some initial thoughts. Let’s start with the basics: Vendor involvement. Many of the companies MSPmentor tracks — Asigra, Azaleos, […]

Open Source Monitoring: 4 Key Questions You Need to Ask

• July 30, 2009

First, let me be clear (hopefully before I get tarred and feathered): this isn’t intended as any kind of at

Virtual Help Desks: Freeing You Up for Sales

• July 20, 2009

Today as technology providers grapple with a weak economy, anything less than an all-out effort to increase sales — either by attracting new cust

Managed Services, VMware Lift Terremark

• May 29, 2009

Terremark Worldwide Inc. has been busy of late, generating strong managed services revenue and also getting cozy with VMware. Here’s a closer look at the provider of colocation and managed services.

Ubuntu Linux Sneaks Into Managed Services Market

• April 1, 2009

During the Autotask Community Live conference, Ubuntu Linux made a surprise appearance and a surprise encore. Twice during the event, managed service providers (MSPs) told me how they were building their businesses on top of Ubuntu. The two prime examples involve Rezitech and Network Depot. Here’s the scoop.

Cisco Unified Computing: From Service Providers to Small Businesses?

• March 22, 2009

When Cisco Systems unveiled its unified computing strategy last week, most folks (including me) believed the effort focused mainly on midsize and large customers. But if you take a closer look, the unified computing effort indirectly targets small businesses as well. Here’s how. According to Cisco, the company’s Unified Computing System (UCS) unifies network, compute, […]

Will Small Business Server Move Into the Clouds?

• February 23, 2009

In recent weeks, I’ve been promoting the concept of hybrid services — where part of a solution remains on-premise and another portion is hosted in a cloud. But Doyenz is putting a slightly different spin on the situation. The Seattle-based start-up, which appears to have a quiet relationship with Kaseya, wants to shift virtualized Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) and other Microsoft applications into the clouds.

LPI Level Platforms Introduces Managed Workplace 2009

• January 5, 2009

Level Platforms Links Virtualization to Managed Services

• November 6, 2008

Virtualization was supposed to simplify IT. But as companies consolidate their physical servers, virtualize their applications and push some services into the cloud, it’s getting more difficult to track and manage all of those virtual assets.

Pointivity Promotes Managed Virtualization Services

• September 21, 2008

A quick observation: Pointivity, which specializes in application hosting, managed services and cloud computing, has signed on to leverage Parallels virtualization software in the company’s data center. This is the latest example of a managed service provider profiting from virtualization solutions. Virtulization was a big topic of discussion during the ConnectWise Partner Summit, and recent […]

Managed Virtualization Services Gain Momentum

• September 19, 2008

From VMworld to the ConnectWise Partner Summit, managed service providers attending conferences this week are talking up managed virtualization services. True believers include ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini, GlassHouse Technologies and several managed service providers that have completed the new MSPmentor 100 survey. Here’s a bit more on the managed virtualization trend.

Survey: Managed Service Providers Profit From Virtualization

• September 16, 2008

Here’s an interesting statistic: Managed service providers that have virtualization expertise say their new business revenues have grown 34 percent over the past 18 months, according to a recent survey sponsored by Nimsoft. Admittedly, statistics can be tricky to interpret. Most managed service providers on the MSPmentor 100 list are growing far faster than 34 […]