Feature Articles

1. MSPs Can Make More Money Selling Microsoft Azure 2/17/2020

   MSPs faced with moving to the cloud often confront several concerns. At this point, they have seen the writing on the wall, know it is time to move their customer’s infrastructure to the cloud, but are worried about taking the next step. Change is hard: MSPs are comfortable in the on-premises world and well-trained in the business of buying a server and managing, monitoring, and securing it.

2. MSP ‘Gatekeepers’ Face New Wave Of Malicious Threats To Their Credibility 2/14/2020

   Cybersecurity threats and breaches have been making headlines for years – actually decades in one way or another. New types of attacks emerge with such frequency that they rival other certainties, like death and taxes.

3. Building VAR Opportunities For 2020: Esports, Cloud, ProAV/Collaboration, Devices 2/13/2020

   Making 2020 a year of execution for MSPs in emerging spaces.

4. MSPs: Time To Reinvent 2/12/2020

   Managed service providers (MSPs) have been around for more than 20 years, and my how things have changed since they grew out of the original application service provider (ASP) model. Until recently, MSPs have focused primarily on remote monitoring, security, network management and other routine IT tasks that CIOs would rather outsource for cheaper than they can run internally. The MSP’s history as a transactional partner for IT can sometimes be summed up by the depressing adage: “managing the same mess for less.”

5. Cyber Security Guidelines For MSPs And Their Clients 2/10/2020

   First, you have to start with a conversation to understand how the client needs to be protected. The saying is, “How much security is enough”? The answer is just enough. You don’t want them to have vulnerabilities, but you don’t want them so secure that users circumvent the security measures to get their work done. You have to find balance.

6. Managing Subcontracted Workers: Protecting Your Company And Customers 2/7/2020

   In the world of Managed Service Providers, so much of our work can be handled remotely. Because of remote management tools, we can look across the globe to find workers, if they never need to visit the customer on-site. This gives the modern MSP the opportunity to find the best engineer as opposed to the nearest one. In theory, this all sounds fantastic. Challenges arise when putting this into practice and you begin to think of all the sensitive data you are sharing with a remote worker. Here are some tips to protect yourself and protect your customers’ information.

7. Managed Cloud, AMS, And The Enterprise — The Hows And Whys 2/5/2020

   It’s easy to forget that when enterprises first started moving to the cloud, it was a largely simple process that saw only a handful of people within an organization using the technology. But as its usage has become more prevalent, on-site infrastructure and IT operations teams have found themselves having to manage cloud environments, which has not only created a skills gap in many enterprises, but also given rise to cost inefficiencies as teams have either become spread more thinly, or, more likely, organizations have had to hire additional staff to manage their cloud environments. All of this can be compounded by trying to successfully integrate a cloud environment into an existing operation’s security structure.

8. The New Wave Of Email Security: Maintaining Control Of Your Customers’ Data 2/3/2020

   To understand next-gen email security features, we must review how the market has evolved toward regulations-driven sales — and why this may still leave some end users vulnerable.

9. Are We There Yet? 1/30/2020

   Remember when you were a kid and your parents were taking you away to the seaside for a holiday in the family car? After about 30 minutes into the journey, what did you say? “Are we there yet?”

10. 4 Keys To Hiring And Retaining Great Technical Staff 1/28/2020

    Sourcing, vetting, hiring, and retaining quality technical talent is a necessity for any Managed Services Provider (MSP). Yet, when I speak to industry colleagues, it’s a science that is rarely considered easy. The practices surrounding hiring decision making that I hear described are sometimes so convoluted and unorthodox that it doesn’t surprise me many business owners dread the topic of bringing on new staff.