Managed Services Meet Retail Customers

The retail sector is converging with the managed services sector this week. At the National Retail Federation show in New York, a savvy solutions provider has launched a managed broadband service that promises to modernize retail IT infrastructure. Here’s a look at the solution, and the managed service provider (MSP) behind it.

Cybera, a solutions provider based in Nashville, Tenn., has launched SmartLink Wireless Broadband, a managed service that recently completed beta testing with 10 enterprise customers. The managed service provider is positioning SmartLink as a way for retailers to modernize their networks in a week or less; migrate away from satellite and dial-up services; and mitigate the cost of wired deployments.

Rival MSPs can learn a great deal from Cybera’s strategy. Rather than reselling generic managed services — such as storage or security — Cybera is zeroing in on specific applications within a specific vertical market. This deep, vertical approach should help Cybera to avoid commodity pricing that some MSPs will face as basic managed services reach their saturation points, MSPmentor believes.

Cybera, according to a company release, is positioning SmartLink for such applications as:

The SmartLink networks are built upon hardware from Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks, among others.