Seven Managed Services Blog Entries We Didn't Write: Dec. 24

I must admit: I’m enjoying some silence right now. Email traffic is light. My phone isn’t ringing. It’s the perfect time to take a few minutes to tell you about the managed services blog entries we didn’t have a chance to write for the week ending Dec. 24, 2009. Here we go…

7. Big Deal?: A Fortune 50 company is deploying Nimsoft’s management software, according to a teaser in CEO Gary Read’s blog. Which company made the move? I’ll give you 50 guesses. The bigger story: Companies like Nimsoft and N-able spent much of 2009 evangelizing their software into the midmarket. Apparently, larger companies are getting the message too.

6. Another Done Deal: Peak 10 Inc., a managed-services company that operates a data center in Louisville, has purchased 1Vault Networks, a South Florida-based business continuity and data services provider. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The purchase of the 66,000 square-foot facility expands Peak 10’s Florida footprint, and the company cited it as an example of the company’s strategy of adding new markets by acquisition, according to bizjournals.com. Translations: More Peak 10 will make more acquisitions…

5. Here Comes HaaS: CharTec, the hardware as a service specialist, may be kicking around a relationship with Level Platforms. Already, CharTec is getting cozier with ConnectWise. Also, keep an eye on MSP on Demand, another HaaS specialist. Some intriguing moves may surface in Q1 2010. MSPs like Everon Technology Services are making HaaS moves, too.

4. Next Steps: Own Web Now‘s (OWN) Exchange Defender protects about 800,000 users, according to CEO Vladimir (“Vlad”) Mazek. Where is OWN heading next? Keep an eye on Shockey Monkey. Like James Cameron’s Avatar, Shockey Monkey has been many years in the making… … But will it fulfill Mazek’s vision? More details in early 2010.

3. Managed SaaS Applications: Sybase says it expects more of its partners to introduce hosted/managed services offerings in 2010. And SugarCRM CEO Larry Augustin told me about an emerging tool — called Cloud Console — for MSPs and SaaS partners. For a small but significant number of MSPs, I think 2010 will be the year of managed applications.

2. Tech Giants Seek Local Help: Nearly a dozen big technology companies — from hardware makers to service providers — now use the OnForce marketplace to resolve local customer support issues and/or manage customers’ IT projects, according to OnForce CEO Peter Cannone.

1. Thank you: I could write a few thousand words thanking you for your readership. But I’ll keep it short and sweet. Thanks for visiting. Thanks for engaging in our comments area. Happy Holidays.