Tigerpaw Software Launches Partner Conference

Just when you were set to lock down your travel schedule for 2010, Tigerpaw Software — the PSA (professional services automation) specialist — plans to host an inaugural partner conference Oct. 6-8 in Dallas, Texas. More details are expected to be announced April 1. Here are some observations for managed services providers (MSPs) in the meantime.

Tigerpaw positions itself as a PSA and CRM specialist, and the company caters to VARs and managed services providers. Generally speaking, I think Autotask and ConnectWise have higher profiles in the managed services market. The next Autotask Community Live conference is set for April 18-20 in Miami, Fla.; and the next ConnectWise Partner Summit runs Nov. 4-6 in Orlando, Fla.

Where does Tigerpaw fit in this market? Founded in 1984, Tigerpaw claims to have a strong PSA following — 25,000 users in 50 countries. The company raised its visibility in 2009 by attending a range of MSP-oriented conferences, including the N-able Partner Summit and the Kaseya User Conference. Tigerpaw, which has an on-premises design, has also built a pretty lengthy software partner base.

For 2010, I think Tigerpaw faced an inflection point. No doubt this is a tricky time to be launching yet another user/partner conference for MSPs. Plus…

Simply put: I think Tigerpaw needed a way to rise above above the industry noise. A partner conference may do the trick — assuming Tigerpaw can attract its user base and a critical mass of software partners.