Features

Features

• Channel business model: Transition time for IT partners

  Partners may pursue a number of business model transitions over the course of their business lives, including resell to services, services to managed services and MSP to cloud.  Continue Reading

• 'Compliance as a service': How to stay out of hot water

  Before leaping into IT compliance services, MSPs must make sure they're following best practices. Some mistakes could potentially cost them their businesses.  Continue Reading

• Cloud marketplaces: Can channel partners make money?

  Channel partners can take advantage of many cloud marketplace options as part of their go-to-market strategies. Here's what you need to know to get started.  Continue Reading

• Channel partner marketing: Offloading the work to specialists

  Channel partners, who have long bemoaned the challenges of marketing themselves, turn to outside specialists for help optimizing their website design and content.  Continue Reading

• Tech OEMs: Gray market goods are a growing concern

  The gray market revisited: A KPMG report explores whether the sale of gray market products has decreased since 2008 when economic conditions proved conducive to unauthorized sales channels.  Continue Reading

• BPM platforms unlock channel partner opportunities

  Channel partners say business process management offers greater opportunity today in light of lower BPM platform costs and increased awareness of what the tools can accomplish.  Continue Reading

• Dropbox partner ecosystem helps with security, shadow IT

  Dropbox channel partners, which number more than 2,200 worldwide, are looking for places to add value around the file storage service as it moves into the business space.  Continue Reading

• Retail health clinics set to emerge as channel partner market

  Healthcare-oriented channel partners should keep tabs on the emerging retail health clinic space, which could harbor systems integration and consulting opportunities.  Continue Reading

• IT migration case study: Partner helps downsize data center

  HighVail, an IT consulting and professional services firm, helped Empire Life downsize its data center, migrate business applications and create a new disaster recovery site.  Continue Reading

• Integrating legacy systems, hybrid clouds: Channel partner tips

  Channel partners need not flinch at legacy systems and cloud integration. An application audit, attention to latency issues and a solid connectivity model can help ease the task.  Continue Reading

• Cybersecurity services: MSPs look to expand portfolios

  MSPs are pushing beyond traditional services such as patch and firewall management as they look to stand out from other companies offering managed IT security services.  Continue Reading

• IP assets: Channel companies seek differentiation

  Channel partners are building their own IP assets to help differentiate themselves. That strategy involves a learning curve and requires a resource commitment, however.  Continue Reading

• Managed services companies rethink their portfolios

  MSPs have to consider whether the gaps in their portfolios leave them exposed to competitors, especially as nontraditional managed services companies target their market.  Continue Reading

• Cloud management tool strategies: Channel weighs hybrid options

  Automation is a must for managing a hybrid cloud environment. Channel partners are tapping commercially available products and homegrown capabilities to get the job done.  Continue Reading

• Chief customer officers find home among cloud providers

  Channel partners offering cloud services see value in appointing a chief customer officer to strengthen relationships with customers in a complex and competitive market.  Continue Reading