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Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.
Expect 5G infrastructure to generate new wave of channel opportunities
It's time to think about 5G. The widespread rollout of 5G infrastructure is likely to create new prospects for channel-provided solutions and services, industry experts say. Continue Reading
Managed security service provider (MSSP)
A managed security service provider (MSSP) is an IT service provider that provides an organization with some amount of cybersecurity monitoring and management, which may include virus and spam blocking, intrusion detection, firewalls and virtual ... Continue Reading
A cybersecurity self-assessment helps IT teams, partners flag risks
IT teams, partners and vendors can benefit from an internal checkup when it comes to reducing the risk of a cybersecurity breach. This approach can help document security efforts. Continue Reading
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IT managed services companies: Making the transition work
MSPs will attest that business model shifts can be arduous journeys. This guide aims to help navigate the challenges of reinventing business practices. Continue Reading
MSP security essentials for every IT service provider
Getting a cybersecurity practice up and running is no easy task. In this guide, we show how MSPs can build security practices and protect their clients from an array of threats. Continue Reading
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Definitions to Get Started
- service-level agreement (SLA)
- RMM software (remote monitoring and management software)
- cloud provisioning
- request for proposal (RFP)
- TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number)
- Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)
- go-to-market strategy (GTM strategy)
- hardware-as-a-service (in managed services)
channel conflict
Channel conflict is a situation in which channel partners have to compete against one another or a vendor's internal sales department.Continue Reading
cloud ecosystem
A cloud ecosystem is a complex system of interdependent components that all work together to enable cloud services.Continue Reading
Apple Authorized Service Provider (Apple AASP)
An Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) is a business that provides repair services for Apple products.Continue Reading
solution selling
Solution selling refers to the philosophy or practice of uncovering a customer's pain points and then providing products and services that address the underlying business problem.Continue Reading
AI in retail opens new business opportunity for channel firms
Channel partners with expertise in AI-powered retail technology are helping their customers transform shopping experiences and marketing strategies.Continue Reading
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Multi-cloud strategy: The next frontier for IT channel partners
As customers increasingly embrace multi-cloud deployment, new opportunities are evolving for partners. Get insight and tips on offering multi-cloud management services.Continue Reading
Digital transformation business: Procurement ripe for revitalization
As the digital transformation business moves into back-office operations, systems such as procurement may be among the candidates for renewal.Continue Reading
Blockchain consulting work takes root in the IT channel
While blockchain remains a nascent market in the channel, some channel companies, including Project Radium, are finding blockchain consulting opportunities in enterprise projects.Continue Reading
Dell EMC Partner Program
The Dell EMC Partner Program is an international channel partner program that provides partners with business development, sales and marketing resources.Continue Reading
professional services automation (PSA)
Professional services automation (PSA) is a type of software application suite that provides a service business with the functionality it needs to manage core business processes.Continue Reading
Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN)
Oracle PartnerNetwork, also known as OPN, is a channel partner program that provides resources and benefits for value-added resellers, independent software vendors and other businesses that want to collaborate with Oracle.Continue Reading
Cloud migration services offer a foothold for channel business
Your customers' cloud migrations can be fraught with challenges. This guide offers insight into developing business practices to help clients through complex migration processes.Continue Reading
Dell and EMC merger poses a challenging transformation
The Dell and EMC merger presents a multitude of opportunities for market domination -- if the integrated companies can modernize a highly complex portfolio.Continue Reading
Paths for starting a big data service business
The big data market has grown into a potentially lucrative opportunity for the channel. This guide offers insight into core technologies and tips for providing services.Continue Reading
Gamification techniques for your financial services clients
Here are three tips for channel companies looking to help financial services and insurance clients adopt gamification as part of their overarching digital business strategies.Continue Reading
vertical market
A vertical market is a particular industry or group of enterprises in which similar products or services are developed and marketed using similar methods (and to whom goods and services can be sold).Continue Reading
Artificial intelligence market: Weighing the IT channel's role
Is artificial intelligence the next big channel opportunity? The hype around AI is definitely increasing, but experts aren't yet sure where partners will fit into the market.Continue Reading
authorized service provider (ASP)
An authorized service provider (ASP) is an organization that a product manufacturer has deemed qualified to service products covered under the manufacturer's warranty.Continue Reading
How to get started in cloud service company transitions
The cloud computing business offers the potential for revenue growth, but channel partners will need to gear up to address a difficult business model transition.Continue Reading
Cybersecurity strategies: Best-of-breed or integrated security suites?
The cybersecurity discussion about best-of-breed point products vs. integrated security architectures is one of many enduring tech debates; this handbook aims to frame the dialogue.Continue Reading
Cisco DNA: How should partners deploy it?
Channel partner companies should introduce Cisco DNA to customers on a step-by-step basis, according to the company.Continue Reading
Recruitment techniques for IT channel companies
Channel firms must rethink their recruitment techniques to win in today's competitive job market. Get tips for updating your channel recruitment strategy and retaining talent.Continue Reading
Software-defined storage solutions: A channel primer
Channel companies have an opportunity to help their customers deploy emerging software-defined storage technology, a pursuit that may also boost a partner's consulting revenue.Continue Reading
How to protect your clients from ransomware infections
Client education, advanced endpoint protection and image-based backups are some of the steps channel partners can encourage customers to take to thwart ransomware.Continue Reading
MSP marketing: Learn the fishing and farming methods
Many technical-savvy MSPs will readily admit that marketing is not their company's strong suit. At the MSPWorld 2017 conference, held this week in New Orleans, marketing expert Angela Leavitt aimed ...Continue Reading
share of wallet (SOW) or wallet share
Share of wallet (SOW) is a marketing metric used to calculate the percentage of a customer's spending for a type of product or service that goes to a particular company.Continue Reading
IoT managed services: How channel partners can get started in 2017
Channel partners can capture a slice of the growing IoT managed services market if they can overcome the steep learning curve.Continue Reading
Cloud vendor management services see demand from SMBs
Cloud vendor management poses a difficult set of challenges for SMB customers, opening up opportunities for channel partners to act as liaisons.Continue Reading
How to sell your services in the public sector market
The government sector is a large vertical for channel partners, but companies targeting this market need to know what they are doing, writes Tony Stirk, president of Iron Horse.Continue Reading
IBM cognitive computing: Tips for starting a channel practice
At IBM's latest partner conference, platinum-level IBM Business Partners Perficient and Mark III shared the routes they took to build cognitive computing practices.Continue Reading
Channel company quiz: Recap partner program and alliance news
This month's channel quiz features mergers and alliances (and their partner fallout) along with emerging technologies, cloud computing and regulatory activity.Continue Reading
Amazon Chime: Channel execs see potential, room for improvement
Channel partners said Amazon's new Chime unified communications offering has the potential to disrupt the market, but may need additional features to boost its competitive stance.Continue Reading
Web data extraction: Custom, commercial offerings ease the task
The task of pulling structured data from the highly unstructured web is getting easier thanks to machine learning and the emergence of custom and commercial extraction tools.Continue Reading
Marketing strategy development: Partners ply social, traditional ways
Channel partners say they will use social media platforms and traditional marketing methods, such as trade shows and speaking engagements, as they roll out strategies in 2017.Continue Reading
Oracle cloud partner program aims to boost vendor's cloud sales
Oracle's year-old cloud partner program has certified some 2,000 resellers as the company looks to bolster its cloud business and catch up with rivals.Continue Reading
Video game industry: A hyper-converged infrastructure market
InData, a virtual and physical IT infrastructure partner, has discovered a hyper-converged infrastructure market in the video game industry.Continue Reading
HIPAA business associates can expect more penalties ahead
HIPAA business associates can expect more compliance penalties in 2017. MSPs should take steps to ensure they are meeting the requirements.Continue Reading
Partners: Citrix hyper-converged tech opens VDI to midrange clients
The Citrix Ready HCI Workspace Appliance Program, coupled with the company's Citrix Cloud, will open VDI opportunities among midmarket customers, Citrix channel partners said.Continue Reading
Channel: Cost, speed among benefits of hyper-converged infrastructure
Channel partners active in hyper-converged infrastructure see an expanding set of use cases, although mission-critical applications may lag behind other HCI candidates.Continue Reading
IT solution
An information technology (IT) solution is a set of related software programs and/or services that are sold as a single package.Continue Reading
NLP technology inspires customer interaction projects in key verticals
Natural language processing is opening opportunities in customer service, but channel companies must understand the technology's architecture and build alliances to succeed.Continue Reading
Quiz: Recap vendors' 2016 channel partnering moves, restructuring
Vendor realignment, consolidation and restructuring made news in 2016. This quiz covers the highlights of the larger IT providers and their impact on the channel.Continue Reading
IoT business opportunity in 2017: Are channel partners ready?
As channel partners mull over business moves for the upcoming year, many executives may consider IoT as a potential play -- and for good reason. "There is so much demand for IoT within SMBs [small ...Continue Reading
cloud services
Cloud services is an umbrella term that may refer to a variety of resources provided over the internet, or to professional services that support the deployment of such cloud-based resources.Continue Reading
Machine learning projects fuel new lines of channel business
Machine learning projects are creating a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' for partners. Get ready with the right range of skills and experience to take part.Continue Reading
Blockchain technology, applications spark channel opportunities
As more enterprises consider blockchain technology, IT services firms and consultancies have an opportunity to discuss adoption strategy and deployment options with their clients.Continue Reading
RPA technology is ready to change how companies manage operations
RPA tools are poised to spread their influence in the enterprise as cognitive automation finds its way into back-office, front-office and rule-driven IT operations.Continue Reading
Channel events listings for 2017
When making 2017 travel plans, refer to this list of channel events -- including conferences hosted by IT vendors, distributors, industry organizations and vendors that cater exclusively to VARs and MSPs.Continue Reading
Managed mobility services market: Complexity fuels channel growth
The complex nature of enterprise mobility opens service opportunities for channel companies, but also makes for a challenging and competitive environment.Continue Reading
SD-WAN: Providers could see strong growth, but face hurdles
The SD-WAN market beckons with high-growth potential, but channel partners must confront incomplete feature sets, training requirements and market consolidation.Continue Reading
Tips to align cloud computing strategies with clients' business goals
Many organizations remain puzzled about how cloud computing should integrate with their overall business objectives, creating an opportunity for cloud providers to step in and help.Continue Reading
Requirements for HIPAA compliance: The key channel partner challenges
Customers with HIPAA obligations raise pressing issues for the channel partner. Austin Justice, vice president at Justice IT Consulting, describes the top challenges.Continue Reading
The financial vertical: Big investments yield big prospects for MSPs
Financial vertical specialization is a potentially rewarding pursuit for managed services providers willing to make the investment.Continue Reading
The latest on IT channel partner strategies and programs
This month's channel news quiz covers developments in channel partner strategies and programs, cloud computing, technologies affecting the channel and service provider business strategy.Continue Reading
MSP ticketing system: Autotask's new UI draws round of applause
Autotask's new ticketing system user interface ranked among the top developments at the company's annual partner conference. Channel companies tell why.Continue Reading
IT documentation as vital as backups for MSPs
IT documentation, explored recently in contributor Esther Shein's feature, has proven to be a vital yet sometimes neglected aspect of running a managed services business. For Jonathan Broyles, ...Continue Reading
Channel partnerships: How to form alliances with peers
Strategic alliances with your channel peers could be the key to expanding your business. However, it takes more than a handshake to create a successful partnership.Continue Reading
Ask the expert: How to navigate a law firm's IT committee
Pitching your services to a law firm's IT committee can be challenging, but there are ways to get your message across, according to Andrew Harrover of Matrix Computer Consulting.Continue Reading
Salesforce telehealth system lets channel add real-time video, audio
Salesforce's telehealth tool, built on top of its Health Cloud platform, offers partners the ability to add real-time video and audio to their healthcare vertical offerings.Continue Reading
Take this quiz to catch up on IT partnership news
This month's channel news quiz takes a look at a range of topics, including cybersecurity, cloud computing, distribution, partner conferences and the copier market.Continue Reading
MSP documentation: Why it's essential to scaling your business
In the past, IT service managers might have gotten away with storing important info in their brains; today, having solid MSP documentation is essential to growing your business.Continue Reading
What does the role of CDO mean for channel companies?
Chief digital officers may hold the keys to many of your customers' decisions, and, just as importantly, to your own company's evolution.Continue Reading
IT security assessment services: The M&A angle
IT security assessment services may find a new niche in merger and acquisitions as buyers look into the cybersecurity postures of M&A targets.Continue Reading
IT security strategy: Help clients build these three pillars
User education, access management and data backup are the three pillars of a sound security strategy that partners should build and reinforce for their customers.Continue Reading
Cloud verticalization: How to tailor offerings to an industry
Experts share insight into cloud verticalization, a process for adapting cloud offerings to an industry's unique IT requirements and business problems.Continue Reading
Monetizing data: In search of the virtuous circle
Channel partners can help customers monetize their data. Read on for insight into the distinct data monetization paradigms that can help them get started.Continue Reading
State procurement model reform a boon for channel partners
As state CIOs modernize their approach to IT procurement, channel partners may discover unprecedented bidding opportunities.Continue Reading
Cloud services: Market opportunity bypasses many channel companies
While the cloud reaches critical mass among customers of all sizes, many partners don't offer cloud services or have yet to make cloud services a major revenue contributor.Continue Reading
Niche apps: Channel companies benefit from specialty software
Niche applications aren't just for consumers: Channel partners are leveraging specialized software to tackle a range of challenges in fields from AI to EDI.Continue Reading
Partner-to-partner: Teaming with peers to grow a channel business
Partner-to-partner collaboration can help channel companies deliver more complex offerings and address customers' pressing business problems, according to Tiffani Bova.Continue Reading
Software robots: Enterprises ask for RPA technology on new services contracts
Robotic process automation is making its way into new outsourcing contracts and playing a role in reinvigorating existing deals, according to industry executives.Continue Reading
HIPAA compliance services a double-edged sword
Before MSPs take on HIPAA compliance work, experts advise they understand the regulatory framework they're subject under, obtain certifications and mitigate the risks.Continue Reading
Remote monitoring and management tools: Some assembly required
Managed service providers use custom integration to unify monitoring tools in a bid to simplify what otherwise could become out-of-control automation.Continue Reading
Building a partnership: How to link up with other service providers
Partnering with your fellow IT service providers can help expand the services you offer clients without incurring the cost of hiring and retaining talent.Continue Reading
Partner portals aim to strengthen vendor-channel relationships
Technology vendors are launching or reworking channel program portals, offering partners the ability to register deals, receive training and obtain marketing materials online.Continue Reading
Microsoft WPC 2016: A quizzical recap of the channel partner event
This month's channel news quiz focuses on the recent Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, which highlighted cloud opportunities for the company's channel partners.Continue Reading
Workspace as a service offers channel partners DaaS alternative
Channel executives contend workspace as a service offers the ability to support BYOD environments and provides a less jarring shift to the cloud than desktop as a service.Continue Reading
IT RFP: How to influence the bid as a channel partner
Channel partners may find the formal RFP process challenging, but they can influence the bid in advance -- and boost their chances for success -- through digital marketing.Continue Reading
MSP security portfolios: How to offer security awareness training
Expand your MSP security portfolio by offering security awareness training, an important layer to clients' overall security initiatives.Continue Reading
IT services providers: Quiz yourself on tech and channel trends
This month's channel news quiz runs the gamut from mergers and acquisitions to managed security services. Take the test to catch up on current events.Continue Reading
IT hardware sales endure as channel partner business
Industry executives say hardware remains a key part of a channel partner's business mix, even with the rise of monthly recurring revenue from service sales.Continue Reading
Software defined networking projects: Channel can expect more work
SDN projects are hindered by complexity and a lack of client skills, but those factors could also help channel partners land consulting gigs with customers seeking expertise.Continue Reading
Channel: Lack of cloud governance framework complicates adoption story
MSPs and IT service providers say some customers lack a coherent strategy, while others face EBITDA challenges as they grapple with cloud adoption.Continue Reading
Managed IT security services firms resell cloud-based offerings
Managed service providers are reselling security as a service offerings from third-party providers to expand their service portfolios in the IT security arena.Continue Reading
IT security service provider taps Kaseya to deliver cloud offerings
Internet & Telephone, a managed service provider, is offering its customers cloud-based IT security services through Kaseya's IT management platform tech.Continue Reading
Cloud-based security helps channel partners cut client costs
Channel partners are helping their customers adopt security in the cloud, which executives say provides cost-effective protection compared with on-premises technology.Continue Reading
K-12 market: Channel takes on networking, storage, security projects
Students are heading for vacation, but K-12 sector projects in networking, storage and security are getting underway for channel partners with an education focus.Continue Reading
Startup tech companies seek savvy channel partners
Early-stage companies participating in the 2016 MIT Sloan CIO Symposium's Innovation Showcase are pursuing relations with channel partners that can incorporate their products into broader offerings.Continue Reading
Channel partner programs: Quiz yourself on new developments
This installment of the channel news quiz covers developments in partner programs, recent conferences, data center technology and robotic process automation.Continue Reading
Software robots transforming IT services industry
IT service providers, particularly large, global outsourcing firms, are helping customers deploy robotic process automation and also using the technology internally.Continue Reading
RPA software: Service firms automate customers, themselves
IT service providers pursue differing robotic process automation projects, while navigating the technology's cognitive developments and labor considerations.Continue Reading
IT security market: The cost of building a cybersecurity practice
Expanding into IT security services can be a costly endeavor for channel firms, requiring investment in new processes, talent and partnerships.Continue Reading
Disaster recovery certification: Must have or nice to have?
Channel partners have a number of options for disaster recovery training and certification, but some execs see greater value in certifying in specific DR technologies.Continue Reading
Role of distribution changes with accent on services
Distributors are offering channel partners an expanding range of services, including network assessment, managed services, hosted offerings and IT asset disposition.Continue Reading
Vology's transition toward an integrator business model
Vology has used a combination of acquisitions and organic growth as it transitions from a product-oriented approach to an IT services provider business model.Continue Reading