Problem solve

Problem solve

Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.

• Rookie MSP marketing mistakes and how to fix them

  Marketing is a stumbling block for most MSPs. Use these tips to resolve a range of problems involving company websites, marketing plans and advertising investments. Continue Reading

• ServiceNow implementation upgrades reinsurer's finance unit

  In 2017, Accenture embarked on an unconventional ServiceNow deployment on behalf of global reinsurer Scor. Learn how the implementation helped modernize Scor's finance department. Continue Reading

• Top tips for providing co-managed IT services

  Co-managed IT services give MSPs an opportunity to partner with the internal IT staff of their clients. Get insight into how to successfully implement a CoMITS offering. Continue Reading

• FedRAMP authorization and the quest for a better process

  Service providers and consultancies are among the organizations attempting to build a better way to get cloud-authorized under the government's FedRAMP program. Continue Reading

• MSP software vendors play catch-up with security threats

  Hackers have exploited MSP software tools such as remote monitoring and management as a conduit for cyberattacks, leading some vendors to issue new security measures and resources. Continue Reading

• Addressing the data problem in a DevOps world

  There's a data problem underlying the shift to the cloud, cloud-native applications and the demands of the DevOps world. Insight's Jeff Bozic discusses the issues.Continue Reading

• Business-driven security: Consultants help clients play catch-up

  Digital transformation projects and other sophisticated tech initiatives call for integrated security. IT service firms are addressing the gap between security and business teams.Continue Reading

• Robotic process automation market needs provider boost to accelerate

  RPA vendors, service providers and their customers must find ways to overcome time-consuming tasks and bottlenecks to accelerate the technology's enterprise adoption.Continue Reading

• Hackers target MSPs, but not all are prepared

  Managed service provider security is being put to the test as hackers target MSPs with increasing frequency. Even a relatively simple attack can compromise a service provider.Continue Reading

• 5 Microsoft Azure managed services to grow your channel business

  Andy Syrewicze, a former MSP engineer and current Microsoft MVP, detailed five Azure solutions that service providers can offer their clients. The packages run from the simple to the visionary.Continue Reading

• How the channel can help fight bias in AI applications

  Customers' AI applications pose the risk of producing prejudiced results. Channel firms, however, can step in to educate organizations and reduce harmful biases within AI systems.Continue Reading

• How to succeed at managed services marketing

  The marketing formula at service provider DynTek includes executive briefings, messaging around innovation and transformation, and a blend of traditional and digital techniques.Continue Reading

• How to manage Windows 7 user accounts and groups

  Whether your customers operate in a workgroup or a domain/Active Directory environment, user account setup and group memberships control their rights, permissions and roles.Continue Reading

• Cloud migration planning: Assess workloads now to avoid trouble later

  Organizations that take the time to assess workloads, identify dependencies and educate themselves on cloud security tools can set a smooth path for a public cloud deployment.Continue Reading

• Applying AI: Accenture exec cites customer opportunities

  Mike Sutcliff, group chief executive at Accenture Digital, talks about the challenges of applying AI, digital thread and augmented reality to real-world business issues.Continue Reading

• Ease the MSP talent acquisition process with these tips

  For Eric Hobbs, the key to the talent acquisition process is to recruit prospective employees early and often. Hobbs is CEO at Technology Associates, a managed service provider (MSP) in Cary, North ...Continue Reading

• Channel execs grapple with IT security staffing challenges

  Channel firms say security talent is hard to find and expensive to acquire. Learn how executives are overcoming the cybersecurity skills gap.Continue Reading

• Why TIC Gums chose a cloud computing disaster recovery plan

  After a manufacturer recognized the risks in having its systems and data located onsite, the company implemented a cloud computing disaster recovery plan with the help of a channel partner.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

• Channel partners help SaaS provider enter overseas markets

  OneLogin needed a way to enter overseas markets. The company decided cultivating relationships with channel partners was the best method.Continue Reading

• Flawed channel data management may result in partner overpayments

  Erroneous sales data may pose potential conflicts between some vendors and their partners; however, most vendors seem more interested in keeping the peace.Continue Reading

• Three tips for dealing with the IT labor shortage

  IT companies should seek out motivated workers, commit to continuous learning and invest in employee well-being to minimize the effects of the IT labor shortfall.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

• Ransomware infections: Channel toils to defend besieged customers

  Channel partners are working with customers on ransomware defense strategies and risk mitigation amid a rising tide of costly and disruptive infections.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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Cisco wants channel partners to Engage with digital marketing

  Marketing may not be a channel strength, but Cisco hopes to help partners adopt digital marketing practices.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

• IT security tutorial: Channel partner tips for new tech

  In this IT security tutorial, we outline security concerns and mitigation strategies for software-defined networking, hyper-converged infrastructure and the Internet of Things.Continue Reading

• MDF funds: How MSPs can get their cut of the marketing money

  Market development funds are there for the asking. Learning the details of individual programs -- and demonstrating sales and technical strength -- can help you get your shareContinue Reading

• Partners avoid liability issues with channel customer contracts

  Channel partners must ensure they make customer contracts they can abide by. The managing attorney of InfoTech Law Advocates outlines a number of common liability issues.Continue Reading

• Outdated technology: A channel partner challenge

  Channel companies find no shortage of out-of-date technologies -- from Windows Server 2003 machines to aging Unix systems -- in their customer's data centers.Continue Reading

• How to overcome resistance to change: Four tips for channel partners

  Resistance to change is only natural, but channel partners can look for early adopters and clearly state a new technology's benefits to sway clients.Continue Reading

• Healthcare vertical market: How partners can help clients master BI

  Healthcare providers are awash in data in light of electronic health records. Partners, however, can help clients leverage their information with BI tools.Continue Reading

• Channel partners see customers uncloud: Reverse cloud migration strategy

  Channel partners report that a small but increasing number of customers are moving some or all of their applications off the cloud.Continue Reading

• Five tips to mitigate the risk of a cloud outage

  Selling cloud-based services? These five tips can help service providers mitigate the risk of a cloud outage.Continue Reading

• Ten mistakes to avoid in cloud or MSP business model transitions

  The process of transitioning to the cloud or MSP business model can run smoother if channel partners avoid these 10 missteps.Continue Reading

• A solution provider's first steps toward a cloud business model

  Solution providers have numerous paths to cloud, but what's the most logical route to getting there? Experts offer advice for making a transition with minimal disruptions to your current business model.Continue Reading

• HP Helion cloud platform helps partners, customers enter cloud

  So far, Helion has been generally well-received by HP partners and customers alike. According to partners, the platform reduces the risks for solution providers looking to make the move to cloud.Continue Reading

• How to explain managed services pricing to customers

  The managed services model is better -- and more lucrative -- than the break/fix model because it represents an alignment between your goals and your customers' goals.Continue Reading

• Partners retool per-gig BDR services, software pricing model

  Faced with an unsustainable per-gigabyte backup and disaster recovery pricing model, channel partners explore and implement new pricing strategies in hopes of making a profit.Continue Reading

• What would two-tiered Internet mean for MSPs?

  ISPs want a tiered Internet model, following a U.S. Court of Appeals' strikedown of the FCC's net neutrality rule. What would the impact be on MSPs?Continue Reading

• Channel PR: How to get tech media attention

  Your target customers are consuming content from a variety of outlets. Get advice on getting attention from tech journalists, bloggers and analysts.Continue Reading

• How not to waste your time at tech events

  Get seven tips for making the most of the time you spend at educational or networking tech events.Continue Reading

• Five tips for cracking the government cloud computing market

  Selling government cloud services requires providers to take a collaborative approach to understand the unique requirements of these customers.Continue Reading

• Cloud computing benefits must go beyond cost savings for providers to profit

  To be truly revolutionary, providers should focus on cloud computing benefits that make computing and networking better -- not just cheaper.Continue Reading

• Working with your IT channel account manager

  Get partner and vendor insight on the relationship between your company and your IT vendor's channel account manager.Continue Reading

• Cryptolocker ransomware protection: A new reason for old advice

  The key to Cryptolocker ransomware protection is having a good backup plan in place. Find out why this malware needs to be taken seriously.Continue Reading

• Big data consulting services top analytics opportunities for channel

  There's a lot of untapped potential around big data consulting services and hardware. The trick is uncovering the business problems big data solves.Continue Reading

• Attrition of cloud storage providers gives channel a wake-up call

  The recent shakeout among cloud backup services and cloud storage providers signals that customers need cloud exit strategies and migration plans.Continue Reading

• How cloud storage providers can survive and thrive

  Many cloud storage providers can't beat Amazon on pricing, but other opportunities in the cloud storage market are up for grabs.Continue Reading

• Government IT solutions providers look ahead to 2014 with caution

  Find out how government IT solutions providers are planning to weather the uncertainty they're facing around their U.S. federal contracts.Continue Reading

• Enabling hybrid cloud services: Where are we?

  A cloud provider that wants to offer hybrid cloud services may have only one path to success: Follow the application lifecycle.Continue Reading

• Cloud Provider Spotlight: Insight from top cloud providers

  In the Cloud Provider Spotlight library, get insight from thought leaders in the cloud provider world who share their experiences in the market.Continue Reading

• Five traps to avoid when selling cloud communications services

  If IT departments are moving so much to the cloud, why has it been so challenging for cloud communications providers to win enterprise customers?Continue Reading

• Get the sales team out of the way: Cloud sales should be 'frictionless'

  Although the cloud is all about agility, many providers gum up the sales cycle with old-school methods. Cloud sales require a "frictionless" approach.Continue Reading

• VMware vCloud helps IT service provider deliver health care SaaS apps

  IT service provider Press Ganey is using VMware's vCloud suite in its data center to deliver health care SaaS applications to its customers.Continue Reading

• How to become a Microsoft partner, and Microsoft Partner Network details

  Find out how to become a Microsoft partner in this description of the MPN, which includes changes to the program effective in January 2014.Continue Reading

• How do cloud computing prices compare with on-premises operation costs?

  When it comes to cloud computing prices, people assume they are lower than the costs of running operations on-prem. This isn't necessarily the case.Continue Reading

• Hybrid cloud services: Do your customers have to re-architect?

  Some public cloud offerings require customers to re-architect their apps, but if providers offer hybrid cloud services this scenario could change.Continue Reading

• Cloud demands new IT organizational structure: How providers can help

  Enterprises don't build true private clouds because most IT organizations aren't structured for them. Cloud providers can help customers get there.Continue Reading

• End-user experience monitoring is key to SaaS provider success

  As customers expect the SaaS model to deliver equal performance to local apps, end-user experience monitoring becomes a core capability for providers.Continue Reading

• Are customers happy? How SaaS providers can use Apdex to find out

  Application response time is key to the user experience, but what's a 'good' response time? SaaS providers can use the Apdex formula to find out.Continue Reading

• What are the different phases of an IPv6 implementation?

  In an IPv6 implementation, it's important to spend time with each of the five phase of the process, IPv6 expert Chip Popoviciu says.Continue Reading

• IT channel sales strategy: Resolution selling

  Solution-based selling has some big flaws, says Ingram Micro's Kirk Robinson. He explains why resolution selling makes more sense.Continue Reading

• VAR marketing strategy: Focus on customer outcomes

  VAR marketing professionals must stay focused on the success of customers. Get advice for keeping that tenet top of mind.Continue Reading

• Solution provider social media: Twitter mistakes to avoid

  For the best return on your Twitter time and resource investment, your Tweets should adhere to some guiding principles. Follow our list of dos and don’ts.Continue Reading

• What are the main challenges associated with DRaaS SLAs?

  Cloud providers must cover security, access control and restoration time when negotiating DRaaS SLAs with customers, says cloud expert Mooney Sherman.Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery in the cloud: What do customers expect in an SLA?

  Crafting an SLA for DR in the cloud requires providers to address several issues up front with customers, according to cloud expert Mooney Sherman.Continue Reading

• Providers must address top cloud computing issues to succeed in 2013

  After many high-profile blunders last year, cloud providers must overcome customers' concerns to gain mainstream traction in 2013.Continue Reading

• How to build a vertical market cloud practice

  Building a vertical market cloud practice requires an understanding of industry needs, compliance regulations and technical skills for core services.Continue Reading

• Five best practices for developing a successful cloud partner program

  Developing an effective channel program requires taking a look at policies around recruiting, incentivizing and communicating with cloud partners.Continue Reading

• Cloud broker skills in higher demand as cloud adoption gains momentum

  The cloud broker becomes more crucial as enterprise cloud adoption grows, giving providers, integrators and partners an opening to fill that role.Continue Reading

• Colocation vs. cloud computing: What's the difference?

  When comparing colocation vs. cloud computing, cloud expert Chip Popoviciu offers an analogy involving refrigerators and Star Trek replicators.Continue Reading

• What cloud computing security risks do providers tend to overlook?

  Find out which cloud computing security risks are in cloud providers' blind spot, according to cloud expert Mooney Sherman.Continue Reading

• Data as a Service opportunities for solution providers

  Learn about Data as a Service, how it works, its benefits and drawbacks for customers, and the opportunities it presents to IT solution providers.Continue Reading

• Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V cluster: Basic points for customers

  Learn about the most important factors for a Server 2012 Hyper-V cluster, including Failover Clustering, Cluster Shared Volumes and more.Continue Reading

• Object storage architecture not just for cloud

  VARs have reason to pay attention to object storage. It has another use case besides cloud storage: content management systems.Continue Reading

• Building targeted cloud services with software developers as partners

  Operators entering the cloud market need to target business customer needs and consider software developer partners for higher revenue SaaS offerings.Continue Reading

• In a cloud security risk analysis, how can providers find vulnerabilities?

  Identifying vulnerabilities in a cloud security risk analysis requires providers to do regular testing and audits, says cloud expert Mooney Sherman.Continue Reading

• How transparent should a provider be with its cloud security policy?

  Cloud security policy should make procedures clear without revealing all the technology at work, says cloud expert Mooney Sherman.Continue Reading

• What kind of cloud management tools do customers need from providers?

  The cloud management tools and reporting capabilities customers expect depend on individual service deployment models and use cases.Continue Reading

• Five big provider trends in 2013: The future of cloud computing is PaaS

  The cloud gained a lot of ground in 2012, but the future of cloud computing still has a ways to go. Is it finally the year of Platform as a Service?Continue Reading

• Selling Windows 8 and Windows Metro UI to customers

  Your customers are likely reticent to upgrade to Windows 8 and the Windows Metro UI. Get guidance for talking them past their reluctance.Continue Reading

• Companies turn to partners for managed network security services

  Many companies are turning to partners for managed network security services to handle the exhausting responsibility of thwarting threats and attacks.Continue Reading

• DBaaS pros and cons for solution providers

  A DBaaS has feature and other limitations, but it brings shorter sales cycles, reduced startup costs, recurring revenue streams and more customers.Continue Reading

• SQL Server 2012 Power View: Self-service BI reporting for SharePoint

  The SQL Server Power View tool enables solution providers to deliver self-service business intelligence reporting to a wide range of customers.Continue Reading

• VoIP phone services for customers with on-premises and remote VDI

  Adding VoIP phone services for customers with on-premises and remote VDI can lessen reliance on cell phones, improve service integration and more.Continue Reading

• On-premises vs. cloud costs: Show customers the true path to savings

  When discussing on-premises vs. cloud computing costs, providers need to steer the conversation toward economies of scale and higher-level services.Continue Reading

• Cloud computing cost savings: Fact or fiction?

  When articulating cloud computing cost savings to customers, most providers don't realize that they're focusing on the wrong angle.Continue Reading

• Hosted disaster recovery services as an add-on to hybrid cloud backup

  Hybrid cloud disaster recovery services make a lot of sense for customers that need a simple solution to a fundamental problem.Continue Reading

• How virtualized data centers are inhibiting cloud adoption

  Cloud providers don't pay much heed to enterprise data centers, but shops are deploying virtual data centers four times faster than they are cloud.Continue Reading

• Making cloud strategies more palatable to virtual data center holdouts

  Providers shouldn't ignore enterprises choosing a virtual data center over a cloud strategy. Get tips on how to address this often-overlooked market.Continue Reading

• HP Enterprise Data Warehouse Appliance addresses massive data needs

  The HP Enterprise Data Warehouse Appliance can manage from 30 TB to 600 TB of data in a preconfigured bundle.Continue Reading

• Biometric authentication methods: Comparing smartphone biometrics

  Biometric authentication helps ensure only authorized smartphone users can access a network. David Jacobs weighs the pros and cons of three methods.Continue Reading

• Selling cloud integration services: Moving customers to the cloud

  Partners help clients make the cloud transition with cloud integration services that cover determining application placement and security.Continue Reading