NEWS RELEASE
MSPexcellence Identifies Cloud Solutions Success Formula
New Market Research Examines the Strategies Used and Services
Deployed by the Most Successful Cloud Solutions Providers
Andover, MA, July
10, 2012 - MSPexcellence today announced a new market research initiative to examine
the services offered and the strategies used by successful Cloud Solutions
Providers (CSPs). The study includes both qualitative and quantitative research
methods for investigating the technologies and business practices employed by
IT Service Providers as they establish and grow a profitable recurring revenue
business based on the cloud. The objective of the survey is to answer the
following questions?
•
What is
the profile of a successful Cloud Solutions Provider?
•
What
are the key technologies they have selected for their service portfolio?
•
What
services are provided before, during and after service deployment?
•
What
is the mix of project services and ongoing support services they offer?
•
What
is the average revenue and margin realized from a customer engagement?
The qualitative
research includes a strategic analysis of the top CSPs to determine the
technologies used, solutions offered and services delivered to their customers.
This analysis will reveal the success formula for a successful cloud solutions
business as defined by leading edge providers.
The
quantitative research is based on a survey polling thousands of IT Service Providers
asking them to identify the chargeable services they offer as either one-time professional
services or as ongoing managed services to support the delivery of IT
solutions. This analysis will identify trends in pricing, margin performance and
service mix among a broad community and cross section of providers.
“The
incoming tide of cloud services is an undeniable force that is redefining the way
IT is delivered to all categories of business and institutional buyers”, said
Dave Zwicker, Partner and Co-Founder of MSPexcellence. “The only winning strategy for the IT Service
Provider is to understand the formula for success in a cloud-centric world and use
that formula to acquire new customers and retain existing ones.”
The research study will be conducted over the next several
weeks with interim status reports delivered through a series of free executive
briefing sessions open to all participants in the survey. The survey is comprised of 12 questions with
instant feedback provided at the end of the survey. Also provided upon completion
of the survey is a link to register for one or more of the executive briefing
sessions. To participate in the survey
click here.
About MSPexcellence
MSPexcellence is a provider of business building strategies, tools and services
for managed service providers and their technology suppliers. The company was
founded by Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker who bring unparalleled industry
experience to the MSP and CSP business services landscape in the form of
technology messaging and positioning, pricing and packaging strategies,
go-to-market planning, content-driven lead generation programs, effective sales
staffing and management of the sales process. This experience is embodied in
the industry’s most complete compilation of MSP/CSP best practices, the Cloud
Solutions Provider Program. More information about MSPexcellence is available at www.mspexcellence.com or follow @MSPexcellence on Twitter.
# # #
NEWS RELEASE
Virtual Administrator Joins the MSPexcellence Cloud Solutions
Provider (CSP) Program for Google Apps Resellers
The leading provider of hosted IT service management software for the
MSP channel joins the CSP business-building program for Google Resellers.
Andover,
MA, June 12, 2012 – MSPexcellence,
creator of the Cloud Solutions Provider Program for Google Apps
Resellers, today announced that Virtual Administrator
has joined the program as a platinum sponsor. The Cloud Solutions Provider
Program provides a blueprint for Google Resellers to follow when building a CSP
business that delivers cloud solutions to customers based on Google Apps.
Virtual Administrator provides Managed Service Providers (MSPs) with tools and
resources that perform Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) of IT devices
located on the customer premise. This allows the MSP to deliver and bill for
managed services on a monthly basis to generate a recurring revenue stream. By
hosting the RMM platform and providing extensive training and support, Virtual
Administrator makes it quick and easy for channel partners to offer managed
services with little or no prior experience in device management.
“We are the perfect solution for the Google Reseller that wants to provide
full-service IT support to their customers,” said Chris Amori, President of
Virtual Administrator. “Our approach adds MSP-style managed services to
cloud-based solutions allowing a newly formed or established CSP to address a
broader market while producing incremental recurring revenue. It’s a win-win
for the CSP and their customers.”
Virtual Administrator is a Master MSP that provides an on-ramp for VARs, MSPs
and now CSPs that want to provide managed services to their clients without the
heavy investment of time and resources required to operate their own service
management platforms. In addition to hosted RMM services, Virtual Administrator
offers additional MSP-type solutions including outsourced helpdesk, managed
print services, email security, managed firewall and online backup.
“A major challenge for the Google reseller community is managing their
customer’s premise-based IT infrastructure while migrating them to the world of
cloud computing,” commented Todd Hussey, MSPexcellence Co-Founder. “Virtual
Administrator allows them to meet this challenge while increasing the value of
each customer engagement at the same time. They are a great addition to our CSP
program.”
MSPexcellence launched the Cloud Solution Provider Program on April 3, 2012 and
is working with a constantly expanding community of Google Apps Resellers to
utilize comprehensive blueprints for planning, modeling, pricing, marketing and
selling cloud solutions that maximize recurring revenue and profitability. The
program features a unique Virtual Peer Group (VPG) that is hosted by
MSPexcellence during weekly online sessions and also provides an online
discussion forum that facilitates an ongoing dialogue between members of the
VPG community. Membership in the Cloud Solutions Provider Program is available
to Google Apps Resellers for an annual fee of $1,995.
About Virtual Administrator
Virtual Administrator, a division of Network Depot, LLC, is based in Reston,
Virginia. Network Depot has twice been named as one of MSPMentor’s TOP 100
MSPs. Virtual Administrator was created from a desire to help small IT shops
become bigger ones by allowing them to have access to the same quality tools
that only larger companies could previously afford. Our business model is a
simple one. We extend the same Managed Services tools and best practices we use
in our own Washington, DC area IT Services business to other IT Providers,
helping them become more productive and profitable. Our partners are provided
with detailed training and support on how to use these “best-of-breed” tools in
a real world setting. This “hands-on” approach separates us from our
competition. We understand Managed Services. More information about Virtual
Administrator is available at www.virtualadministrator.com
or follow us at @MSPOnramp on
Twitter.
About MSPexcellence
MSPexcellence is a provider of business building strategies, tools and services
for managed service providers and their technology suppliers. The company was
founded by Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker who bring unparalleled industry
experience to the MSP and CSP business services landscape in the form of
technology messaging and positioning, pricing and packaging strategies,
go-to-market planning, content-driven lead generation programs, effective sales
staffing and management of the sales process. This experience is embodied in
the industry’s most complete compilation of MSP/CSP best practices, the Cloud
Solutions Provider Program. More information about MSPexcellence is
available at www.mspexcellence.com
or follow @MSPexcellence on Twitter.
# # #
NEWS RELEASE
Backupify Joins the MSPexcellence Cloud Solutions Provider Program
as a Platinum Sponsor
Leading cloud backup provider becomes a charter member
of a program designed to help Google Apps Resellers build their own cloud
solutions ecosystem.
Andover, MA, May
22, 2012–MSPexcellence, the business-building consultancy for Cloud Solutions
Providers (CSPs) today announced that Backupify, the leading backup provider
for cloud based data will be joining its recently announced Cloud Solutions
Provider Program as a platinum sponsor. The Cloud Solutions Provider Program
provides a blueprint for Google Apps Resellers to follow when building a CSP
business by delivering IT services based on their own cloud solutions
ecosystem. Backupify represents a best-in-class technology that is integrated
with Google Apps that enhances the business value of a Google Apps customer
solution while increasing the revenue value of that customer to the reseller.
As an ISV member of the CSP Program, Backupify will contribute resources and
insights to reseller members on how to design winning data backup solutions,
acquire new customers and generate recurring revenue by enhancing the value of
Google Apps with its cloud backup and disaster recovery service.
“Like MSPexcellence, we believe the era of the CSP has arrived and the industry
migration from premised-based IT to the cloud is in full swing,” said Rob May,
CEO of Backupify. “We were one of the first ISVs to embrace Google’s
cloud-based approach to collaboration and messaging and we are now the first
ISV to endorse a structured program dedicated to building a profitable and high
growth recurring revenue business based on Google Apps.”
Last year
Backupify introduced a partner program that provides a recurring revenue stream
for Google Apps Resellers and supports their partners with product and sales
training, a dedicated channel team and an extensive marketing toolset.
Backupify works with all of the components of the Google Apps suite including
the recently announced Google Drive by providing continuous data protection
against user error, viruses, data corruption, hacking or sabotage. Backupify
also offers automated backup and restore capabilities for social media services
such as Facebook, Gmail, Twitter and Picasa as well as an administrator’s
console to simplify deployment and to provide real-time centralized monitoring.
“We are thrilled
to have Backupify join the Cloud Solutions Provider Program because they bring
all of the elements of an elite ISV partner to our Google Apps Reseller
membership,” commented Todd Hussey, MSPexcellence Co-Founder. “Our members
value ISVs that have a strong commitment to the reseller channel, enable
recurring revenue, tightly integrate with Google Apps and offer the brand
awareness of a respected and established player in the cloud services arena.”
MSPexcellence
launched the Cloud Solution Provider Program on April 3, 2012 and is working
with a constantly expanding community of Google Apps Resellers to utilize
comprehensive blueprints for planning, modeling, pricing, marketing and selling
cloud solutions that maximize recurring revenue and profitability. The program
features a unique Virtual Peer Group (VPG) that is hosted by MSPexcellence
during weekly online sessions and also provides an online discussion forum that
facilitates an ongoing dialogue between members of the VPG community.
Membership in the Cloud Solutions Provider Program is available to Google Apps
Resellers for an annual fee of $1,995.
About Backupify
Backupify is the leading backup provider for cloud application data, offering
an all-in-one archiving, search and restore solution for the most popular
online services including Google Apps, Salesforce, Facebook, Twitter and more.
Backupify ensures that companies can access and control the data they entrust
to these systems and prevents data loss from external threats, user error or
service failure. Backupify was founded in 2008 and is based in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. For more information, please visit http://www.backupify.com or
follow @Backupify on
Twitter.
About MSPexcellence
MSPexcellence is a provider of business building strategies, tools and services
for managed service providers and their technology suppliers. The company was
founded by Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker who bring unparalleled industry
experience to the MSP and CSP business services landscape in the form of
technology messaging and positioning, pricing and packaging strategies, go-to-market
planning, content-driven lead generation programs, effective sales staffing and
management of the sales process. This experience is embodied in the industry’s
most complete compilation of MSP/CSP best practices, the Cloud Solutions
Provider Program. More information about MSPexcellence is available at www.mspexcellence.com or follow @MSPexcellence on
Twitter.
# # #
NEWS RELEASE
MSPexcellence
Introduces Cloud Solutions Provider Program for Google Apps Resellers
Program Combines Ready-To-Use Blueprints and Virtual
Peer Groups for Building a Profitable Business Around Google Apps for Business.
Andover, MA,
April 3, 2012– MSPexcellence, the business-building consultancy for Managed
Services Providers (MSPs) and Cloud Solutions Providers (CSPs) has been
selected by Google to provide a set of tools and services that assist Google
Apps Resellers in building a CSP business based on Google Apps for Business as
well as other complementary cloud services from the Google Apps Marketplace.
The MSPexcellenceCloud Solutions Provider Program takes the Google Apps
Reseller through a progression of business-building blueprints for establishing
and scaling a CSP business and features a Virtual Peer Group that provides a
discussion forum for applying strategies and best practices.
The blueprints
follow and facilitate four stages of growth in the lifecycle of a Cloud
Solutions Provider: The Go-To-Market Blueprint provides
market planning and business modeling tools, a Service Pricing
Blueprintguides resellers through the difficult process of pricing and packing
their service portfolio based on a cloud solutions ecosystem, a Sales
Process Blueprint structures the sales cycle from lead generation to
customer acquisition and also provides a solutions-oriented sales toolset and
the Performance Management Blueprint tracks 15 key performance
metrics for growing a recurring revenue business and presents them using an at-a-glance
executive dashboard as well as graphical reports for trend analysis.
"We strive
to enable our resellers to grow significant and sustainable business around
Google Apps. MSPexcellence has developed programs, tools, and
training to help our resellers get to this level with their business”, said
Jeff Ragusa, Google Apps SMB Channel Lead. “After many years of
helping managed service providers build up recurring revenue business, they're
now bringing a great deal of experience to help cloud service providers do the
same”.
All subscribers
to the CSP Program also become members in the MSPexcellence Virtual Peer Group,
or VPG. The goal of the VPG is to advance the knowledge and
understanding of its membership in order to apply best practices when perfecting
their CSP business model, sales and marketing execution, technology strategy
and to make the most effective use of the tools provided by the
business-building blueprints.
“As a Google Apps
Premier SMB Reseller, our business is already strong and growing. So,
too, is the market for cloud-based solutions and services. The CSP
Program helps us look beyond our current business model, focusing on the future
in a more structured and strategic way,” commented Allen Falcon, CEO Cumulus
Global. “The program helps us evaluate, plan, and expand our
services with a greater understanding of the impact on our costs, our
operations, and our bottom line. Rather than trial and error, the
MSPexcellence CSP Program gives us information we are using for more timely, more
accurate, and more beneficial decisions”
“We believe the
market is undergoing a fundamental change in the how IT services are delivered
to companies from the small business to the enterprise,” according to Todd
Hussey, Partner and Co-founder of MSPexcellence., “Just as the VAR model has
transformed into the MSP model, we are now on the edge of the next
transformation as premise-based IT services shift to the cloud. Google is
perfectly positioned to lead this transformation with cloud solutions that create
tremendous opportunities for partners and deliver greater business value for
customers.”
The CSP Program
has undergone extensive research and beta testing prior to its release. By
working directly with Google Apps Resellers, the MSPexcellence team has been
able to develop a program that meets the needs of Google
partners. “In my company's efforts to become a true "cloud
first" solutions provider, it has been a challenge to create profitable
recurring revenue, and in a few conference calls with Dave and Todd of
MSPexcellence, I've learned that we're not the only company struggling with
this make or break business problem. However, Dave and Todd, along with a group
of business owners willing to openly share their experience, have provided a
solid foundation of market information and tools to help us begin to build the
layered products and services approach that the new economy of the cloud
demands for business success as a solutions provider. I don't think I'm
exaggerating when I say that being part of the beta testing of MSPexcellence's
CSP Program is one of the best things to have happened to my company”, said
Anthony P. Martini, VP and Cloud Computing Consultant, Logicwing, a beta
participant in the CSP Program.
The Cloud
Solutions Provider Program is available now and includes a 12 month
subscription to a shared website hosting a comprehensive collection of on-line
resources including the business building blueprints, tools, templates and
educational materials. Also posted on the site are recorded VPG sessions and
access to an ongoing discussion forum for reseller partners to review and
respond to any of the VPG topics. The first VPG session will take place on
April 11, 2012 at 12pm ET and will feature Jeff Ragusa, the Google Apps SMB
Channel Lead, as a guest speaker. The annual subscription price for the CSP
Program is $1,995. For more information about the CSP Program visit www.mspexcellence.com or
contact MSPexcellence directly at info@mspexcellence.com and
by phone at 800.785.4620.
About MSPexcellence
MSPexcellence is
a provider of business building strategies, tools and services for managed
service providers and their technology suppliers. The company was founded by
Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker who bring unparalleled industry experience to the
MSP and CSP business services landscape in the form of technology messaging and
positioning, pricing and packaging strategies, go-to-market planning,
content-driven lead generation programs, effective sales staffing and
management of the sales process. This experience is embodied in the industry’s
most complete compilation of MSP/CSP best practices, The MSPexcellence
Playbook, an easy-to-use guide for building a successful MSP business and the
Cloud Solutions Provider Program. More information about MSPexcellence is
available at www.mspexcellence.com.
# # #
NEWS RELEASE
MSPexcellence and
Technology Capital Investors Partner to Get Managed Service Providers
“Investment Ready”
Sales and marketing resources for building and scaling a
financially sound MSP cloud services business will be offered to new investment
candidates and existing portfolio companies.
New York, NY,
June 1, 2011—MSPexcellence, a business consulting firm focused on MSPs and
technology suppliers, today announced a partnership with Technology Capital
Investors (TCI) to provide programs and resources for MSPs looking to get their
businesses ready for capital investment, execute on newly received funding or
expand via merger or acquisition. TCI is a New York based investment firm
focused on Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and hosting companies The companies
have identified the key performance metrics and success factors for sales and
marketing efficiency and scalability that are important to investors, and will
help MSPs to achieve them with a 5-step investment readiness
program. The program is based on The MSPexcellence Playbook™, a five
step process and resource book for building and scaling an MSP business that
includes an MSP cloud migration strategy as well as go-to-market strategies and
tools for maximizing revenue production and profitability while minimizing the
cost of customer acquisition.
A principle theme
of the program is to optimize and manage a predictable Cost of Acquisition
(COA) for adding customers to the business. “In the current environment MSPs
must aggressively grow their business and be able to scale them in order to
survive. Having an efficient COA that guides the growth process is essential to
the long term success of any MSP. At the end of the day, the bottom line determines
the value of the business.” said Sam Attias, Managing Partner and Founder of
Technology Capital Investors. “Our partnership with MSPexcellence is based on
the critical importance of COA and the role it plays in building a highly
successful managed cloud services business. Todd and David are veterans at
growing technology companies by way of sales and marketing. Their track record
speaks for itself. To have this level of expertise and experience focused on
the MSP sub-vertical is a rarity, and we feel fortunate that they are working
with the TCI family”
TCI and
MSPexcellence share the belief that cloud computing will revolutionize the IT
services industry at all levels – from small businesses to large enterprises
within the next five years. The challenge, and also the opportunity for the
MSP, will be in redefining its role from managing physical infrastructure to
virtual resources while providing hosted services. This must be accomplished in
the face of stiff competition from public commodity cloud providers like
Amazon, Microsoft and Google. The MSPexcellence Playbook addresses this
challenge and enables the MSP to fully exploit the market opportunity for MSP
cloud services.
“MSPs have a
clear choice to make with respect to cloud computing – adapt to a managed cloud
services business model or become marginalized by the big guys. While the
choice seems obvious, the path to take in making the change is not.” commented
Todd Hussey, Partner and Co-founder of MSPexcellence. “It will take a solid
go-to-market strategy, professional execution, and for accelerated growth, it
will take investment capital. Our partnership with TCI, the leading MSP
investment firm, allows us to provide the combination and the synergy of all
three ingredients. ”
The MSPexcellence
Playbook is available now and includes five steps for establishing and growing
an MSP business for managed cloud services. It begins by helping the MSP to
formulate the elements of a strategic marketing plan and then presents
strategies for pricing and packaging managed services. The Playbook then shows
the MSP how to execute effective marketing programs to generate leads and
manage a predictable and scalable sales function. Success measurement is
accomplished with the use of key performance metrics including the critical COA
metric described above. Ready-to-use worksheets and templates guide the MSP
through the implementation of all best practices outlined in the chapters of
the Playbook. The MSPexcellence Playbook and the investment
readiness program are available now for a one-time fee of $2,500 for the
Playbook and $200 per month for ongoing online instruction and Playbook updates
or enhancements.
For more
information, please visit www.mspexcellence.com.
About Technology Capital Investors
Technology
Capital Investors is an investment and management group that concentrates on
MSPs, Hosters and IT outsourcing companies. It is made up of a diverse group of
successful technology entrepreneurs and finance professionals. Its model is to
acquire controlling stakes in target companies while keeping existing
management as shareholders and partners. TCI has been successfully growing
cloud-focused companies for over ten years. For more information please
visit www.techcapinvestors.com.
About MSPexcellence
MSPexcellence is
a provider of business building strategies, tools and services for managed
service providers and their technology suppliers. The company was founded by
Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker who bring unparalleled industry experience to the
MSP business services landscape in the form of technology messaging and
positioning, pricing and packaging strategies, go-to-market planning,
content-driven lead generation programs, effective sales staffing and
management of the sales process. This experience is embodied in the industry’s
most complete compilation of MSP best practices, The MSPexcellence
Playbook, an easy-to-use guide for building a successful MSP business. More
information about MSPexcellence and The MSPexcellence Playbook is
available at www.mspexcellence.com.
# # #
NEWS RELEASE
Asigra and
MSPexcellence Partner to Create Cloud Backup, Recovery and Restore Business
Acceleration Program for Managed Service Providers
Asigra creates a dedicated partner development team to
roll out a comprehensive Go-To-Market cloud backup playbook and program
customized for Asigra partners by MSPexcellence
TORONTO – June
14, 2011 – Asigra Inc., a leading cloud backup and recovery software
provider since 1986, and MSPexcellence, the industry thought-leader and
provider of business-building programs for managed service providers (MSPs),
today announced the Cloud Backup Business Acceleration Program, a joint
initiative that allows MSPs and hosting providers to scale a managed cloud
backup services business based on Asigra technology. To lead this effort,
Asigra has appointed David Smith, Senior Director of Partner Development, to
head a new and dedicated partner development team to encourage growth and
support Asigra partner profitability.
The Cloud Backup
Business Acceleration Program is based on The MSPexcellence Playbook™, a five
step process for building and scaling an MSP business and includes a cloud
backup migration strategy for Asigra customers as well as go-to-market
strategies and business building tools for Asigra partners. The Playbook is
customized to provide Asigrapartners
with ready-to-use sales and marketing worksheets, checklists and templates
along with a recipe for building a highly scalable cloud services business
featuring Asigra’s innovative, award winning backup, recovery and restore
software.
“We have always
believed that by combining our technology with effective marketing and sales
tools for building a cloud backup and recovery business we were ensuring
success for our partners,” said Eran Farajun, Executive Vice President, Asigra.
“Our partnership with MSPexcellence builds on that philosophy with a definitive
playbook for building an MSP business that capitalizes on the convergence of
cloud computing with traditional methods of IT service delivery. We are also
very excited to have David Smith join our organization and lead Asigra’s
roll-out of this new partner development program on a global basis. ”
According to
multiple market research studies, strong and steady growth in IT spending is
projected for the next 5 years and will be fueled by data center virtualization
and public cloud computing services. While growth cuts across all market
segments, the SMB segment is expected to experience the next wave of accelerated
growth as cloud services bring enterprise-class solutions to small and
mid-sized businesses. However, the SMB IT services segment, long dominated by
MSPs and other IT solutions providers, has recently become a target for large
public cloud service providers such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft, offering
commodity cloud services.
“Cloud computing
is often perceived as a threat to MSPs, but with the right strategy, that
threat can be turned into an enormous opportunity” commented Todd Hussey,
Partner and Co-founder of MSPexcellence. “MSPs can solidify their role as
trusted advisors, protect their installed base and acquire new customers by
offering a migration path to the cloud that integrates best-in-class cloud
technologies with expert service and support. However, it will take strong
sales and marketing execution to communicate the many advantages of this
strategy in the face of competition from public cloud providers. ”
Asigra and
MSPexcellence have identified data back-up and recovery as the leading application
for cloud migration and Asigra partners are well positioned to play a
significant role as cloud service providers. The Asigra solution resolves
customer concerns about data privacy and control by offering an alternative to
storing critical information assets in a public cloud infrastructure. Instead,
the Asigra MSP can provide secure private cloud solutions tailored to the
customer’s privacy, security and regulatory requirements while meeting their
cost and ROI objectives. Once a secure data backup and recovery strategy is in
place, customers can then migrate additional applications and services to the
private cloud in a secure, gradual and non-disruptive manner.
“I am thrilled to
be part of the Asigra team and could not be more optimistic about the
opportunity for Asigra and its partners,” said David Smith, Sr. Director of
Partner Development. “The introduction of our cloud backup acceleration program
aligns perfectly with the capabilities of our products, the market demand for
cloud solutions, and the expertise of our MSP partners to design and deliver
them.”
In his new role,
David Smith will be responsible for building and executing partner enablement
programs that provide best practices and expertise to Asigra’s partner
ecosystem. As a seasoned and result-driven executive, David brings with him a
track record of monetizing business strategy and delivering profitable growth.
He also possesses deep product management, marketing and business development
competencies that have helped leading organizations achieve growth
potential. Prior to joining Asigra, David worked in a variety of
management and executive roles in world-class organizations such as Platform
Computing, PureEdge Solutions (acquired by IBM), Hummingbird (acquired by OpenText)
and SAS. Through these roles, David gained broad operational and general
management experience, and clearly demonstrated an aptitude and ability to
drive growth through a partner-centric business model.
The MSPexcellence
Playbook and the Cloud Backup Business Acceleration Program are available to
all Asigra partners directly from MSPexcellence. For more information about the
MSPexcellence Playbook, visitwww.mspexcellence.com.
About Asigra
Asigra transforms
the way businesses manage and protect their data by delivering market leading
cloud backup solutions that seamlessly and efficiently manage, scale and
deliver data protection services. Asigra Cloud Backup™ is built for new and
existing MSPs/VARs who focus on data protection, IT constrained organizations,
and industries with compliance mandates that are looking to improve their
backup with a secure, reliable and predictable data protection cloud backup
model. With more than 25 years of experience as backup/recovery pioneers,
Asigra technology protects more than 400,000 sites globally ranging from the
Global 100 to SMBs. Asigra manages one of the largest business-class backup
service provider ecosystems in the world who power their cloud backup services
using Asigra technology. Asigra is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with
offices globally. For more information, visit www.asigra.com.
About MSPexcellence
MSPexcellence is
a provider of business building strategies, tools and services for managed
service providers and their technology suppliers. The company was founded by
Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker who bring unparalleled industry experience to the
MSP business services landscape in the form of technology messaging and
positioning, pricing and packaging strategies, go-to-market planning,
content-driven lead generation programs, effective sales staffing and
management of the sales process. This experience is embodied in the industry’s
most complete compilation of MSP best practices, The MSPexcellence
Playbook, an easy-to-use guide for building a successful MSP business. More
information about MSPexcellence and The MSPexcellence Playbook is
available at www.mspexcellence.com.
# # #
NEWS RELEASE
New Abiquo
Educational Series Helps MSPs Build Cloud Services Business
Series will Educate MSPs on Strategies for Converging
Cloud Computing with Traditional Managed IT Services
Redwood City,
Calif., February 24, 2011—Abiquo, the leading Enterprise Cloud Management software
company, today announced the launch of a new series of educational webinars
designed to help Managed Service Providers (MSPs) integrate cloud computing
into their service offerings and build a successful managed cloud services
business. The “Manage the Cloud for Success” webinar series, presented by
MSPAlliance and MSPexcellence, will deal with the most pressing issues
confronting MSPs as they consider the impact of cloud computing on their
businesses.
The series will
cover topics such as managed services market opportunity for cloud services,
cloud management technologies for MSPs, application examples and effective
go-to-market strategies. Each webinar will be devoted to a specific topic and
will include the perspectives of industry expert Charles Weaver, president of
the MSPAlliance as well as panelists Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker, co-founders
of MSPexcellence.
“The
convergence of cloud computing with remotely managed IT services is one of the
most important and difficult challenges faced by managed service providers
today,” said Charles Weaver, president and CEO of the MSPAlliance. “Providing
an overview of the key technologies and business strategies that will enable
them to profit from the cloud will enable them to effectively evaluate how they
can capitalize on the opportunity offered by cloud computing. This educational
program will serve as a catalyst for that discussion.”
The first
webinar in the Manage the Cloud for Success series, to be held on
March 17, 2011 at 1pm EST will cover five critical success factors for converging
cloud and managed services. These factors include creating a formal
strategic plan, developing a profitable business model, building an effective
marketing machine, managing a predictable sales process and continuously
measuring success. Panelists from MSPexcellence will present a formula for
achieving these success factors with strategies published in the Abiquo Cloud
Accelerator Playbook, a resource provided to the company’s MSP partners. The
playbook guides MSPs through the development of a profitable and scalable cloud
services business with effective sales and marketing strategies, best practices
for pricing and packaging cloud services, and worksheets and templates that
provide step-by-step guidance for providing managed cloud services based on
Abiquo technology.
“MSPAlliance
represents the gold standard of performance for managed service providers
around the world,” said Pete Malcolm, Abiquo CEO. “We believe our
approach to cloud management will strongly resonate with this elite class of MSPs
as we continue to build momentum as the leading business and technology enabler
of managed cloud services.”
The
MSPAlliance has established a global association of 10,000 members and offers a
framework for educating and certifying MSPs who, with honesty, integrity and
professionalism, provide secure, reliable and cost-effective services to their
customers. Abiquo is sponsoring this educational webinar series as a component
of its Cloud Accelerator Program, recently announced with MSPexcellence. In addition
to a recruiting phase, the Cloud Accelerator Program combines cloud management
technology with business-building strategies that allow MSPs to ramp-up and
scale their service portfolio with managed cloud services.
For more
information on the webinar series, please visit http://www.mspexcellence.com/events.aspx.
About the MSPAlliance
The MSPAlliance
is the world’s largest Professional Association and Accrediting Body for the
Managed Services Industry. As such, we make sure that every one of our members
adheres to a strict code of ethics; which means a great deal to the IT Business
Consumer. The MSPAlliance is made up of over 10,000 providers worldwide,
working together in a vendor-neutral manner to define and promote the Managed
Services industry by educating consumers on the benefits of using Managed
Service Providers. For nearly 10 years, the MSPAlliance has been the only
unified voice for the Managed Services Industry, and the only organization that
promotes the highest level of professionalism, reliability and integrity. For
more information about the MSPAlliance please visit www.mspalliance.comor call 530-891-1340
About MSPexcellence
MSPexcellence is
a provider of business building strategies, tools and services for managed
service providers and their technology suppliers. The company was founded by
Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker who bring unparalleled industry experience to the
MSP business services landscape in the form of technology messaging and
positioning, pricing and packaging strategies, go-to-market planning,
content-driven lead generation programs, effective sales staffing and
management of the sales process. This experience is embodied in the industry’s
most complete compilation of MSP best practices, The MSPexcellence
Playbook, an easy-to-use guide for building a successful MSP business. More
information about MSPexcellence and The MSPexcellence Playbook is
available at www.mspexcellence.com.
About Abiquo
Abiquo is the
leading Enterprise Cloud Managementsoftware
company. Designed to meet strategic objectives, rather than as a temporary
tactical fix, Abiquo is built on open standards, allowing organizations of all
sizes to dramatically improve business agility, mitigate risk, and reduce
costs. With Abiquo, organizations can use business policy to manage
an entire, globally deployed computing infrastructure, comprising unlimited
physical and Cloud resources including private, public and hybrid Clouds
through a “single pane of glass”. As a result, Abiquo customers are
able to significantly decrease the cost and complexity of managing their virtual
IT environments, while maintaining control of the physical infrastructure and
increasing agility to change hypervisors as needed. For more information, visit www.abiquo.com.
# # #
NEWS RELEASE
Abiquo and
MSPexcellence Introduce Cloud Accelerator Program for Managed Service Providers
Partnership
Provides MSPs and Hosting Providers with a Comprehensive Go-to-Market Program
to Deliver Managed Cloud Services
Redwood City,
Calif., Feb. 8, 2011— Abiquo, the leading Enterprise Cloud Management software
company, and MSPexcellence, the industry thought-leader and provider of
business-building programs for managed service providers (MSPs), today
announced a partnership and Cloud Accelerator Program that allows
MSPs and hosting providers to successfully establish, ramp and scale a managed
cloud services business.
Abiquo’s
successful MSP and hosting provider partner program has identified the keys to
launching a managed cloud services program. By leveraging MSPexcellence’s
business acceleration program, Abiquo will further help MSP partners in growing
revenue with proven sales and marketing strategies, best practices, and
ready-to-use tools and templates.
Abiquo and
MSPexcellence will begin with a series of educational webinars to introduce
interested MSP partners to the market opportunity, the enabling technology, and
the elements of the go-to-market plan. Abiquo partners will receive a
comprehensive resource kit to help them predictably grow and profitably operate
their managed cloud services business.
“Everyone
wants to provide cloud services, but many MSPs and hosting providers are still
trying to figure out how to do it and what they need to make it happen,” said
Pete Malcolm, Abiquo CEO. “To offer real business value, clouds must be managed
by an expert resource to ensure their performance, availability, security,
simplicity and ongoing cost benefit for the customer. Through our partnership
with MSPexcellence, we are committed to providing these critical success
factors to our MSP partners.”
With the Abiquo
solution, MSPs can offer a portfolio of services to complement and extend
traditional managed services with new cloud-based offerings. To sell up-market
into the lucrative enterprise segment, MSPs can now offer managed
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to companies looking for on-demand virtual
resources to support their dynamic IT requirements. To add new revenue sources
from the SMB/SME segment, MSPs can offer cloud-based applications that bring
enterprise-class computing to mid-market businesses at an affordable price. In
each case, the MSP can add value to commodity public cloud offerings with
services that remove customer concerns related to security, end-user support,
performance and availability of business-critical applications and the back-up
and recovery of their information assets.
“We see a
tremendous opportunity for the MSP community to add value to cloud services –
it’s really a perfect marriage,” said Todd Hussey, partner and co-founder of
MSPexcellence. “As experts in the MSP arena, our company has seen every
conceivable MSP business model, and none of them is as exciting or potentially
profitable as the convergence of cloud computing with traditional managed
services. We believe Abiquo represents the key for unlocking this tremendous
market opportunity.”
For more
information on the webinar series please visit http://www.mspexcellence.com/.
About Abiquo
Abiquo is the
leading Enterprise Cloud Management software company.
With Abiquo, organizations can use Business Policy to manage an entire,
globally deployed, computing infrastructure comprising unlimited physical and
Cloud resources including private, public and hybrid Clouds through a “single
pane of glass”. As a result, Abiquo customers are able to significantly
decrease the cost and complexity of managing their virtual IT environments,
while maintaining control of the physical infrastructure and increasing agility
to change hypervisors as needed. For more information, visit http://www.abiquo.com/.
About MSPexcellence
MSPexcellence is
a provider of business building strategies, tools and services for managed
service providers and their technology suppliers. The company was founded by
Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker who bring unparalleled industry experience to the
MSP business services landscape in the form of technology messaging and
positioning, pricing and packaging strategies, go-to-market planning,
content-driven lead generation programs, effective sales staffing and
management of the sales process. This experience is embodied in the industry’s
most complete compilation of MSP best practices, The MSPexcellence Playbook, an
easy-to-use guide for building a successful MSP business. More information
about MSPexcellence and The MSPexcellence Playbook is available at www.mspexcellence.com.
# # #
NEWS RELEASE
MSPexcellence and
Apparent Networks Introduce Business Acceleration Program for Managed Service
Providers
Business coaching program provides tools, best practices
and success metrics for MSPs to develop and execute their own highly successful
sales and marketing programs
November 2,
2010—MSPexcellence, the industry’s most experienced sales and marketing
consultancy for managed service providers and Apparent Networks, the industry
leader in Remote Performance Management ( RPM) solutions today
announced a business coaching and partner productivity program for managed
service providers. The program is designed to accelerate the revenue growth of
Apparent Networks’ partners with tools that enable MSPs to establish a highly
effective and efficient sales and marketing operation within their
business. The program is delivered by MSPexcellence with content
based on The MSPexcellence Playbook, a comprehensive guide for building a
successful MSP business with proven sales and marketing strategies and
methodologies used by the most successful MSP companies.
“The increased
dependency on performance-sensitive voice and data applications has created an
enormous business opportunity for MSPs to ensure their customer networks are
fully optimized for performance, availability and cost efficiency,” said Jim
Melvin, CEO of Apparent Networks. “To capitalize on this opportunity, the MSP
needs to combine excellent technology with excellent sales and marketing
execution. Our partnership with MSPexcellence adds the critical business tools
for building a successful MSP business based on our award winning technology.”
The MSPexcellence
business coaching program takes the MSP partner through all phases of
establishing a professional sales and marketing operation within their
business. The program emphasizes the principles of selling value, generating
quality leads, managing the sales process like a science with key metrics to
track progress and accurately project revenue growth.
The content for
the program was developed by Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker, the founders of
MSPexcellence. Together, Hussey and Zwicker bring more than 50 years of
collective experience including 20 years of direct MSP experience. Both
founders have executive level backgrounds from multiple global MSP software
companies and venture backed start-ups where they launched successful
business-building programs to hundreds of MSP partners around the world.
“We are truly
excited by our partnership with Apparent Networks and the synergy between our
two companies could not be better,” said Todd Hussey, Partner and Co-founder of
MSPexcellence. “Dave and I have direct experience in this technology domain and
so we fully understand and appreciate the value of the Apparent Networks
solution. More importantly, we know how to make MSPs successful in selling
real-time communications solutions because we have done it before and we know
the formula.”
The MSPexcellence
Playbook provides a foundation for a series of introductory webinars,
online interactive courses, electronic study guides and individualized
consulting services all provided by MSPexcellence for their clients. The
curriculum takes the MSP through a complete process from high level business
strategy to daily sales execution. By following MSPexcellence best practices, each
MSP develops their own differentiated value proposition aligned with a pricing
and packaging strategy that positions the value of their managed services
portfolio. The approach maintains a constant focus on solving business problems
and creating customer value as opposed to selling technology based on price.
This core strategy becomes the foundation for building effective lead
generation programs and managing a scalable sales operation that delivers
consistent and predictable revenue growth which is then tracked by key
performance metrics.
“The
MSPexcellence approach was eye-opening for me and it has had a profound effect
on the direction of our business,” remarked Tom Kincannon, President of
LumiNET, a voice and video value added reseller based in Indianapolis. “For the
first time, we have a formal definition of our business value, our target
market segments and how this sharpened focus will impact our future service
offerings. I am confident we are now on a path to a successful transition to
the managed services business model with help of MSPexcellence and featuring
Apparent Networks remote performance management technology.”
Apparent Networks
is also working with MSPexcellence to recruit new MSP partners. Using elements
of the business coaching and sales enablement program, an introductory MSP
webinar is planned and it covers the "5 Steps for Pricing Your Managed
Services for Optimal Value". The webinar also offers attendees a free
business assessment tool that will help them to evaluate their readiness for
operating and scaling a managed service provider business.
The MSPexcellence
Playbook is the foundation for the Apparent Networks business coaching
program and is packaged as a three-volume set that contains worksheets, study
guides and templates for developing business strategies, creating marketing
programs, building sales enablement tools and measuring operational
efficiency. The MSPexcellence Playbook can be purchased directly from
the company’s website. For more information please visit www.mspexcellence.com.
About MSPexcellence
MSPexcellence is
a provider of business building strategies, tools and services for managed
service providers and their technology suppliers. The company was founded by
Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker who bring unparalleled industry experience to the
MSP business services landscape in the form of technology messaging and
positioning, pricing and packaging strategies, go-to-market planning,
content-driven lead generation programs, effective sales staffing and
management of the sales process. This experience is embodied in the industry’s
most complete compilation of MSP best practices, The MSPexcellence
Playbook, an easy-to-use guide for building a successful MSP business. More
information about MSPexcellence and The MSPexcellence Playbook is
available atwww.mspexcellence.com.
About Apparent Networks
Apparent Networks
brings the award-winning PathView Remote Performance Management solutions to
managed service providers, resellers and IT organizations, providing end-to-end
visibility into network traffic, distributed applications and cloud-based
services. PathView Cloud and the PathView microAppliance offer a cost-effective
remote monitoring and management capability to diagnose underlying network
problems, assess network readiness and monitor performance. Apparent Networks
also supports the growing Powered By PathView Program which provides partners
with the performance management tools they need to ensure exceptional,
consistent IT service and customer satisfaction. www.apparentnetworks.com
# # #
NEWS RELEASE
MSPexcellence
Introduces Business-Building Programs for Managed Service Providers
MSP sales and marketing veterans develop a comprehensive
playbook
with best practices and step-by-step instructions for growing a successful MSP
business
September 21,
2010—MSPexcellence, a provider of business building strategies, tools and
services for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), today announced comprehensive
programs to enable MSPs to grow their business and establish market leadership.
MSPexcellence addresses the market requirement for programs that enable an
industry shift from the “break-fix” model of traditional Value Added Resellers
(VARs) to the more customer friendly and cost-effective model of the MSP. The
centerpiece of the MSPexcellence business-building program is The
MSPexcellence Playbook™, a detailed 3-volume guide for establishing or
enhancing the sales, marketing and profitability of a managed services business
that delivers virtually any form of managed service offering.
The playbook
embodies more than 50 years of collective experience including 20 years of
direct MSP experience brought by the company’s two founders, Todd Hussey and
Dave Zwicker. Together, these industry veterans bring executive level
backgrounds from multiple global MSP software companies and venture
backed start-ups where they launched successful business-building programs to
hundreds of MSP partners around the world. Hussey and Zwicker have
translated their experience into a success template for MSPs that is easy to
follow, cost-effective to implement and focused on tangible business results.
According to Todd
Hussey, MSPexcellence co-founder, “there are 100,000 VARs in the North American
market and only 10% of them have made the transition to an MSP. The days of
selling technology managed by customers are numbered. The days of cloud-based
services with predictable monthly charges are here. The challenge for VARs is
to make this transition before it’s too late, and without putting their legacy
business or future MSP business at risk. The challenge for MSPs is to
scale their business cost-effectively.”
The MSPexcellence
Playbook eliminates this risk with a proven formula for building managed
services revenue. The playbook combines:
* A strategy for defining the value proposition
for target market segments
* Easy-to-follow guides for developing
content-rich lead generation programs
* Templates for effective sales tools that
ensure consistent sales execution.
“Todd and I
understand technology and we have seen every conceivable approach to high tech
sales and marketing over the years. We know what works and we also know what
doesn’t work,” said Dave Zwicker, company co-founder. “Our goal was to create
the definitive roadmap for navigating a fast track to an MSP business with
clear and complete worksheets that allow the MSP to ensure their own success.
We are a business enabler and a growth accelerator working with MSPs and their
technology suppliers.”
MSPexcellence is
developing partnerships with both vendors and their MSP partners. Working with
vendors, the company tailors The MSPexcellence Playbook to reflect
their specific technology and to complement their go-to-market initiatives with
MSP coaching services. One of those partners is Asigra, a leading cloud backup
and recovery software provider based in Toronto, Ontario. Since 1986,
MSPs have delivered cloud backup services Powered by Asigra to support
multi-billion dollar enterprise accounts as well as small- to mid-sized
companies in a wide variety of market segments. In addition to their role as a
technology provider to MSPs, Asigra is also a vital business advisor,
supporting their MSPs in all areas of the business. To that end, they have
engaged with MSPexcellence to provide customized sales, marketing and business
planning services for their channel.
“Our MSP partners
value programs that are holistic, assisting them in all phases of the business
from pricing and packaging to lead generation and sales execution.
MSPexcellence has developed a program that integrates these critical business
building strategies and presents them as a simple and practical methodology for
helping Asigra partners to grow their customer base which is fundamental to our
success,” said Amrita Chandra, Senior Director of Marketing for Asigra. In the
first phase of this program, MSPexcellence will conduct a series of webinars
designed to lay a foundation of basic concepts and provide individualized
coaching services for partners based on their specific needs.”
The MSPexcellence
Playbook will be available for purchase as a three volume set for $2,500
with an optional monthly fee of $150 to join the MSPexcellence Forum, a
subscription service that includes a weekly newsletter and a monthly webinar
series with topics derived from The MSPexcellence Playbook. The
subscription also provides future updates to the playbook at no additional
charge. The MSPexcellence Playbookwill be available in October
2010 and can be purchased directly from the company’s website. For more
information please visit www.mspexcellence.com.
About MSPexcellence
MSPexcellence is
a provider of business building strategies, tools and services for managed
service providers and their technology suppliers. The company was founded by
Todd Hussey and Dave Zwicker who bring unparalleled industry experience to the
MSP business services landscape in the form of technology messaging and
positioning, pricing and packaging strategies, go-to-market planning,
content-driven lead generation programs, effective sales staffing and
management of the sales process. This experience is embodied in the industry’s
most complete compilation of MSP best practices, The MSPexcellence
Playbook, an easy-to-use guide for building a successful MSP business. More
information about MSPexcellence and The MSPexcellence Playbook is
available atwww.mspexcellence.com.
# # #