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I recently read an article that cited the latest Gartner research showing SMBs
worldwide spent $860 billion in 2011; and that spending is expected to surpass
Archives the $1T mark by 2014. This data, as referenced in Business Solutions magazine
by Editor Jay McCall, makes the point that this is a very appealing market for View Archives
Resources Managed Service providers and VARS. McCall goes on to point out that many eSource
VARs focused on the SMB market are in fact themselves SMBs that have to eMPS
address their own business struggles before they can effectively help their imageSource
Editorial Calender customers. He highlighted three main business pain points that SMB VARs
struggle with most:
Events 1. Vendor Management
2. Marketing
3. Available Resource Awareness
Advertis er Profiles
As I read more on this, I began to think about my experience in working with
MSE-Micro Solutions dealers in the imaging industry and one thought came to the top of my mind; It is
Enterprises much easier for the independent dealer channel to transition into the Managed
Services than it will be for their industry to transition into print, (not that they
Miracle Service by Nexent want to, they believe the benchmarks of 35% GP in hardware and 52% in service
Innovations
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2. Hytec Dealer Services are a pipedream). I look at that list and think, our industry knows about vendor
FM Audit management from carrying multiple equipment lines for hardware, multiple lines
of software offered by hardware manufacturers and independent companies like
NWRS Nation Wide Repair DocuWare. Couple this with managing OEM and aftermarket partners for toner,
Service, Inc. parts and service training and vendor management is the least of our worries.
DocuWare Marketing, yes we need to do some work in SEO and understanding the power
MaxxVault of social media, but the foundation is there from doing business in our
MWA Intelligence, Inc. communities for 20 or 30 years where we are entrenched in the community and
with our customers. Awareness of resources? We have been managing to
Digital Gateway/e-automate benchmarks of Tom Johnson’s model for years, our dealerships understand
Flo-Tech financial metrics.
Esha Corporation
InfoTrends - Office Document The challenge for us will be in realizing the urgency to change our business
Solutions Conference model where clicks are declining along with unit placements in order to capitalize
on this opportunity. When our sales people walks into a customer’s office and Our Contributors
walks by a desk with a PC or laptop on it, they don’t see potential for money.
The progression for our industry is logical, we began connecting MFPs to
networks, then transitioned to installing software like document and content Sand Sinclair
management and now we should work to convert that customer base and begin
managing their network. In the last five years or so, as technology has grown
more complex and expensive to manage, more and more companies have turned
to outside parties to handle running of day-to-day IT needs. Managed Services is
a mature concept, in which technology is bought, delivered monitored and
managed as a set of services. For over a decade outsourcing has played a read more
prominent role in how businesses operate. Does anyone do their own payroll
anymore? In one recent CompTIA Trends in Managed Services study it was
found that “over half of organizations >$10M reported outsourcing at least half of
their IT-related functions.” Big opportunities usually are met with big challenges,
like “where do I start?”
Here is a list of the most common managed services as polled in a recent
Gartner study:
Educ ation
1. Remote Help Desk Monitoring – remote help desk support, most efficient way
InfoTrends eLearning
to solve most common IT related problems
ITEX 2013 Expo & Conference 2. On-Site Support – Unlimited on-site service calls and regular scheduled
Solutions Summit 2012 maintenance ensuring network uptime
3. Infrastructure – A dedicated network administrator combines with 24x7x365
remote monitoring and maintenance to keep infrastructure running smoothly.
4. Business Continuity (Backup & Disaster Recovery) – Turnkey solutions for
backup and disaster recovery
5. Security – Antivirus, AntiSpam, Firewall, and Security Patch management
ImageSourceMag
that ensures network inbox remains safe and secure
Twitter Feed
6. Email Management – Whether hosted or on-premise email management gives
client email continuity
7. Technology Consulting – Providing a dedicated Virtual CIO providing expertise
needed to make the right decision about technology needs
8. Unified Communication – Focus to transforming business communications
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3. imagesourcemag: eSource- and streamlining process with the right VOIP solutions
September 26, 2012: 9. Mobility – Support for mobile devices
http://t.co/HqY41GpF 10. Print Management – Ensuring that output devices are always accessible to
end-users
11. Software – Production support and maintenance
imagesourcemag: RT Here is a list of potential partner companies to assist you in selecting which
@itex_show: due to many services to provide as part of your Managed Services portfolio.
requests we have extended
the #itex13 call for papers Chartec - unique program provider because hardware and service costs are no
deadline to this friday the longer an obstacle. Computer workstations, servers, Backup Disaster Recovery,
28th! submit today at http: ... Firewalls, 24x7 Help Desk, Video Conferencing, IP Video Surveillance, Internet
Security, and even VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) are easily acquired.
datto - provider of hardware based on- and off-site backup and disaster recovery
solutions
imagesourcemag: get Continuum - provider of intelligent, resolution-oriented management software
today's eSource w/news and data protection solutions for MSPs
from @itex_show Cloud Services Depot – distributor of Managed Services software and private-
@Okidata @CompassSales label services for MSPs
@EOJohnsonCo Level Platforms - remote monitoring and management software with over 3000
@MSETONER @MBSDEVinc IT solution providers
@konicaminolta Kaseya - IT Systems Management Software and Network Management Software
http://t.co/HLnPMhyW for IT Departments and Managed Service Providers
intronis - secure online backup services, cloud backup storage solutions, and
data recovery services
Packet Trap – Remote monitoring software
imagesourcemag: RT
Axcient – data backup, business continuity, and disaster recovery
@itex_show: clock is
ticking! deadline is today to Using the latest technology is no longer a convenience for small businesses, it is
submit #itex13 call for a necessity. Surviving in a volatile economy means staying current with the ever-
papers! submit today if
changing business technology landscape. This can be an overwhelming reality
you'd like to speak at
for business owners, causing them to lose focus on their main goal of growing
#itex13! ht ...
their business. Our channel is poised to fill that void, it will take research,
planning, resource allocation and execution but the foundation is strong for the
dealership community to capitalize and be that trusted advisor and strategic
imagesourcemag: eSource- partner with businesses of all sizes.
September 19, 2012:
http://t.co/DNhwwtYd Content by David Ramos, a leading, senior industry consultant to the office
channel. Contacts: Phone: 407-416-4923 / Skype: david.ramos1971
imagesourcemag: RT
@itex_show: deadline
approaching this friday to
submit to #itex13 call for
papers! submit today if
you'd like to speak at
About the Author: David C. Ramos
#itex13! ht ...
About David C. Ramos
Articles by David C. Ramos
www.imagesourcemag.com/industry-news/opportunities-managed-services 3/6