Latest Articles

51. Lies You Tell Yourself About IP Video
    11/20/2012

    Unless you're new to Business Solutions magazine, you know we've been on a crusade the past 18 months or so educating VARs and integrators on the great opportunity that is IP video surveillance. Some have embraced our recommendation, others have been skeptical and are holding off.

52. NCR Slaps SMB-Focused VARs In The Face
    11/13/2012

    I shouldn't be surprised. I recently read that small business owners interested in NCR Silver could pick up the bundle at Staples for $499. According to the company's press release, "The bundle includes a receipt printer, credit card reader, cash drawer for NCR Silver, and the NCR swivel stand for an iPad. The cost also includes a free 30-day trial of NCR Silver."

53. How To Overcome The #1 Barrier To Selling Managed Services
    11/12/2012

    Recent studies show that managed services providers as a whole are struggling to convert their customers over to a recurring revenue model. While attending a recent N-able Technologies conference, former MSP, Gary Pica, CEO and founder of TruMethods, an MSP mentoring company, addressed this pain point to an engaged audience of managed services providers. Pica shared a story from his managed services days when he presented a plan to convert a customer over to a recurring revenue model and was met with the classic objection many MSPs face: "Our IT is fine. Why should I spend more money with you?"

54. Product Reviews Coming To Business Solutions Magazine In 2013
    11/9/2012

    We recently surveyed our readers, asking what they'd like to see added to the magazine. The overwhelming response was for the addition of product reviews. So, the January 2013 will feature our first set of reviews and each month we'll look at another set of products.

55. How One NJ-Based MSP Is Recovering From Hurricane Sandy
    11/8/2012

    Earlier this week I spoke with Dan Haurey, president of a 21-employee MSP company called Exigent Technologies, which is based in Mount Arlington, NJ. Like many companies and residents in Haurey’s area, he was without power and his business (and many employees’ homes) was flooded out following the super storm that hit the East Coast on Monday evening on October 29.

56. If You Think IP Cameras Are Too Expensive, Read This
    11/6/2012

    I hear it all the time from integrators and VARs: "IP cameras are too expensive for my customers." If you're only comparing the cost of one camera to another, that might be true. But as an integrator, you know that one piece of equipment does not make a total solution. This definitely holds true in the video surveillance world.

57. How Hurricane Sandy Survivors Are Paying It Forward
    11/2/2012

    Hurricane Sandy pummeled the East Coast recently, leaving millions without power and causing severe damage to homes and office buildings. As horrible as this super storm has been, such adversities have a way of revealing the heroes among us. John Motazedi, CEO of SNC Squared Technology Group and Hands That Give are just two examples.

58. Retail IT VARs: Change Your Mindset Once And For All
    11/1/2012

    Today we began the week-long process of wrapping up our December issue. As part of the issue, we're including a special report on the topic of where retailers plan to focus their IT budgets in 2013. The data came from a survey that our sister publication conducts with its retailer audience each year.

59. ETA Addresses Ethics, Professionalism In The Payments Industry
    10/30/2012

    I had a phone call this morning with ETA (Electronic Transaction Association) CEO Jason Oxman to get his response on my previous articles questioning the "dirtiness" of the processing industry. For those who don't know, the ETA is to the payments industry as the RSPA is to retail industry. So basically, I was talking to the right guy.

60. What Hurricane Sandy Is About To Do For MSPs And The Cloud
    10/29/2012

    I just got back from N-able's Partner Conference, which was held in Montreal last week. One of the conference highlights for me was CEO Gavin Garbutt's keynote speech. He shared the results from N-able's extensive research conducted earlier this year, involving feedback from 1,800 IT service providers throughout the United States and Canada. Following are a few points that got my attention.