The Business Solutions Network

Retail- and hospitality-focused VARs looking to get into the "as a Service" model, take note. As you transition your business to this model, one of the first things you're going to want to do is implement a PSA (professional services automation) tool for yourself.  Continue Reading..

Interesting news for IT integrators this morning out of IMS Research, now part of IHS Inc., the video surveillance industry's leading analyst firm. According to Niall Jenkins, Manager, Video Surveillance & Security Services Research, 45% of surveyed North American companies reported that their budgets for security-related spend had increased in 2012.  Continue Reading..

I don't need to tell you POS folk that you're in the middle of a huge transition. Increased competition, mind-blowing technological shifts, shrinking margins, ever cost-conscious customers, and so on all are creating both a threatening and opportunity-filled environment.  Continue Reading..

The following might seem basic, but to those readers who are new to or just getting started with their managed services practice, it could be valuable advice. In our upcoming May issue, we interviewed Dan Wilson, president and CEO of Waypoint Solutions Group, a managed services provider that has 70% of its customers on a flat-fee managed services plan and is projecting 29% revenue growth this year.  Continue Reading..

I spent last week in Palm Springs, CA for Epson's partner conference where I had the opportunity to rub elbows with the company's top VAR and ISV partners. Both Epson and its partners seemed genuinely excited about Epson's new OmniLink products. As mentioned during one of my NRF recaps back in January, when it comes to OmniLink you can think of an Epson printer combined with an embedded processor and memory (i.e. computer) in a...  Continue Reading..

I just read Business Solutions writer Matt Pillar's upcoming feature article on POS startup Congruity Solutions. If this article -- which will appear in our May issue -- doesn't serve as a wake up call for POS dealers, I'm not sure what will. Here's the gist: Chris Pace, CEO of Congruity Solutions was a business analyst for a healthcare organization when his friend, who operates a coffee shop , asked Pace for help in getting a...  Continue Reading..

Today's topic comes to you complements of the many readers with whom our team has spoken that believe a downside of cloud-based POS is that if the Internet is down or the power goes out, a cloud-based POS system is dead in the water. While I can't speak for the many -- many -- cloud POS software solutions out there, I can safely say that the reputable ones have this figured out.  Continue Reading..

The other day I was reading a white paper we produced for an RMM (remote monitoring and management) provider on the topic of Mobile Device Management (MDM), and it struck me that this is a service you could be offering your customers. As a solutions provider, you should always be looking to increase your value-add. Indeed, in some cases, your value-add is all you have to stand apart from your competition. Whether you or your customers...  Continue Reading..