In a recent blog, I talked about some of the common pitfalls VARs and MSPs run into with PSA (professional service automation) tools. One of the biggest pitfalls identified was “Using 10% of the application.” I recently spoke with Kory Lindersmith and Lonnie Ladwig, cofounders of Dakota Retail Technologies, two guys who can closely identify with this pitfall.  Continue Reading..

Solutions providers attending VARTECH 2014, the annual conference hosted by value-added distributor BlueStar, participated in two interesting live polls during a partner meeting Thursday afternoon at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. Resellers used their smartphones to submit their responses via text, Twitter, or a web page, and the results were posted on a giant screen as they were received.  Continue Reading..

I appreciated that BlueStar executives cut to the chase during their regional update meeting with a few hundred U.S.-based VAR partners Thursday afternoon at their annual VARTECH conference in New Orleans. So I’ll cut to the chase and get right to some of their most insightful statistics and quotes.  Continue Reading..

Do you recall the 1939 version of The Wizard Of Oz when a fearful Dorothy, played by Judy Garland, exclaims, “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!”? Today, solutions providers — especially those old enough to remember the 1939 version of The Wizard Of Oz — are saying “Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn, oh my!” as they face an avalanche of social media options.  Continue Reading..

Value-added distributor BlueStar turned the tables on members of the channel media at its VARTECH conference in New Orleans Thursday. The day one general session opened with BlueStar Global Marketing Manager Dean Reverman asking publishing executives and editors questions about trends and best practices for solutions providers and IT vendors.  Continue Reading..

I love coming across quick, easy-to-follow advice for solutions providers. During a short presentation at the recently-held GFI MAX Customer Conference in Orlando, Tony Hayden, president of Sabre Networks, shared his thoughts on why an MSP should adopt many of the practices of restaurant chain Chick-fil-A. He believes the result would be a highly successful business. Here's what the restaurant does that can be applied to your business.  Continue Reading..

The managed services model is all about efficiency. If you’re currently on a break-fix model or not yet fully embracing services, an important step is going to be getting your business in order. At the recently-held GFI MAX Customer Conference in Orlando, Karl Palachuk, MSP and author, Small Biz Thoughts, talked about how standard operating procedures can help MSPs get organized, save time, and make more money.   Continue Reading..

It’s easy for solutions providers to get caught thinking they’re smarter and better than their customers. However, just because you have more IT knowledge than your customers, doesn’t mean you’re better. Have some humility. That was the advice of Jason Etheridge, president and CEO of Logic Speak, who spoke at the recently held GFI MAX Customer Conference in Orlando. During his presentation on technology humility, he...  Continue Reading..

Day one of GFI's annual partner conference kicked off today in Orlando. Approximately 400 partners are in attendance, making this GFI's largest conference to date. Not only are there more people, but the education agenda appears to be hitting new heights as well. Following are my notes from the first part of the day. Notes from the breakout sessions will follow in the coming days.  Continue Reading..