The VAR Guy

There’s still time to register for today’s Channel Expert Hour Webcast. Our topic: How to build cloud backup partnerships that allow MSPs and VARs to control pricing, margins and service level agreements. Two top IT service providers  — Data Storage Corp. and Bumi (Backup My Info!) — and Asigra will offer their perspectives on cloud backup. We’ll cover the questions Data Storage Corp. and Bumi asked while investigating potential cloud storage partnerships.

How can VARs and MSPs control their destinies, pricing and margins while pushing into cloud storage and online backup services. Get the answers during our next Channel Expert Hour webcast on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Register to learn from two top channel partners –Data Storage Corp. and Bumi (Backup My Info!) — and Asigra. Here are more details…

Join our next webcast today at 2:00 p.m. eastern. We’ll cover five best practices for selling cloud services. Confirmed speakers include Savvis VP Martin Capurro, Mycroft CISO Liz Mann, and CA Technologies Senior Advisor Wendy Petty (CA is the event’s sponsor). We’ll take your questions throughout the webcast. Register now and pose your questions at 2:00 p.m. eastern today.

The VAR Guy spent all of his time this afternoon catching up on email and reader questions. Faced with those distractions, here are five technology news tips The VAR Guy failed to pursue and confirm for the week ending Dec. 2, 2011.

I’ve always respected Bill Gates for leaping beyond the desktop into the server software market in the 1990s, where customers craved alternatives to Unix (expensive) and NetWare (aging). But like many folks, I also viewed Gates as desktop monopolist, who once had the power to stop PC makers from adjusting even a single icon on the Windows desktop. Fast forward to the present and my views on Gates have changed for the better.

You’re spending more and more time managing iPads, iPhones, Google Android, tablets and other mobile devices for your customers. But how can you develop you truly profit from mobile device management (MDM)? Moreover, how can you streamline your approach to MDM? Find the answers during our next webcast, this Wednesday (Nov. 16) at 2:00 p.m. eastern. Register now to join us.

Join our next Webcast (this Wednesday, November 2, at 2:00 p.m. eastern) to learn how to adjust your to adjust your service level agreements (SLAs) for managed and cloud services. We’ll share SLA best practices from both the MSP and customer perspective. Register now to join us for this Channel Expert Hour webcast.

How are top MSPs adjusting their managed services and cloud services business models for 2012? Find out today (Wed., Oct. 19 at 2:00 p.m. eastern) during our next webcast. Two MSPmentor 100 companies — Kevin Crowe from Long View Systems and Tim Hebert from Atrion — will describe how they maximized their recurring revenues in 2011, and where their respective cloud and MSP strategies are heading in 2012. Instead of writing your 2012 business plan from scratch, borrow some great ideas from two top MSPmentor 100 companies. Bonus: Nimsoft CEO Chris O’Malley will join in to answer your questions live.

I admire Apple. But I love Pixar. As the world mourns Steve Jobs’ death, I recall the first time I took my sons to an Apple Store. I told them it was Steve Jobs’ home. My six-year-old son replied: “Do Woody and Buzz live here, too?” Indeed, my kids knew Steve Jobs was the man behind both Apple and Pixar. But few people realize just how much time, money and patience Jobs invested to transform Pixar from a money-losing R&D house into the world’s most successful digital movie studio.

I’m moderating a Webcast today (Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 2:00 p.m. eastern). The topic: Five SaaS Habits of Highly Profitable MSPs. Two Top MSPs and CA Technologies will describe the five moves in deep detail, while answering your questions throughout. Plus, we’ll preview the fifth-annual MSPmentor 100 survey, which launches today. I look forward to your questions, and I’ll share some updates on the next MSPmentor 100 survey during the webcast.

Join our next Webcast this Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. Participants will gain early access to our new MSPmentor 100 survey, which launches that day. Plus, we’ll review Five SaaS Habits of Highly Profitable MSPs. Two Top MSPs and CA Technologies will describe the five moves in deep detail, while answering your questions throughout. I look forward to your questions, and I’ll share some updates on the next MSPmentor 100 survey during the webcast.

Our next webcast is today (Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2:00 p.m. eastern). We’ll explore how to Deliver New Customer Value With the Managed IT Services Tools You Already Have. Two MSPs (Rick Vines of Axcell Technologies and Michael Nelson of TLC Tech) and Intel’s Eric Townsend will describe MSP best practices for customer retention and customer satisfaction. I will moderate the discussion and ensure our experts answer your questions. Please join us.

Join us Wednesday (Sept. 21, 2:00 p.m. eastern) for our next webcast, The topic: Deliver New Customer Value With the Managed IT Services Tools You Already Have. Two talented MSPs (Rick Vines of Axcell Technologies and Michael Nelson of TLC Tech) plus Eric Townsend of Intel will describe MSP best practices for customer retention and customer satisfaction. I will moderate the discussion and ensure our experts answer your questions. Please join us.

I hope you’ll join us for our next two webcasts. First, we will show you how to deliver new customer value with the managed services tools you already have (Sept. 21, 2:00 p.m. eastern). Second, we’ll show you the five habits of highly profitable MSPs that mastered SaaS (Oct. 5, 2:00 p.m. eastern). Our Channel Expert Hour webcasts serve readers of The VAR Guy, MSPmentor and Talkin’ Cloud.

Our next webcast is today (Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2:00 p.m. eastern). We’ll cover Five Steps to Building Winning Sales Proposals. The five tips are designed for VARs and MSPs that want to win more business and speed their sales pipelines. Our guest speakers will include two leading IT solutions providers and Quosal (the event’s sponsor). I’ll be on hand to moderate. Please register now.

Our next webcast is today (Wed., August 10, 2:00 p.m. eastern). We’ll discuss how VARs can Sell Secure Cloud Data Protection and Recovery Services to SMB customers. Two top channel partners — a VAR and an MSP — will describe how they evaluated and selected a cloud storage service, and we’ll also cover how those companies lined up their first cloud storage customers. The webcast will also include insights from i365, the event’s sponsor. We look forward to your questions during the webcast. You can register or find more information here.

Our next webcast is this week — Wednesday, August 10 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. The topic: Selling Secure Cloud Data Protection and Recovery to SMB customers. In other words, how can VARs and managed services providers select a cloud storage solution — and the appropriate cloud storage partner program — while giving end-customers peace of mind? The webcast, hosted by Talkin’ Cloud (The VAR Guy’s sister site) will include insights from two top channel partners and i365, the webcast’s sponsor. And we’ll take your questions throughout the event.

Our next webcast, hosted by Talkin’ Cloud, focuses on Selling Secure Cloud Data Protection and Recovery to SMB Customers (Aug. 10, 2:00 p.m. eastern). Our guest speakers — a VAR, an MSP, and i365 — will help you understand how to select, promote and sell cloud storage solutions. And don’t forget to register for Five Steps to Building Winning Sales Proposals (Aug. 24, 2:00 p.m. eastern). That webcast will show VARs and MSPs how to speed the proposal process and close more deals more rapidly. Registration is now open for both webcasts, which are sponsored by i365 and Quosal, respectively.

The next MSPmentor Live webcast is today (Wednesday, July 20, 2:00 p.m. eastern). The topic: Key tips to help VARs and MSPs build, automate and scale their service desks to improve operational efficiency, customer support and customer loyalty.

Our next live webcast is Wednesday, July 20 at 2:00 p.m. eastern. The topic: Building Your Service Desk to Build Business. During the webcast we’ll cover five tips for success, delivered by two MSPs and an expert from Nimsoft (the webcast’s sponsor). We’ll take your questions throughout the webcast, which will help MSPs and solutions providers to understand how service desks can lift customer satisfaction and actually increase customer spending. Register now; our team looks forward to your questions and comments during the live July 20 webcast.

The fourth-annual MSPmentor 250 survey ends today (June 24, 2011). The VAR Guy’s sister site, MSPmentor, uses the survey to pinpoint the world’s top managed services experts, entrepreneurs and executives — folks who specialize in business leadership, sales, marketing, community development, coaching and more. Please submit your nomination(s) here. No need to stuff the ballot box — one submission per nominee is absolutely fine. MSPmentor will unveil the fourth-annual MSPmentor 250 results in August 2011. The resulting list and report can help you to rapidly build a managed services Rolodex.

Our next webcast is today (Wednesday, June 22, 2:00 p.m. eastern). We’ll discuss Vertical Market Managed Services Strategies. Also, sign up early for next month’s webcast: Building Your Service Desk to Build Business (Wed., July 20, 2:00 p.m. eastern). Use this single link to get more information about either online event. The Nine Lives Media Inc. team and our guest speakers look forward to answering your questions during both webcasts.

Our next two webcasts are right around the corner. First, we’ll cover Vertical Market Managed Services Strategies (this coming Wed., June 22, 2:00 p.m. eastern). Then, we’ll show you how to Building Your Service Desk to Build Business (Wed., July 20, 2:00 p.m. eastern). Use this single link to get more information about either webcast. We look forward to answering your questions during both online events.