A CIO is much different than a CTO. CTOs are technology gurus who know the ins and outs of all things technology for an organization. CIOs on the other hand are focused on the business aspect of technology. They focus on driving efficiencies and profitability through the effective use of processes and procedures to alignRead more >>

I wrote an article for Wired magazine some months ago in which a Microsoft employee very adamantly told me that Microsoft will NEVER allow the reselling of Office 365. Well in a move that shocked the channel, yesterday at WPC 2012 in Toronto, Steve Ballmer announced that they now have a plan on allowing partnersRead more >>

This post was originally on Wired’s Cloudline website, but they felt it was too “HP Oriented” so it was deleted. I am guessing that is because the site is sponsored by IBM. I think that solution providers need to be aware of what is going on with some of the big players in cloud computing.Read more >>

When you are in the managed IT services business, automation is the only way to become insanely profitable. The whole basis of managed services is to guarantee that your clients’ network will operate at an acceptable level for a fixed fee. The way to profitability deliver managed services is by automating your workload. Otherwise, youRead more >>

MSPs always need to be on the lookout for the next service they can manage for their customers. There are several up and coming web based applications that you want to take a look at. These 5 solutions cover a range of services that MSPs can offer to their customers, which should be interesting toRead more >>

Earlier this week Proctor and Gamble announced that it was banning their employees from using online media services such as Pandora, Spotify and Netflix. The reason… it was sucking up the bandwidth needed to access cloud applications and data. Any solution provider who has implemented cloud solutions has probably run into this problem. Online musicRead more >>

Last week I attended the Ingram Micro Cloud Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was Ingram’s third year of doing the show, but the first that I have attended. I have had somewhat of a skeptical opinion of the viability of distributors to enter into cloud computing. The event had excellent speakers and content. Ingram announced 56 newRead more >>

CloudOne, leader in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), as well as an IBM Premier Business Partner, has announced a solution which will provide government customers with CloudOne Rational tools, while meeting the needs of Federal IT security policies and mandates. This collaboration combines government-specific infrastructure from IBM, which is designed to FISMA-moderate standards, with the SaaS-based Rational toolsRead more >>

In order to survive, managed service providers must distinguish themselves in innovative and unique ways, offering their customers the services which they need, often before they even know they need them. With so many different services now moving to a cloud model, managed service providers have a wide range of different services which they canRead more >>

Avnet Technology Solutions, a leader in global IT solutions distribution, has announced the launch of a dedicated team focused on off-premise cloud solutions for value-added reseller (VAR), integrated software vendor (ISV), and managed service provider (MSP) partners throughout the United States and Canada. “Avnet invested more than a year of research and development into theRead more >>