Channel News and Analysis - Channel Insider
Empowering the next generation Channel
 

Bull’s Eye Awards
Nominations Open for Channel Insider 2009 Bull’s Eye Awards
Nominations are now open for the Channel Insider 2009 Bull’s Eye Awards, which recognize excellence in customer service, technology prowess, business acumen, channel leadership, communications and community building, and innovation among vendors, solution providers, distributors and channel services companies.



Sponsored Links
  • Control VM Sprawl, What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
  • FREE Sophos Encryption Tool: Encrypt, compress and share files easily
  • LSI 6Gb/s Portfolio Expands to Include SATA+SAS HBAs
  • Reduce the cost of managing your mobile workers.
  • Find out 7 Ways to Drive Data Center Efficiency
  • SonicWALL breaks through network and email gridlock
  • Save up to 40% on calling costs with Avaya Aura™



  •  

    ComputerRepair.com Gets New Image—and New Name

    in Channel News and Analysis


    Article Rating:starstarstarstarstar / 0
    Article Views: 892

    Rate This Article:
    Add This Article To:
    The IT service marketplace adopts the name OnForce to better represent the broad spectrum of services provided by its members.

    ComputerRepair.com—the online marketplace for IT services that has assembled a network of 12,000 service providers, mostly VARs, in the last year—now has a new name: OnForce.

    The company had been searching for a new identity for several months as its function grew beyond that of a marketplace for break/fix services, said Jeffrey Leventhal, president and CEO of OnForce.

    "Break/fix is just one component of the work that runs through our platform," Leventhal said. "Providers have been completing work orders for server installations, point-of-sale equipment upgrades, office configurations and micro-staffing assignments for small projects or help desk support. … It's not just computers or repairs anymore."

    Resource Library:
    Executives settled on the name OnForce to characterize the on-demand nature of the service, the company said. The name also provides a sustainable brand as the company adds more services and functions.

    OnForce operates as a clearinghouse for IT services, allowing users to put in a ticket for work to be done at a set price and allows service providers to bid on the ticket. OnForce charges $12 to submit a ticket.

    Read more about OnForce's business model here.

    Ninety-three percent of users classify themselves as VARs, and many have taken to working both ends of the program, Leventhal said.

    Many VARS fulfill service orders for others and bid out work to be done on their behalf in a way that extends their labor or geographical reach.

    VARs benefit by leveraging each other's resources to earn incremental service revenue without investing in the necessary training, authorizations and certifications themselves, Leventhal said.

    IT distributor Tech Data entered into an agreement in November with then ComputerRepair.com to provide the members of its TechSelect community of SMB (small and midsize business) resellers the opportunity to leverage service partnerships among each other and additional OnForce participants.

    OnForce also guarantees billing and payment, as participants must deposit money with the company before accepting bids for work. OnForce makes the payment.

    The OnForce Web site provides a window on the service industry, with real-time tracking of work order progress, bids and prices available online 24 hours a day.



    Discuss ComputerRepair.com Gets New Image—and New Name
     
    >>> Be the FIRST to comment on this article!
     

     
     
    >>> More Channel News and Analysis Articles          >>> More By John Hazard
     


     


    [ci] feeds
    XML
    Add Channel News, Product Reviews, Trends and Analysis to your RSS newsreader or My Yahoo!


    HTML PLAIN TEXT

    Keep on top of news for VARs and Resellers with CI's Weekly Newsletter and Alerts.

     


    CHANNEL RESOURCE CENTER
     
     
    Enterprise Mobility Zone
    The Enterprise Mobility Zone (EMZ) blog is a tool designed to help senior IT executives discuss, create and deploy next-generation mobile strategies in their organizations.
    Go beyond yesterday's tactical approach to mobility!
     
    Build A More Efficient Data Center
    Demands are growing but budgets are not. Solve your pressing IT issues using the resources you already have. Determine which technologies can help you drive efficiencies and how they are applied. Gain a quick ROI on new initiatives
    Find out how
    Let Enterprise TechBrief do the work for you. Aggregated content, tech news, product reviews, vendor updates, how-to’s—all you need to boost your efficiencies and cut costs, all from one place.
    enterprisetechbrief.com