Pedro Pereira

Kaseya International’s new release of its managed services platform features support for Microsoft’s Vista operating system and the capability to send alerts to mobile devices. The new release of Kaseya’s IT Managed Service Automation sets the groundwork for development of features the company is planning in anticipation of the evolving needs of managed services customers, […]

Have you ever noticed how the English language takes a kick in the teeth every time a technology company comes up with the next big thing? Over the years I’ve poked fun at the hijacking of terms such as “ecosystem” and the outright invention of words such as “incent” or “incentivize.” And let’s not even […]

Call it hype if you must, but managed services are fueling a very real IT services movement. And that movement is about to gain momentum, as users become more attuned to the benefits of engaging a solution provider to deliver the services. I can almost see the eye rolls as I embark on yet another […]

Ya gotta love the moxie. While demonstrating Apple’s new iPod-like phone, which famous pop music album did Steve Jobs pick to show off the gadget’s features? “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Never mind that iTunes, Apple’s online music store, which feeds the iPod, doesn’t even carry Sgt. Pepper’s. Or any of the Beatles titles […]

Do IT Smarter has recruited 75 channel partners since it decided a year ago to phase out of the end-user business to instead become an intermediary between managed services providers and software tool vendors. Encouraged by the response thus far, the San Diego-based company is stepping up recruiting efforts and aims to enlist 100 to […]

It’s tempting to say that the issue of whether you should mix a reselling and distribution model is settled, in light of solution provider Agilysys’ planned divestment of its distribution business. Agilysys was the last of the hybrid dinosaurs—companies with mixed models that touched the user directly while supplying competitors of its direct business. By […]

One of the most overused adages in the IT industry is, “Change is the only constant.” That is true in most contexts, but at Microsoft the more applicable cliché is, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” I couldn’t arrest an involuntary smirk when I started reading over the past few days […]

In the past few years, solution providers and distributors have been watching a trend that only a decade ago would have seemed improbable: Notebook PCs are overtaking desktops, not only at the enterprise level, but also at small and midsize businesses. In 2007, the amount of revenue generated by laptops is expected to surpass that […]

A salesperson visiting a potential client typically requires some configuration of his or her notebook to gain Internet access through the client’s network. A little-known vendor, IC Intracom, is working to eliminate this time-consuming step with a new Internet access device called GuestGate. GuestGate provides users with quick Internet access through the use of a […]

Michael Drake sees the managed services provider role primarily as that of an evangelist. That’s why Drake, founder and CEO of MasterIT, spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to attract customers to the managed services model. The 20-year channel veteran understands that acquiring customers under this new model requires relentless legwork […]

EMC traditionally has been known as an enterprise storage company, but that changed last January after Steve Houck became vice president of sales for the vendor’s Insignia. With a 100 percent channel play, the vendor in the past year has created a storage market for solution providers selling into the small and midsize business sector. […]

Even before he was promoted to vice president of services, North America, Justin Crotty for all intents and purposes already was distributor Ingram Micro’s “services guy.” Crotty, whose promotion took effect in October, has worked tirelessly the last couple of years to develop and launch services programs for the Santa Ana, Calif., distributor’s solution providers […]