Month: August 2018
Tech Time Warp: Miss Manners Tackles Computer Etiquette
You know that writing in all caps equates to shouting online, and that emoticons in professional emails are a no-no, but did you know that Miss Manners has been doling out computer etiquette for almost 40 years? On Aug. 26,...
Report details scope of network management challenges faced by MSPs
A report published this week by Auvik Networks finds more than three-quarters of managed service providers (MSPs) manage four or more network vendors across their client base. A third of MSPs are managing equipment from six to ten networking and...
Four ways to distinguish a good MSP from a great one
What sets apart the most outstanding MSPs goes beyond just business acumen, customer empathy, and technology expertise. As important as these factors are, what I’ve observed – now from many years in the channel – to be even more valuable...
Email bombing is making a quick comeback
I have an old AOL email account that I haven’t opened in seven years — maybe even ten. Right now, it’s a swamp of spam. My AOL could be email bombed, and I wouldn’t know or care. “Email bombing,” despite...
Brad Stoller: The Return on a Non-Close
When we start our businesses or start our careers in MSP sales, we are told early on that just because a prospect says “no” today doesn’t mean they won’t become a prospect in the future. Yeah, yeah, but you need...
VMware NSX emerges as network management platform
At the VMworld 2018 conference this week, VMware firmly established the role network virtualization overlays will play in managing disparate physical networks from here on in. In addition to revealing that VMware now has 7,500 customers for its NSX network virtualization...
When the vulnerabilities hit your CPU, you can only wait for patches
Just when you thought it was safe to open up your computer, word emerged this month of another Intel chip vulnerability called L1TF / Foreshadow or more commonly just Foreshadow. According to TechRepublic, it’s eerily similar to the Spectre/Meltdown issues discovered...
Tech Time Warp: Meet AROK the Robot
Remember Rosie the Robot, George Jetson’s trusty maid? Well, Rosie had nothing on AROK, the robotic assistant created by Chicagoan Ben Skora in the late 1970s. Weighing in at 275 pounds and standing 6 feet, 8 inches, tall, AROK (that’s...
Extended lifecycle of IT equipment starts to force the managed services issue
Most solution providers have added managed services to their portfolio to one degree or another. But, arguably far too many of them are still dependent on reselling products as their primary source of revenue. A new survey of 1,372 IT...
Gary Pica: How to pace sales calls
Sales calls don’t have to be daunting, especially when you and your peers are struggling with the same issues. As you know, I’m always checking in with MSPs about how they’re overcoming challenges related to sales calls, and what I’ve...