Month: August 2018

Tech Time Warp: Miss Manners Tackles Computer Etiquette

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,...

/ August 31, 2018
Report details scope of network management challenges faced by MSPs

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...

/ August 30, 2018
Four ways to distinguish a good MSP from a great one

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...

/ August 30, 2018 / 2 Comments
Email bombing is making a quick comeback

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...

/ August 29, 2018 / 3 Comments
MSP sales
Brad Stoller: The Return on a Non-Close

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...

/ August 29, 2018
VMworld
VMware NSX emerges as network management platform

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...

/ August 28, 2018
Foreshadow vulnerability
When the vulnerabilities hit your CPU, you can only wait for patches

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...

/ August 27, 2018
AROK
Tech Time Warp: Meet AROK the Robot

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...

/ August 24, 2018
IT equipment lifecycle
Extended lifecycle of IT equipment starts to force the managed services issue

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...

/ August 23, 2018
sales calls
Gary Pica: How to pace sales calls

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...

/ August 22, 2018 / 2 Comments