Mike Vizard

All posts by Mike Vizard

Mike Vizard has covered IT for more than 25 years, and has edited or contributed to a number of tech publications including InfoWorld, eWeek, CRN, Baseline, ComputerWorld, TMCNet, and Digital Review. He currently blogs for IT Business Edge and contributes to CIOinsight, The Channel Insider, Programmableweb and Slashdot. Mike blogs about emerging cloud technology for Smarter MSP.

cloud partnerships
Survey shows growing dependence on cloud partners

Survey shows growing dependence on cloud partners

A survey of 1,800 senior IT decision-makers finds that more than half (52 percent) of respondents said their organization relies on professional services for specific cloud-related needs, with 28 percent being heavily dependent on professional cloud partners for all aspects...

/ June 12, 2025
AI
Survey shows AI initiatives are boosting opportunities for MSPs

Survey shows AI initiatives are boosting opportunities for MSPs

A global survey of over 850 leaders of artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives conducted by The Futurum Group finds more than a quarter report their organization is wrestling with a skills shortage, with other challenges including legacy system integration (35 percent),...

/ June 5, 2025
2030 vision: The managed services market’s soaring to $730 billion

2030 vision: The managed services market’s soaring to $730 billion

The global managed services market size is projected to grow at a 14.1 percent compound annual growth rate over the next five years, reaching $731.1 billion by 2030, according to a market forecast from Grand View Research, Inc. According to...

/ May 29, 2025
The managed mobile services market is about to take off

The managed mobile services market is about to take off

There’s an old maxim that advises managed services providers (MSPs) to focus on tasks that the average IT organization either doesn’t do all that well or would simply rather not have to do at all. Mobile computing appears to be...

/ May 22, 2025
Federal IT reviews signal fresh MSP opportunities ahead

Federal IT reviews signal fresh MSP opportunities ahead

Federal IT contractors have been facing major changes recently as part of the government’s broader effort to reduce overall spending. Leading systems integrators such as Accenture and Booz Allen are reportedly being asked to identify billions of dollars in savings...

/ May 15, 2025
Weathering the storm: Partners stay positive

Weathering the storm: Partners stay positive

In the face of growing uncertainty, a survey of 705 technology partners in North America and Western Europe finds more than three-quarters (87 percent) expect to grow revenues in 2025, with a subset of that group (18 percent) expecting more...

/ May 8, 2025
managed services
Managed services redefined: Expanding beyond IT

Managed services redefined: Expanding beyond IT

A global survey of over 1,240 business leaders from organizations with more than $100 million in revenue suggests that enterprises are increasingly relying on managed service providers (MSPs) to assume responsibility of entire business processes. Conducted by KPMG and HFS...

/ May 1, 2025
MSPs focus
Maximizing value: MSPs focus on IT cost optimization

Maximizing value: MSPs focus on IT cost optimization

In the coming weeks, IT organizations will be turning to managed service providers (MSPs) to help them optimize their existing investments during this period of uncertainty. Historically, when faced with economic challenges, IT organizations have focused on two key areas:...

/ April 24, 2025
MSPs
MSPs: Building resilience in the midst of uncertainty

MSPs: Building resilience in the midst of uncertainty

Regardless of how business and IT leaders view tariffs as economic policy, one certainty is that nearly every organization, including managed service providers (MSPs), will be affected. Many MSPs and the organizations employing them are already scrambling to purchase everything...

/ April 17, 2025
Survey: Cloud spending exceeding budgets

Survey: Cloud spending exceeding budgets

A survey of 300 CIOs in the U.S. working for organizations with over 500 employees finds 83 percent are on average spending 30 percent more on cloud infrastructure and applications than what their organization initially budgeted for, even as spending...

/ April 10, 2025