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.

Windows 11
Windows 11 migration push begins in earnest

Windows 11 migration push begins in earnest

Now that Windows 10 is no longer being officially supported for free by Microsoft, the pace at which organizations are expected to upgrade PCs that are optimized for artificial intelligence (AI) applications is set to dramatically increase. AI PC market...

/ October 30, 2025
managed services
Global momentum in managed services growth

Global momentum in managed services growth

A report from Information Services Group (ISG) finds that billing for managed services valued over $5 million in the Americas grew by 22 percent in the third quarter. However, the global market declined by 2 percent, primarily due to delays...

/ October 23, 2025
cybersecurity
Survey finds organizations looking to MSPs for AI cybersecurity expertise

Survey finds organizations looking to MSPs for AI cybersecurity expertise

A survey of over 3,880 business and technology leaders conducted by PwC finds that artificial intelligence (AI) is now the top cybersecurity technology that organizations are looking to managed service providers (MSPs) to help implement. According to the survey, 38...

/ October 16, 2025
AI
Rise of AI drives increased demand for data management expertise

Rise of AI drives increased demand for data management expertise

A pair of surveys suggest that when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) the biggest winners just might be managed service providers (MSPs) that have much needed data management expertise. The first survey of over 830 senior data and analytics...

/ October 9, 2025
Global politics meets IT staffing: The H-1B visa crossroads

Global politics meets IT staffing: The H-1B visa crossroads

H-1B visas that enable IT professionals from overseas to work in the U.S. have always been a controversial issue. However, with the current administration’s decision to impose $100,000 annual fees for each successful applicant, the issue may soon simply fade...

/ October 2, 2025 / 1 Comment
MSPs
Survey: Skills shortage crisis bodes well for MSPs

Survey: Skills shortage crisis bodes well for MSPs

A survey of over 200 enterprise chief information officers (CIOs) conducted by the Futurum Group finds nearly three quarters (72 percent) of IT leaders identify talent acquisition and retention as the top challenge, followed by cybersecurity (49 percent) in a...

/ September 25, 2025
VMware
MSPs take center stage in Broadcom’s VMware strategy

MSPs take center stage in Broadcom’s VMware strategy

After an initial spate of controversy surrounding the Broadcom acquisition of VMware, it appears the company is now counting on partners to help organizations that have licensed the VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) platform to help install it. VCF surges as...

/ September 18, 2025
AI agents
AI agents unlock new management opportunities for MSPs

AI agents unlock new management opportunities for MSPs

A report from International Data Corp. (IDC) projects that spending on agentic artificial intelligence initiatives will reach $1.3 trillion by 2029. Over the next five years, developers, and organizations will increase the number and complexity of third-party and custom-built AI...

/ September 11, 2025
MSPs caught in the tug-of-war over legacy systems

MSPs caught in the tug-of-war over legacy systems

Each Labor Day, the cost of IT labor invariably becomes a topic of discussion. After all, even in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), the single biggest segment of any IT budget remains staffing. The cost incurred depends greatly on...

/ September 4, 2025
Data center
Data center drought: MSPs scramble for capacity

Data center drought: MSPs scramble for capacity

In the months and years ahead, many IT leaders will urgently turn to managed service providers (MSPs) to help them find IT infrastructure resources to run their workloads. An analysis of the data center colocation market was published by JLL,...

/ August 28, 2025