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.

Survey shows strong need for external cloud expertise

Survey shows strong need for external cloud expertise

A global survey of 1,000 technology practitioners and decision-makers conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of HashiCorp finds 43 percent plan to work more strategically with systems integrators, resellers, and consultants, to better manage their cloud computing environments. There is...

/ June 28, 2023
MSPs and the next wave of cybersecurity AI solutions

MSPs and the next wave of cybersecurity AI solutions

While cybersecurity researchers tend to revel in discovering vulnerabilities, many of the ones that do get disclosed require cybercriminals to have extensive expertise to exploit. Most cybercriminals today remain focused on launching attacks that use tried and true techniques and...

/ June 19, 2023
Survey sheds light on SMB IT spending trends

Survey sheds light on SMB IT spending trends

A survey of 375 IT decision-makers within small-to-medium businesses in the U.S. suggests that planned investments in IT in 2023 are contracting slightly because of continuing economic headwinds. Conducted by Analysys Mason, a management consulting firm, the survey finds that...

/ June 14, 2023
Cybersecurity insurance becomes a barometer for MSPs

Cybersecurity insurance becomes a barometer for MSPs

Managed service providers (MSPs) looking to minimize their cybersecurity risks might want to take notice of how many of their customers have cybersecurity insurance. A survey of 500 small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) conducted by Cowbell, a provider of cybersecurity insurance, finds...

/ June 5, 2023
A look into IT service provider spending habits

A look into IT service provider spending habits

A survey of nearly 400 IT service providers, MSPs, and other professional service companies finds well over half (58 percent) have increased their suppliers over the past three years, with 26 percent keeping the number of vendors they work with...

/ May 30, 2023
Growing cloud complexity creates MSP opportunity

Growing cloud complexity creates MSP opportunity

More organizations than ever are employing multiple cloud service providers, but with the addition of each cloud platform, concerns about cost appear to correspondingly increase. A survey of 350 IT leaders in the U.S. and United Kingdom conducted by Virtana,...

/ May 22, 2023
MSPs can create value amid growing cloud costs

MSPs can create value amid growing cloud costs

A survey of 100 vice presidents from organizations with more than 1,000 employees suggests a need for increased visibility into cloud spending. This has become a major opportunity for managed service providers (MSPs) that have cloud expertise. Conducted by Vega...

/ May 11, 2023
Reining in costs moves to the top of the IT agenda

Reining in costs moves to the top of the IT agenda

In the wake of the economic downturn, the issues that are stressing out senior information technology (IT) leaders have changed. A survey of 200 IT professionals conducted by Torii, a provider of a platform for managing software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, finds...

/ May 2, 2023
The opportunity for managed security services is now

The opportunity for managed security services is now

It doesn’t appear that cybersecurity is exempt from a wave of cutbacks that have been made by organizations around the globe, but if there is one bright spot from a managed services perspective, it is that more organizations are relying...

/ April 24, 2023
New MSP program: Intel Connectivity Analytics

New MSP program: Intel Connectivity Analytics

It’s about to become simpler for managed service providers (MSPs) to diagnose wireless connectivity issues thanks to a connectivity analytics program launched by Intel. MSPs that sign up to participate in the Intel Connectivity Analytics program can remotely use software...

/ April 17, 2023