Brian Sherman Posts

Collaboration shouldn’t be just another buzzword in the channel vernacular. When providers actively engage with other value-added resellers, managed service providers, vendors, distribution partners or other industry professionals, their efforts can result in far more sustainable outcomes than if they were to operate on their own. From extending creativity and working capacity to providing a more comprehensive system of checks and balances, cooperative efforts can clearly produce meaningful results.

In today’s fast-paced and fiscally cautious business environment, it takes a flexible and proactive IT services organization to meet the needs — and demands — of commercial clients. Are you ready, willing and able to succeed when opportunities appear, even those that require significant and swift operational changes?

The portfolio prospects for solution providers have never been brighter, from advanced cloud solutions to the Internet of Things. But with so much effort required to transform an IT business — and the considerable time and fine-tuning it takes to prepare a new VAR offering for a full-scale rollout — providers, vendors and distribution executives should be investing time and attention into their future products and services.

It could be today, tomorrow or even next year. The best time to make major improvements in your organization is not when sales are down or the creditors are knocking on the door. Successful entrepreneurs watch for positive trends and thoroughly research the latest innovations so they are fully prepared to take advantage of the next big opportunity. They adapt their business model to tackle new challenges and continually watch for better ways to run their operations, expand their customer bases and build the overall value of their organizations.

Adding a significant number of new clients to your roster sounds like a positive, but many businesses aren’t built for dramatic expansion without at least some growing pains. Successful hypergrowth takes time, solid procedures and infrastructure improvements, according to “The 5 Secrets of Hyper-Growth,” a CompTIA webinar by Axcient’s Justin Moore. While his approach is nontraditional, it makes perfect sense to for open-minded MSPs.

Remote monitoring and management tools have been available to channel companies for quite some time. Just last week, a friend of mine sent me a link to the first article I ever wrote on managed services — from almost a decade ago — to congratulate me on 10 years of covering this industry-changing topic. Though it was just a brief mention from the former Gartner System Builders’ Summit and VARVision show, the Business Solutions magazine piece reminded me just how much the channe ...

Society and technology are evolving faster than our ability to adapt. That point was strongly emphasized by Bob Humphreys in his presentation that helped kick off the recent CompTIA IT Services and Support Community meeting in Woodbridge, Ontario, just north of Toronto. The leader of Demand Programs and Digital Strategy for IBM Canada underscored how technology has become the most important external force that impacts today’s businesses. Back in the day, most businesses used IT for process ...

New technology doesn’t always translate to a fantastic business opportunity when a new idea is first introduced. It often takes months — if not years — for solution providers and vendors to evaluate innovative new portfolio options. Due diligence is imperative for anyone trying to build a viable technology business practice, but the vetting process for a mobility specialization can be particularly long and arduous. Some attribute it to the complexity of the devices and applicat ...

All CompTIA members are encouraged to participate in one or more of the nine CompTIA communities, sharing ideas and providing feedback on the initiatives that are the most interesting to members and their businesses. The lesser-known — but just as critical — advisory councils (Partner, Vendor and Telecom) are literally the think tanks of the association, though they’ve taken on many other responsibilities in the past few years. Each group is made up of senior channel executives ...

It’s that time of year when a literal who’s who of channel professionals gather to take on some of the industry’s biggest opportunities and concerns. CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting convenes April 1 in sunny San Diego with a full slate of interactive group discussions, thought-provoking presentations and numerous networking opportunities. Attendees will also get to partake in this year’s IT Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Awards Dinner, as Robert Faletra and S ...