Brian Sherman Posts

The MSP evolution is still underway. And business continuity (back-up and disaster recovery) is one of the most crucial building blocks for an IT services business today. Those who look beyond the tools and gain a real understanding of the impact these programs can have on their clients are better positioned to grow their own opportunities...and profitability.

CompTIA’s new Business Application Advisory Council (BAAC) is a prime example of the association's forward-thinking philosophy. Tasked with examining and creating initiatives around the complex and rapidly evolving business arena for technology, the group tackled channel transformation and a host of other related topics at this years's Annual Member Meeting. What should IT vendors and providers expect in the future?

As members of the CompTIA End User Commission emphasized during their open forum discussion with the joint CompTIA Councils and Communities at AMM, IT providers need to engage in deeper, broader conversations with their business customers. The most successful VARs and MSPs are those who are truly enlightened on the unique needs of their clients.How do they do it? Read on...

The role of IT in business transformation was a major topic in the ITSS (IT Services and Support) Community session at the CompTIA Annual Member Meeting in Chicago this week. A panel of channel professionals with intimate knowledge of the subject shared their insight and recommendations to a packed house. What did they have to say?

Of all the changes that have taken place in the channel over the past ten years, one the most significant transitions did not directly involve technology or business models. The new IT decision makers are now everywhere in an organization. How does that affect VARs and MSPs? Quite a bit, as most are finding out.

How can you measure the potential success (or failure) of something you know absolutely nothing about? That is one of many reasons why so many IT service providers, vendors and other industry professionals attend CompTIA Canadian IT Business Community meetings. In their latest quarterly meeting near Toronto, the group dove into a variety of informative educational content that pushed the norms, challenging attendees to assess their own business models and capabilities, and look into the future to identify potential gaps in customer solutions and support.

Need a cloud “teaching moment” for your customers and prospects? Last week's Amazon Web Services outage is a great topic for those with concerns over resiliency and uptime.

A fair number of IT services providers have not altered their offerings and business models to reflect today’s business needs. Even those who have rarely go far enough to ensure their long-term relevance to their customers and future prospects. What should they be doing to ensure their clients’ needs and visions can be fully realized?

The IT talent shortage is hitting some providers hard. That’s why a proactive HR strategy is essential, and should start way before the next hire is needed. What can IT services companies do to improve their odds of attracting the right talent at the right price?

IT services providers often work with cloud suppliers to customize their clients' implementations, sort through programs and resolve issues. That support role is invaluable to small and mid-sized businesses as channel firms are perfectly positioned to act as the liaisons between their customers, end users and their vendors. So why not leverage that expertise to strengthen customer relationships?