Brian Sherman Posts

Typically the week after the Consumer Electronics Show is rather mild for IT channel news, with the vendors and many VARs returning home and getting back to their day jobs. This year was different with a rather unusual timing for a consumer-oriented, but business-beneficial iPhone/Verizon announcement. While that news started a firestorm of blog and social media posts, several other notable topics hit the wires as well.   iPhone Rumors Come to an End (Finally!)It was the announcement many have b ...

“Who are the individuals that have made the most significant impact on the technology industry, or the IT channel?” I’ve asked this question of many of my IT channel friends over last several years, starting back in my days as an industry magazine editor and carrying through my current consultant role. While my reason was to highlight these individuals in blogs and articles, CompTIA intends to immortalize these “game changing individuals” permanently in their newly announced IT Hall of Fame.Off ...

Training and education are very similar to politics: pay attention to what’s happening close to home and you’ll do well in your career. Travel to remote event locations can require a significant investment of your company’s time and money; even more so when several employees are along for the trip. If it’s difficult (or impossible) for you to get away for the quality training you need and the industry networking opportunities you desire, check out events that are a short drive or flight away.In ...

There’s been a significant shift in the services business over the past few years. When customer contracts begin to approach their conclusion date, most providers are very proactive and engage these clients to continue to expand their support programs. You can’t expect to automatically extend existing contracts, even if it was a common practice before. Times have changed; perhaps this change is due to the negative shift in the economy or the continued drive for efficiency in many businesses. Eit ...

It was a busy day at the Canadian IT Services and Support Community meeting, with a host of educational sessions, followed by hands-on workshop sessions to advance group initiatives. The day started out with a keynote on social media for business, generating a day-long discussion among attendees, followed by interactive sessions on cloud business opportunities, print management and an overview on warranty fraud issues.Cloud computing is an attractive solution for businesses, whether small or lar ...

Is social media a boondoggle or a valuable marketing tool for your business? That’s the question many solution providers have asked since these sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter came on the scene. The attitude of many business executives is, “If you can’t provide tangible results, what good is it?” Attendees of the CompTIA Canadian IT Services and Support Community in Toronto found several answers to that question with a deep dive discussion into the opportunities available with thes ...

 The Final Day at MSP University Bootcamp As the MSP University Bootcamp (part of this week's CompTIA Breakaway event) in San Antonio came to a close, healthcare IT took center stage between an interactive panel of practice and technology experts, and a presentation from HP. Complementing both of those sessions was a presentation on developing a motivating sales compensation plans that will help you meet and exceed your business goals. Chris Mertens, Vice President of HP PSG US Healthca ...

Between managed IT services and the ever-changing needs of business customers, a switch to consultative sales is increasingly important for today’s solution providers. In a highly interactive discussion during CompTIA Breakaway, a packed room of solution providers quizzed the expert panel on transitioning to the new sales philosophy.Joining session moderator Tricia Wurts, President of Wurts & Associates, Inc. were well-known and respected industry veterans: Bob Penland, CTO of TruMethods, LL ...

Partnering with other services providers can be a very beneficial process for all companies involved, if mutual projects are properly designed and executed. Collaboration requires not only a commitment from both partners, but the processes and support in place to ensure the relationship (and task) is a success.In today’s opening presentation at the MSP University Bootcamp, Shari Marion-Hoff outlined key statistics and best practices for successful collaborative projects. According to the CEO of ...

With incentives up to $44,000 for physicians that implement EMR (electronic medical records) in a “meaningful way,” the Federal stimulus program has created quite a buzz in the IT channel since its passage. The ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009), which provides additional Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement for physicians that implement the records technology in their practice, creates new opportunities to solution providers to discuss business process improvement. ...