Brian Sherman Posts

I’ve been involved in many discussions on IT security applications over the years, but today’s conference call with the IT Security Special Interest Group truly hit home on the business issues many channel providers face.  Many VARs and MSPs offer security applications to their clients, but could use help developing this expertise and in transitioning from a reactive focus on security to a proactive approach. During the call, Fernando Quintero, VP of Channel Operations for McA ...

With a flurry of activities underway and planned for 2010, the Managed IT Services Executive Forum convened for a conference call to reconcile all the undertakings. The discussion included the latest updates on the MSP Partners program and a multitude of new resources being developed for the managed services community. As many of you know, CompTIA acquired MSP Partners late last year and brought the program under the fold of this managed services community.   Jim Hamilton, Senior Dir ...

Many SMB companies experience enterprise issues, they just have smaller budgets and fewer employees than their larger brethren. Smaller solution providers experience similar challenges, but also may need resources or guidance to create a valued and long-term business. Based on those requests from the IT provider community, CompTIA launched a new group to develop and make those resources available to members: the Small Business Owners Special Interest Group. The group is off to a great start, jus ...

In discussions with owners of small technology businesses we find, almost without exception, that growing their business is a top priority for this year. There is no shortage of information resources suggesting where the new business opportunities may be found. New technology products are introduced each month, novel partner programs are announced frequently and innovative services, such as security or cloud offerings, are outlined in the industry news each week. With all of these options, how d ...

Putting the “rubber to the road,” as the saying goes; the IT Services and Support Executive Forum meeting in Toronto spent the second half of the afternoon focused on new initiative discussions. Sticking to the CompTIA Communities philosophy of sharing ideas and industry experiences, attendees offered up a variety of potential programs and topics in this part of the meeting. These sessions provide an opportunity for attendees to submit subjects that matter to their business and the i ...

As mentioned in previous articles, managed IT services and managed print services are moving beyond the adoption cycle to become readily accepted by both providers and end users. The topic was a large part of the discussion at the IT Services and Support Executive Forum meeting in Toronto today, with discussions on the core business drivers and the opportunities that exist for the various players. Matt McLeish, Director of Field Sales and Managed Print Solutions at Parts Now! started his manag ...

It’s been a busy day so far at the IT Services and Support Executive Forum meeting in Toronto, as the group shifted into discussions on certification and initiatives updates, as well as a review of the new CompTIA Communities.Initiatives are central to many of the organization’s goals. CompTIA members have started a variety of industry programs to strengthen the services industry and promote the groups’ initiatives. One example of this is the Canadian OEM PDI+ adoption program, a unique initiati ...

MSPs, VARs, vendors and other service providers converged in Toronto this morning for a meeting of the IT Services and Support Executive Forum. Excitement among the attendees was very high, with many expressing optimism at 2010 business and revenue prospects. This economic confidence was supported by the keynote presenter, Sebastien Ruest, Vice President of IDC Services and Technology Research. His discussion, From Virtualization to Cloud: Dealing with the Changing Economics of IT focused ...

After several cycles of tough international economic conditions, CompTIA’s IT Services and Support Executive Forum will highlight the industry opportunities at its first 2010 meeting in Canada. The event will be held today, in Richmond Hill, Ontario, with many IT service leaders in attendance to discuss the emerging business trends and learn how the community can benefit from several new technologies. In addition, attendees will participate in workshops where current and new industry initi ...

Jean Mork Bredson of Service800 concluded the presentations at the IT Services and Support Executive Forum meeting with a ServiceMetric Benchmark Program Update. The 2009 Survey of approximately 250,000 service customers included queries on a variety of service-related questions. The study found a major shift in customer attitude concerning service, with response time usurping the former key goal of repair time. This suggests that reducing the time for initial contact will inversely increase c ...