Jim Hamilton Posts

Note: This is an addendum to the eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in the CompTIA MSP Partners 2010 market research.My favorite baseball team was and always will be the Montreal Expos. They had heart. With one of the lowest payrolls in major league baseball, they had to be smart, where other teams could simply spend. They were quirky – where else in major league baseball was it 99 meters to the right field fence and you could buy a chien chaud (lite ...

Note: This is the eighth of eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in the CompTIA MSP Partners 2010 market research.What is your most valuable asset? No, I’m not talking about your winning smile or superior intelligence… but the asset that is most import to your business success. Here’s a hint to what I’m looking for: I once worked for a CEO who told me “I’d rather lose a good customer than a good employee.” His point was simple; a good employee is more ...

Note: This is the seventh of eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in the CompTIA MSP Partners 2010 market research.Henry Ford once quipped “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black”. In a world of “half-caf skim latte – hold the foam”, the industrialist’s quote may seem like a quaint memory of years gone past—but it is actually an insightful observation on business. It speaks to the importance of repeatability, ...

Note: This is the sixth of eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in the CompTIA MSP Partners 2010 market research.We’ve all heard the expression “it takes money to take money” and tacitly nod our head in agreement; best in class MSPs don’t simply concur, they pull out their wallets and invest in building a world class services practice. Our 2010 research clearly shows that the most successful MSPs spend more of their top line revenue (as a percentage) o ...

Note: This is the fifth of eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in the CompTIA MSP Partners 2010 market research.I have met some very good negotiators in my day, but the very best I have encountered are children. Considering that they have almost nothing to bargain with and occupy a position of little power, kids have an innate ability to negotiate and ultimately get what they want. My teenagers are masters at working mom and dad (and if necessary, gra ...

Note: This is the fourth of eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in the CompTIA MSP Partners 2010 market research.In business school, we were informed of the challenges facing companies that are driven by great engineering. These organizations often had a laser-like focus on building great products with a mistaken belief that a great product sells itself. A quick look through the technology industry’s scrap yard would reveal some of these products: Son ...

Note: This is the third of eight blog entries in which I examine managed services best practices identified in CompTIA MSP Partners’ 2010 market research.In a classic Simpsons’ episode Homer exclaims “Oh! I haven't changed since high school and suddenly I am uncool.” Ah yes Homer, things change over time even if we don’t! Our second managed services best practice counters that common mindset; Best-in-Class MSPs develop and deploy new technology solutions to keep pace with the industries their cu ...

Note: This is the second of eight blog entries in which I examine the 2010 managed services best practices identified in CompTIA MSP Partners’ market research.Nature confirms what we all intuitively understand - living things need time to mature before they become fruitful. None of us plant a seed in the springtime and then stand over it with a fork in hand waiting for dinner. Those of us who have teenagers can also heartily attest to this fact - fruitfulness takes time and is often preceded by ...

An often quoted Albert Einstein definition for insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Based on this definition, most of us must be one card short of a full deck.  Our tendency in business is to play it safe and follow the pack; yet, none of us goes into business with the goal of being average.History teaches us that those who break from the pack and discover new ways of doing business reap the rewards. Take the development of the latest generation ...

MSP Partners has just published its 2010 IPED managed services research and education courses and the emerging industry trends are truly compelling! The findings I will be discussing in this article are based on research conducted in December 2009 and January 2010. This extensive survey included thousands of solution providers and resulted in findings to a 97% confidence level. The top four trends identified are:1.    The managed services market mirrored the overall IT market in performance, but ...