Large enterprises have spent the past decade deploying virtualization — mostly VMware — to consolidate data centers and improve server utilization rates. In some ways, the virtualization trend is old news. But is the story different in the small and midsize business market — especially for MSPs seeking to remotely manage and optimize customer systems?
ConnectWise has started to promote “The IT Office Bundle” — featuring ConnectWise, LabTech and Quosal applications – to VARs, MSPs and IT service providers. News of The IT Office Bundle is not surprising, based on CEO Arnie Bellini’s keynote at the IT Nation conference in November 2011. The bundle seeks to help MSPs with professional services automation, remote monitoring and management, and quoting and sales proposal processes.
ConnectWise is expanding its consulting team to work more closely with VARs and MSPs that are seeking to further automate their businesses. The growing ConnectWise Consulting department has made several hires in North America, with more expansion planned for the United Kingdom and Australia.
The effort goes something like this: Thousands of VARs and MSPs use ConnectWise’s software to manage sales, marketing, customer trouble tickets and other business processes. But small business owners sometimes overlook ConnectWise capabilities that can further automate business processes and improved profit margins.
ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini says ConnectWise and the ConnectWise Capital investments are striving to achieve $100 million in combined annual revenues this year. Assuming ConnectWise is in that revenue neighborhood by the end of 2012, I believe ConnectWise would rank among the largest business management and IT automation software companies focused exclusively on VARs, MSPs and IT service providers. Here’s some perspective.
I realize managed services is a business model. And the MSP market is far more than PSA, RMM and BDR software. Still, managed services providers (MSPs) and their software partners often are joined at the hip, working together to automate IT management and customer support. So where is the managed services software industry heading next? My educated guesses are below…
