Top 5 Disruptive Technologies Top 5 Disruptive Technologies for MSPsfor MSPs

David StromMSP Alliance San Jose

david@strom.com, (310) 857-6867

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SummarySummary

• Storage• Security• VOIP• Server monitoring• Instant messagingLet’s look at skills required, key vendors, and questions to

ask them

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What becomes a disruptive tech What becomes a disruptive tech most?most?

• High margins and staying that way• Easy to enter ecosystems and acquire customers• Recurring revenue streams and monthly annuities• Close ties to customers as a trusted advisor, not just

doing break/fix

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1. Storage1. Storage

• It isn’t just about selling backup tape drives anymore• Online offsite backups mature now• There are numerous types of online storage and

solutions abound

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Types of online storageTypes of online storage

• Remote hard drives for PCs and small network backups• Shared data stores for multiple users and applications• Hosting large amounts of content• Fully decentralized databases

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Major online storage vendorsMajor online storage vendors

• Veritas/Symantec• Iron Mountain• eVault• Amazon.com’s S3

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Amazon.com?Amazon.com?

• They just don’t sell books anymore • Have a simple online storage API • They are extremely cheap (cents per gigabyte per

month)• Major partners: JungleDisk.com, DigiSenseInc.com

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Questions to askQuestions to ask

• How many data centers and where are they?• APIs documented and easy to write to? (eVault requires

an NDA!)• How many partners in the program and what do they

sell?

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2. Security2. Security

• Too many different opportunities in the security space• Managed firewalls is just one of them!• Need to start someplace• Still many SMB customers without any protection

whatsoever

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Questions to askQuestions to ask

• What size network(s) are you supporting?• How many remote branches?• Will you do the monitoring?• Does the customer need more than a firewall (wireless,

VPN, anti-virus)

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Vendors to watchVendors to watch

• Sonicwall/Aventail • Checkpoint Software’s SofaWare• Watchguard Technologies• Barbedwire Technologies

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3. VOIP Opportunities3. VOIP Opportunities

• Selling business VOIP is very different from consumer-grade

• Vendors are coming and going quickly (Sunrocket)• Look what happened to Skype in mid August!

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Skills requiredSkills required

• Understand telephony and PBX systems• Assess network infrastructure readiness• It is all about latency and QoS!• You need expertise in picking the right motherboards

and setting up security

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Four ways to goFour ways to go

• Use ATA and analog phones (Vonage, Ooma)• PC with headset (Skype)• IP-PBX hosted (Bandwidth.com, Cbeyond.com, and even

AT&T)• IP-PBX on site (Linksys and D-Link offer low-end models)

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Questions to ask Questions to ask

• Who handles the ISP connection?• Do I need to do all of the design and systems

engineering?• Who and how will do wiring upgrade?• How many branch offices and telecommuters are

required?

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Vendors to watchVendors to watch

• Digium’s Asterisk• Microsoft Live Communications Server• Cisco, but not because they have the right solutions

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4. Server Monitoring4. Server Monitoring

• New specialists in outsourced data centers• Don’t actually house any servers!• Don’t sell any bandwidth!• Don’t sell direct to customers!

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Skills requiredSkills required

• Monitoring/patching automation tools (Microsoft System Center)

• VPN and remote control• How to build and staff a NOC• Don’t try to deliver other managed services

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Vendors to watchVendors to watch

• Clearpointe.com (Little Rock)• Bedrock.com (Madison Wisc.)

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5. Instant Messaging5. Instant Messaging

• IM is becoming more mission-critical• Archiving more compelling because of SOX and HIPAA• Remote workers need more than email and a phone• Security concerns increasing because of SPIM

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Potential applicationsPotential applications

• IM instead of SNMP traps for notification of critical conditions

• IM as “water cooler” for remote workers• IM as group knowledge base or for group chats (Parlano)

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Questions to askQuestions to ask

• Who owns the IM server?• How many different rooms or discussions are

required? • How does the product archive and search on

previous conversations?• How does the product interact with existing

Active Directory or LDAP servers?• Do you want to interoperate with public IM

systems such as AOL or MSN?• Can your system create rooms on the fly from

one-on-one conversations?

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Vendors to watchVendors to watch

• IBM’s SameTime (now w/Eclipse!)• Microsoft’s LCS• Jabber • JiveSoftware• Parlano

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Questions?Questions?