The MSP Juggling Exercise

For solution providers looking to dip a toe into managed services, one way is to launch a completely virtual implementation. In other words, all of the software and hardware needed to provide a managed service exists at the customer's site, with solution providers offering remote management and maintenance of an IT function, such as security, auditing or even VoIP.

The virtual managed service environment offers the quickest and easiest way of generating ongoing revenue, but it's not without its shortcomings. In many cases, unique customer requirements will create additional overhead for solution providers, and different infrastructures at various customer sites can further complicate support.

What's more, solution providers will lack control of the environment and could easily be cut out of the picture if the customer moves the service back to internal IT or selects another party to perform the management functions.

Some solution providers may decide to just bite the bullet and locate the hardware and software at their own location, which gives them complete control over the managed service infrastructure. This self-hosted method offers advantages such as guaranteed security, auditable backups and the ability to virtualize the hardware to host multiple managed services for multiple customers, all with a common interface and procedure set. But complete control comes at a price--solution providers will be financially and legally responsible for software and hardware maintenance costs and related overhead for incidentals such as office space, electricity and so on.

There is another way for solution providers to make the transition into the managed service realm: partnering with channel-friendly managed service purveyors such as LPI Level Platforms, SilverBack Technologies and SonicWall that are creating "canned" solutions to enable partners to become MSPs. In other cases, vendors such as Nortel Networks are building and hosting managed services that partners can sell with little or no up-front investment. Remote Management: Building The Foundation
Solution providers will want to approach network management and remote monitoring as an ideal starting point to extend their reach into the MSP realm. The benefits for VARs and their customers are numerous. For instance, having more control over network assets helps VARs become better troubleshooters and allows them to become more proactive in the support and maintenance of complex networks, eliminating a significant burden for the customer.

Remote management combines several technologies to create a plethora of services ranging from software licensing to server performance or application monitoring. VARs looking to provide those services through a virtual implementation will have to turn to products such as Hewlett-Packard's OpenView or Computer Associates International's Unicenter (for equipment monitoring), along with a product such as Mercury Diagnostics from Mercury Interactive or BMC Software's Patrol Express to monitor applications. Remote-access services can be created with either Symantec's PC Anywhere or Microsoft's terminal services.

Solution providers looking to self-host could use the same combination of products. A good remote management tool collects general software information about service packs, software installed, patches, OS serial numbers and so forth. Tracking licenses for compliance is also easier through maintaining a list of software running on every component, providing auditing services for customers and charging them for reports.

Third-party MSP technologies and services allow solution providers to take services deeper, building practices around them. Here is where products such as LPI's Managed Workplace excel. The Ottawa-based company's MSP Now program turns solution providers into profitable MSPs from day one.

MSP Now is a four-week turnkey marketing and technical training program that teaches solution providers how to enter the MSP fold. It identifies best practices for specific vertical markets and provides step-by-step instructions on how to minimize financial risks. During the course, solution providers build pilot programs that demonstrate their delivery model for sales, marketing and technical services. At the end of the program, solution providers launch sales campaigns and Webinars to make their new service programs available to targeted customers.

LPI offers a no-strings-attached software license and charges $60 per month, per site, regardless of how many desktops and servers customers use. There are no contracts to fill, and solution providers can pay with a credit card. Terminating services is hassle-free since there are no contracts to maintain. LPI provides unlimited phone and Web-based support for partners.

Managed Workplace is designed for small businesses or distributed enterprises such as hotel chains, medical offices and restaurant chains. It consists of two modules: Onsite Manager and Service Center. The former uses a single agent to capture all VMI and SNMP messages generated by network assets (other offerings install agents on every system). It is installed at a client's location and runs on Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, Windows 2003 or Microsoft Small Business Server. The latter resides at a solution provider's data center or office and receives all the monitoring information for all customers.

For its part, SilverBack, North Billerica, Mass., offers a one-to-many managed service via an appliance-based model. SilverBack's Datacenter offering gives solution providers instant access to potentially hundreds of thousands of customers using one Web console. Moreover, Datacenter can categorize alerts based on devices, infrastructures and customers. Wholesale pricing is $118 per device per year for network devices and $235 per firewall, application or server. The price includes maintenance and 8x6 technical support; 24x7 support costs extra.

Quebec-based IpMonitor's eponymous offering provides another affordable alternative. IpMonitor uses agentless technology, which further simplifies setup. The software costs $995 for monitoring of 500 devices, including full technical support. In addition to SNMP, DNS, ICMP and TCP scanning, ipMonitor can test Web servers, databases and e-mail servers for availability using appropriate ports.

IpMonitor's ADO (ActiveX Data Object) monitor, for instance, provides stress tests to check for database execution time and works with regular expressions to test columns within tables and to validate SQL statements. Its quality assurance monitors collect information about Windows services, event logs and application layer protocols such as Lotus Notes, RADIUS, Telnet and IMAP4.

Most applications written by consultants do not use the event logs and write messages to internal log files. For instance, new .Net applications written specifically for customers might only use .Net internal counters or a database to capture events, so solution providers need to programmatically capture that information and add it to a custom log file. Fortunately, there are easy coding techniques in Visual Studio or scripts that solution providers can write to collect this information. Since most applications, such as Veritas Software's backup suite and Symantec's antivirus software, will write any errors to the event log, collecting this data can be automated.

When it comes to fixing a network or application remotely, VPN or terminal sessions remain the preferred methods, but there is a limit to what a solution provider can do. For instance, patching software can be complex, and most MSP tools do not incorporate patch management functionality. Solution providers should seek MSP vendors that partner with other vendors for third-party patch management software such as offerings from Shavlik, Encora and Patchlink. Software patches are critical; they provide a sense of comfort for customers and should be included in MSP maintenance contracts.

Detecting performance problems in applications also can be difficult. There are no direct methods to track and capture the behavior of proprietary applications other than through custom coding. Most application vendors use exception- handling rules during a debugging process and omit that code from runtime. Placing metrics rules into code releases creates an inexpensive way of detecting performance problems. This is a tricky way of testing software with users but well worth the effort because it is free.

For large-scale application deployments, solution providers can promote the use of application management software that incorporates virtual machine technologies or distributed software execution environments such as VMware's virtual servers, Citrix Systems' MetaFrame and Microsoft's Virtual Server to customers. These technologies provide an extra level of remote monitoring that is not available from MSP-enablement software vendors. Backup Technology: Another Key To Revenue
Whether it is at a customer's site, or located remotely, backup is arguably the No. 1 service that needs to be performed routinely. Solution providers promoting managed services will have to rely on new methods used by remote backup software to collect data, as traditional tape backup methods are still time-consuming and difficult to manage.

The exceptions are in the health and financial industries, where solution providers must follow strict on-site backup guidelines. Veritas' Backup Exec has a good track record in simplifying tape backups; it supports multiple destinations, from disk-to-disk to disk-to-tape archives. Backup Exec also has a backup procedure for remote users, which takes little bandwidth and is easy to configure.

Backup Exec fits well into either a virtual MSP relationship or a self-hosted solution, where the management console would be installed at the solution provider's site.

Elsewhere, eVault offers one of the quickest subscription-based off-site backup methods. Either eVault or Veritas can work well in a small MSP operation; however, the selection of the right backup tool should be based on how well the backup software provides critical information to remote monitoring agents.

In any case, MSPs must work with backup software products that provide performance information at the OS level so agents can collect it or indirectly send e-mail alerts that can be captured. MSPs providing backup services can quickly roll those services into more complex solutions, such as business-continuity or disaster-recovery services, management and planning.

The managed service market offers real opportunity for savvy integrators looking to increase revenue and build stronger relationships with their customers. With a little bit of research and a lot of dedication, solution providers will find that managed services can quickly become the gift that keeps on giving.