The 10 Coolest Managed Services Offerings Of 2014

Turning Prominent Platforms Into Cash Cows for MSPs

Systems management companies saturated the market in 2014 with offerings that allow MSPs to capture revenue as end users embrace tools such as Amazon Web Services, Google Apps, Microsoft Lync and Microsoft Office 365.

But this year's top managed services offerings do much more that simply wrap-around well-known programs. They can enable MSPs to provide CFO-level financing consulting to end users, or help them prioritize HIPAA-related security issues.

The offerings are a gateway for managed services in emerging technological areas such as mobility and cloud, and also lower barriers to entry for MSPs interested in offering Hardware-as-a-Service. Read on to learn about this year's coolest managed service offerings.

10. Mobi Managed Mobility Services

Mobi Wireless Management fully shed its direct sales roots with a January agreement to bring managed mobility services to the channel through Tech Data's mobile device business unit.

With Indianapolis-based Mobi on TDMobility's line card, MSP partners of the Clearwater, Fla.-based distributor can do asset management, procurement and customer devices on up to a thousand devices, Heather Murray, director of sales and marketing for TDMobility, told CRN.

Managed mobility is particularly expected to help MSPs who serve the SMB market and typically don't have the resources or bandwidth to go to market on their own.

9. Datapipe Managed Cloud For AWS

Datapipe in July announced three enhancements to its Managed Cloud for Amazon Web Services (AWS) offering, oriented around security, hybrid connectivity and operational data.

The Jersey City, N.J.-based solution provider, No. 141 on the CRN 2014 Solution Provider 500, said its updated managed cloud offering includes tools to protect customers expanding their AWS adoption, Direct Connect options for hybrid cloud environments, and internal assessment capabilities to ensure AWS environments are optimized.

Datapipe's 2013 acquisition of cloud optimization startup Newvem means it can now monitor normal AWS customer use for cost, governance and performance optimization.

8. GreatAmerica Financial Services Custom Financing

An October agreement with GreatAmerica Financial Services extended that company's hardware financing programs to MSPAlliance's 25,000 members.

The arrangement employs a leasing model to allow MSPs to buy and install hardware for a cloud, hybrid or on-premise deployment without cash-flow challenges. GreatAmerica hopes to attract 100 to 150 MSPAlliance members to its financing packages, said Greg VanDeWalker, senior vice president and general manager of the communications and data group.

MSPs with a Platinum rating in the MSPAlliance's Unified Certification program can get 90 percent of their hardware purchasing cost advanced by GreatAmerica. Those with Gold and Silver ratings can get 75 percent and 50 percent, respectively, of the transaction cost advanced.

7. Continuum Sync247

Continuum unveiled in September a file sync and share platform that offers MSPs a revenue source and end users added security.

The Boston-based vendor said Sync247 offers white label, secure sync and share with file backup measures right into the cloud. Project manager Adrianna Gugel told CRN that 45 percent of SMBs will use file sync and share products in 2015, but Sync247 is one of the only ones offering MSPs a way to make money.

Sync247 is designed for enterprise platforms, CEO Michael George said, and therefore offers more security protection than consumer-oriented products such as Dropbox or Box.

6. MSP CFO

MSP CFO does exactly what its names suggests: it provides CFO-level financial analytics and consulting to MSPs, allowing them to maximize profits. The company has seen a "tremendous amount of interest" in its program over the past year, MSP CFO Director Michael Kraner told CRN.

MSP CFO has deals for bulk distribution in the works and launched an application in August that allows MSPs to see a twice-daily update of revenue and cost of goods sold from a labor and products perspective. The service also can identify which clients are the most profitable and which are the least profitable, ultimately allowing an MSP to boost profits without adding new clients or increasing work hours.

5. Carousel Industries For Microsoft Lync

Carousel Industries has built out managed services offerings for Microsoft Lync, allowing MSPs to monitor client environments and normalize customer operations within Lync.

The Exeter, R.I.-based vendor is rolling out a set of applications to monitor voice and video tracking within Lync, as well as a tiered help desk to enhance managed services around the program, Ed Wadbrook, vice president of applications and collaboration solutions, told CRN.

Managed services account for a double-digit percentage of Carousel's business and are the fastest-growing portion of the company's business. And Lync accounts for more than 90 percent of Carousel's Microsoft-related sales.

4. MAXfocus App Control

MAXfocus – previously known as GFI Max – launched a tool in March aimed at letting MSPs keep better track of their Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps customers.

The Durham, N.C.-based vendor said App Control lets MSPs manage Office 365 and Google Apps user accounts, mailboxes and licenses using a single dashboard, saving MSPs the hassle of logging into multiple vendors' consoles to manage customers.

App Control's greater visibility means that MSPs can help customers save money by alerting them to any service licenses they aren't using. MSPs can also use App Control's reporting features to map out their customers' future cloud services needs. All told, MAXfocus said App Control can help MSPs capture additional revenue.

3. AVG Managed Workplace

AVG Technologies introduced in August a service module that will make it easier for MSPs to remotely manage and monitor Microsoft Office 365.

AVG, which has its U.S. operations based in San Francisco, said AVG Managed Workplace allows MSPs to view all essential Office 365-related information on a single screen without having to log in and out of different applications. Management tasks include: password resets; tracking mailbox usage activity; viewing mailbox quotas, policies and memberships; setting alerts for license expiration; and checking up-to-date information on subscriptions, usage and license status.

These added features boost revenue for MSPs by giving end users a reason not to purchase Office 365 directly from Microsoft.

2. N-able by SolarWinds Help Desk Manager

N-able by SolarWinds rolled out in April a new Help Desk Manager aimed at helping MSPs automate their business processes and provide customers with a ticketing offering.

The Ottawa, Canada,-based RMM (remote monitoring and management) company said features of the Help Desk Manager include email-to-ticket support, customer portals, automatic ticket assignment, time and material billing, integrated knowledge base system, integrated survey engine and drag-and-drop and drill-down dashboards.

It can be either a standalone offering for companies that don't have an RMM platform, or it can be integrated into the company's N-Central platform. The Help Desk Manager was designed using extensive customer feedback and guidance, N-Able General Manager JP Jauvin told CRN.

1. RapidFire Tools Network Detective HIPAA Compliance Module

RapidFire unveiled in April a tool that allows MSPs to take advantage of expanding HIPAA compliance regulations and break into the health-care vertical.

The Atlanta-based company's Network Detective HIPAA Compliance Module helps MSPs build automatically prepared technical documents that are required for clients' IT security compliance, as well as creating a risk score to prioritize HIPAA-related security issues. Using the tool, MSPs can charge for individual risk analysis, build monthly reports to show a client is staying up to date, and offer a solution that does yearly risk analysis as required by the government.

The tool was designed from the standpoint of an auditor with documents directly referencing HIPAA code sections.