Companies are under tremendous pressure to reduce IT costs. Cloud and Software as a Service (SaaS) offer significant potential cost reductions through the use of shared infrastructure and standardized software offerings. However, there are often significant concerns if the service or application stores or processes Personally Identifiable Information, important intellectual property, other sensitive information, the criticality of the system, or whether the solution opens avenues into a company’s core systems.

The upshot is teams can use SAP tools to complete a range of common tasks -- book travel, automatically extract receipts from e-mails, recruit job candidates -- without leaving familiar Microsoft environments.

Demand for cloud services is exploding. The Cisco Global Cloud Index now forecasts that cloud traffic will grow by more than 30 percent in every region in the world over the next five years. In all, global cloud traffic will quadruple by 2019. It’s a huge business opportunity for cloud service providers (CSPs). But what do they need to capitalize on it? As-a-service cloud capabilities: CSPs should be able to provide a wide range of customized cloud services—public, private, and hybrid; IaaS, PaaS, SaaS—on [...]

With a continued interest in software-as-a-service (SaaS) as a cloud model, concerns about SaaS security are also growing. Total cost of ownership (TCO) used to be the most frequently cited roadblock among potential SaaS customers. But as cloud networks become more frequently used for strategic and mission-critical business applications, security now comes at the top of […]… Read More The post Should SaaS Cloud Adoption Still be Held Back by Security Concerns? appeared first on The State of Security.

Channel partners are well positioned for growth, but staying ahead of the curve means evolving with the times

Each year, CRN recognizes the top channel executives in the industry with their CRN Channel Chiefs list . The prestigious Channel Chiefs list identifies channel executives who consistently defend, promote and execute effective channel partner programs and strategies. CRN Channel Chiefs are chosen by the CRN editorial staff and are considered the channel elite based on their track record of channel accomplishments, standing in the industry, dedication to the partner community and plans for driving future business innovation and channel growth. This year, seven [...]

From hyper-personalization to voice interfaces, columnist Chad White takes a look at what email marketers should expect in four years. Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

By Kevin Sequeira, General Manager at Tenrox by Upland In the last decade there has been a major shift in consumer behavior. The combination of mobile access to information along with the exponential growth of online purchasing, has strengthened the notion of globalization and the ability to conduct business across borders. Simultaneously, the software industry [...]

When should sales reps engage with buyers? It's a question that all marketing and sales leaders ask themselves. To complicate matters, there’s a statistic out there that many thought leaders cite: Buyers typically are 57% through their buying process before they engage a salesperson. So, should sales reps sit at their desks and await perfect, sales-ready buyers to raise their hands and exclaim, "Show me the contract"? Absolutely not. In fact, waiting is detrimental to your company. Let's take a look at what happens when you wait.

Since the start of 2016 I've been seeing a steady stream of advice for sales. Everything from coaching, reaching the C suite, sales performance, forecasting, advancing deals, and the even the importance of how you use your CRM. I haven't seen much about data (probably because it's less glamorous),...

Unlike Macs, smartphones and tablets, the next generation of IP addresses will raise new and unexpected monitoring and management challenges Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) vendors are likely to become to go-to providers of IoT-focused solutions. But experts say the IoT will present new challenges to RMM vendors and MSPs alike that must be overcome in key areas such as privacy, security and regulation. read more

In this opinion piece sponsored by SolarWinds N-able, channel sales manager David Weeks points out some key considerations for growing your MSP business

LogicNow unveiled LogicCards, a system that uses data analytics and machine learning to deliver insight to MSPs; plus, other IT channel news.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Continuum Demonstrates Continuity247 Backup and Disaster Recovery Platform to The ASCII Group Members at Local IT Summit – August 19-20, 2015 – Waltham, Massachusetts

The original MSP executives serving on the MSP Consortium board have resigned, but the group's key backer said work on the consortium will continue.

At ChannelCon 2015, vendors targeted MSPs and other channel companies with security services and software offerings.

The number of endpoints connected to the Internet continues to explode. With many of these being new classes of devices, the Internet of Things (IoT) is an ever-evolving area of investment. Companies like Intel and Microsoft are finding new opportunities, and I believe this will continue to be an area for solution providers of all sizes over time. The VAR Guy Blog read more

Microsoft is currently offering up to $150 off a brand new Surface Pro 3, as it shifts stock before the Pro 4 arrives - but it's also selling refurbished models, with far larger savings available. Read more...

Managed service offerings are increasing every day across all spectrums and specialties in from infrastructure, to databases, applications and cloud.

Introduces real-time system performance monitoring and transparency through its innovative web portal Interactive Data, a global leader in managed trading infrastructure services, has launched 7ticks Insight, a web-based portal designed to give clients access to real-time status and performance... Interactive Data Corporation