Cloud Technology Articles

We see More and More Businesses Working from Home As the Coronavirus Pandemic Continues… So What Should MSPs Be Doing During This Difficult Time? It’s All About Empowering Your Clients… The Department of Homeland Security has plenty of recommendations for how to prepare for the coronavirus pandemic – but they’re all relating to personal health and safety. Similar to how your clients will trust them, the WHO, and the CDC for health and safety information, your clients trust you for technical guidance. Right now, that means assistance with working remotely during this difficult time.

On March 29, 2020, President Trump extended COVID-19 travel guidelines for another four weeks. All across the nation, individuals are expected to avoid gatherings of 10 or more people, avoid non-essential travel, maintain social distancing, and of course, shut down their businesses or embrace remote work if they’re not considered an essential service to the public. MSPs have an incredibly important job – helping local businesses continue their day-to-day operations using the latest tools and technologies during this difficult time.

Society as we know it is undergoing massive changes – from individuals staying home more than ever before to social distancing during grocery trips to non-essential businesses, daycares, and schools being shut down. As we see more and more lockdowns taking place, businesses are left with one choice… Embracing the concept of remote work. If they don’t, they’re unable to continue operations. Essentially, our personal interactions with one another are being forced to turn into virtual interactions. Fortunately, the cloud is paving the way with remote project collaboration, video conferencing, e-commerce, education, gaming, and video streaming companies taking the lead right now.

An MSP is defined by their unique, proactive approach to managing and maintaining information technology. Businesses are starting to look towards MSPs to help them meet the growing demands from their clients – keeping their infrastructure running properly with minimal downtime at all times. Years ago, a technology conference speaker asked an important question: “What will we manage when there’s nothing left to manage on the network?”

It wasn’t all that long ago when rotary dial telephones, spending time at the mall with friends, and listening to music on vinyl were the “in” things to do. Just a short 30 or so years ago, we lived with quite a minimal amount of technology impacting our daily lives. But a quarter of a century has drastically changed the way we live. So what does this mean for MSPs who are trying to stay ahead in today’s economy? Do you need to provide cloud services to keep up? In the simplest terms, absolutely… But keep reading to learn more. 

In our latest episode of IT done right, we talked about the concept of FUD: fear, uncertainty, and doubt as a marketing ploy. It’s everywhere – all you need to do is look at the marketing surrounding cybersecurity. Managed IT services businesses and their vendors are dead-set on scaring businesses into the big bad world of IT security. Naturally, businesses SHOULD be scared of the threats out there. We’ve seen it all over the news – breaches are happening each and every day. But here’s the problem… Businesses are seeing an incredible amount of marketing around FUD that they’re starting to shut it off.

Three times a year, CPU has the opportunity to share insights, break bread, and spend time with some of the smartest minds in the information technology community. This month, our soar to success article revolved around the concept of learning from your peers. Why? Because we believe peers can make all the difference in the world when it comes to gaining new perspectives. Three times a year, Cloud Services For MSPs has the opportunity to share insights, break bread, and spend time with some of the smartest minds in the information technology community. In October 2019, we attended our quarterly peer group meeting in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Ahh, Winter… That Dreaded Swear Word. It Always Seems to Last Forever, Doesn’t It? Fortunately, The Cloud Can Make Winter Just a Bit Less Painful – Here’s How. When we’re younger, winter is a blast – giving us the opportunity to play in the snow – making forts, snow angels, and overall, having a great time. As we grow older, winter’s charm starts to fade away. Why? There’s one simple reason: Winter gets in the way of EVERYTHING. In our personal and professional lives, winter can leave us stranded at home more often than we’d like. We start itching for spring to make an appearance again.

Jeanne DeWitt, Senior Vice President at CPU, Inc. is back with another common question from MSPs. Many MSPs ask us the same question: “How do I make money selling cloud services?”

Cloud services for MSPs aren’t all created equal. If it’s not managed properly, the cloud can quickly go bad – or even ugly. Do you know how? Since its introduction to the business world, the cloud has quickly established itself as one of the most integral technologies in modern society. In the private and professional worlds, the cloud has delivered a range of benefits, both in the form of direct consumer products, and cloud services for MSPs. That’s why you hear so much about it – but you likely only hear about its good qualities, right?