Have you automated your professional services biz yet?

Is it me or is there a heck of a lot of activity going around in the professional services automation (PSA) world right now? I’ve always been intrigued by these applications, because of the discipline and process that they can bring to a solution providers day-to-day operations.

Right now, I’m watching two of the platform vendors in particular: Autotask and ConnectWise.

To me, it’s really interesting that two of the most important partner service alliance networks in the industry today - the HTG Peer Groups, small groups representing 260 technology solution providers focused on improving operational excellence,  and 1nService, a network of technology integrators that represents roughly $1.5 billion in revenue — have placed big bets on this technology. Here are just a couple of recent examples:

1. Back toward the end of 2009, 1nService announced it will work with Autotask to create a new centralized engagement desk and system to manage opportunities that are flowing back and forth between the member companies. The two organizations describe the relationship as the “foundation for 1nService’s collaborative community.”

The platform is being integrated with a new knowledge search engine, built on technology created by Neuron Global, called 411nService, that lets 1nService members identify members within the network who might be able to handle certain services needs. When I spoke with 1nService CEO Paul Cronin about the search engine a few weeks back, he said it was scheduled to go live in April. Here’s what he had to say:

“Because we are rapidly expanding our presence throughout the globe, and adding new members 1nService continues to build on the process, tools and people to facilitate commerce quickly and with trust.”

Fact is, as 1nService gets bigger it’s impossible to know EVERYONE, so tools like this can save a lot of wasted time.

The other thing that makes this even more interesting is Autotask’s acquisition this week of VARStreet, which powers various electronic catalog tools on behalf of IT solution providers, including Emtec, Pomeroy IT and Zebra Technologies. Its e-commerce module should be embedded into Autotask’s platform by late April, according to a press release issued about the acquisition. You’ll be able to build an e-storefront for $299 per month.

2. The ConnectWise relationship with HTG Groups is equally compelling. Most recently, the two announced that they are building a bridge between the HTG content management system and the ConnectWise PSA platform. Although this particular effort is mainly an administrative one — meant to better synchronize member information between HTG Peer Groups and ConnectWise — it is noteworthy because ConnectWise has become a platform widely used used by HTG Peer Group members. ConnectWise was originally developed by a VAR seeking to bring better operational excellence to its business, and many of its evolving new features, applications and templates are being contributed by members of the solution provider community.

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Jerry York, who left his mark on IBM, GM, dead

Jerry York, the legendary numbers guy who played key roles at GM, IBM, Apple and other fortune 500 giants, died today. The cause was reported to be an aneurysm.

York famously arrived at Big Blue with new Chairman Lou Gerstner, and as CFO streamlined that company’s operations. In one anecdote he toured IBM’s office product supply closets and found the company wasted too much money on different sizes and types inter-office envelopes. He was also involved in Kirk Kerkorian’s failed bid for Chrysler.

 York, who was 71, joined Apple’s board in 1997.

York was 71.

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Ask yourself: How can this vendor program help my company get where it wants to be?

Empowerment is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot these days, but I really love that Motorola has decided to call upon this theme as the name of its expansive new program for folks rallying around their enterprise mobility and communications technologies. It’s called, simply, PartnerEmpower.

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Symantec’s partner collaboration ethos

Most technology vendors talk the talk about why partner-to-partner collaboration is so important for their channel. Symantec continues to encourage it through its referral program, which has now been in place for about a year.

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Microsoft to NetSuite: Take that!

Things are getting good in mid-market ERP–a segment that could use some caffeination.

Microsoft is offering NetSuite shops $850 per user  in credit to move to its ERP lines.  The money goes to end users–presumably the partner benefit would come from implementation work  involved in geting those customers on Microsoft Dynamics  GP, NAV or SL in those shops. UPDATE:  Dynamics AX is not covered by this offer. Continued »

Deshaies continues Microsoft diaspora to Sage

Embarrassing to have missed this one but Robert Deshaies, once a channel exec at Microsoft, is now at Sage Software. Sage competes with Microsoft ERP and CRM with a set of product lines even more (ahem) diverse than Microsoft’s own four-brand ERP lineup.

At Sage he works with Jodi Uecker-Rust a former Microsoft Business Solutions executive who had joined Microsoft via its buyout of Great Plains Software. Uecker-Rust was named president of Sage Business Solutions last year.

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Forecast: Clear skies for cloud computing

At last week’s IDC Directions conference, I made a point to attend all the sessions geared toward solutions providers. And wouldn’t you know, each session was centered on the importance of the cloud. If there was one message that they were trying to get across, it was that cloud computing will only increase in popularity over the next few years.

For now, solutions providers should take advantage of certain services that are ready for the cloud, including Storage as a Service, email and batch processing. Sensitive data and third-party software with no cloud licensing rules topped the list of those areas not ready for a move to the cloud.

So what else did I get from eight hours of cloud hypnosis? Some pretty interesting takeaways. From IDC’s IT cloud services survey, the main concerns and challenges for implementing cloud computing are:

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Oracle gets into helping Haiti

Oracle wants to raise $1 million for Haiti relief at the upcoming BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.

The “Hit for Haiti” event will feature tennis greats Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Martina Navratilova, Steffie Graf, Lindsay Davenport, Martina Navratilova, and Justine Henin.

Proceeds will benefit the America Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Program.   Oracle ally/competitor Salesforce.com raised $800,000 for Haiti relief via its matching gift program earlier this month.

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Novell tries to calm the storm

Novell, trying to calm the roiled waters over an unexpected buyout bid, sought to reassure partners that it’s “business as usual.”

That was the message in an email sent by Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian to “valued partners” yesterday.

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Microsoft calls do-over on phone effort

Microsoft has gone back to square one on its mobile phone effort–the new Windows Phone 7 Series bears little resemblance to its predecessor.

That’s a good thing. The Windows mobile debacle- which went on far too long–is an example of the echo chambers that pervade big companies. Even as iPhones  flew off the shelves,  Microsoft stuck publicly to its Windows Phone course. This even as many of its own PR people were packing iPhones at Microsoft’s own events even as Steve Ballmer famously mock-stomped an iPhone to death on stage.  He also said his family members would not, could not, own an iPod or iPhone.

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