Technology and business consulting company, West Monroe Partners announced it has extended its managed services and IT outsourcing practice to include enhanced offerings. The new solutions offer support for Microsoft SharePoint, disaster recovery programs and software asset management.

Managed service providers (MSPs) are continuously trying to determine the most valuable services they can provide their customers at the most affordable cost to both provider and client. Not only must a service be compelling, it must provide a rapid return on investment (ROI) and it absolutely must offer competitive differentiation in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Global Capacity has added Ethernet Access services to its One Marketplace Access Exchange through physical interconnection points in Chicago and Dallas. The company is a telecommunications information and logistics provider headquartered in Chicago.

A local Calgary environmental company has chosen CTECH to provide reliable IT solutions to support their business. Outsourcing IT support to a managed service provider (MSP) frees up the company to protect the environment and ensure that all environmental regulations are met - a crucial service in the Western Canadian oil and gas market.

Kaspersky recently announced the launch of a new MSSP channel program at its North American partner conference. Although the program had been in beta, the security vendor has now made the program available to all its resellers.

There are a massive number of options available today for organizations who want to hand over the reins on their IT support to someone else. But while options are readily available for those who decide not to keep these functions in house, choosing the right type of support for your company can be confusing.

Developer of virtual hosted desktop software, Leostream Corporation has announced the Leostream Cloud Desktops Reseller Program. The new program offers secure, reliable access to cloud desktops from any client device.

Security viewed as a barrier to cloud services adoption by many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB), but adopters have found security is actually better, a study sponsored by Microsoft has found. Some 35 percent of U.S. companies surveyed have experienced noticeably higher levels of security since moving to the cloud, according to Microsoft.

Databarracks, a provider of secure cloud backup and IT Disaster Recovery services, has acquired SecuriData, a large British provider of managed online backup services to the business sector. The acquisition will benefit customers of both companies, with SecuriData customers gaining the peace of mind that comes with a move to the U.K.'s most secure hosting facilities.

While many organizations are recognizing that cloud technologies can improve business agility and efficiency, security and privacy remain a top hindrance toward widespread adoption, according to industry experts.

Data centers are an integral part of cloud services and the security, storage capacity, networking capabilities and backup and disaster recovery plans of storage facilities are of major importance to any managed service provider (MSP).

The outsourcing of IT needs is a common factor for the small- and medium-sized business (SMB), but what happens when that business grows large enough that they no longer fit that category? Is it time to implement a full internal department, or will a managed service provider (MSP) better serve the company?

The popular new iPad from Apple will sell this week in 30 additional countries worldwide. As of Friday, the iPad will be sold in Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Malta, Martinique, Mauritius, Morocco, Peru, Taiwan, Tunisia and Vietnam, according to Apple's Website.

Data center and managed hosting provider, UnitedLayer has announced enhanced services and new super-node architecture to its customers across North America. The provider offers a broad solution set, as well as data centers in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

RiverMeadow Software, a provider of virtualization and cloud onboarding software, announced that Denis Martin, Chief Technology Officer at NaviSite, is joining the company's Industry Advisory Board. Martin will help RiverMeadow's executive management team promote the accelerated adoption of its cloud migration software.

Danish managed service provider (MSP) T26 Technology is using the CA Automation Suite for Clouds from CA Technologies. The solution helps T26 serve public and private sector organizations by accelerating the delivery of agile hybrid cloud services.

Data center, cloud services and fiber networks solution provider AiNET has announced its new MicroMetering Service. The solution provides all of the company's data center colocation customers with cost savings, power redundancy and improved scalability.

The merits of offshoring have been long-debated, and according to some end users, the practice of offshoring to lower-cost geographical locations may not be working, according to a recent CBS news interview, referenced in a recent article written by the MSPAlliance's Charles Weaver.

The Alike MSP Advantage program from QuorumSoft has been expanded to offer managed service providers (MSPs) and cloud hosting providers new ways to generate revenue while delivering backup and disaster recovery (DR) services.

Outsourced help desk and NOC for managed service providers (MSPs), GMS Live Expert has acquired Dove Help Desk. Dove, based in Lexington, MA, is an outsourced live help desk working exclusively with MSPs throughout the U.S.

Ziften Technologies has made two exciting announcements with the release of its first Desktop QoS product and a $5.5-million round of Series B financing. The funding round enabled Ziften to develop a new class of software designed to reverse the degradation of enterprise desktops to make them easier to manage.

A new intelligent cloud storage solution has been introduced by managed service provider (MSP) NaviSite, Inc. The NaviCloud Intelligent Storage (NCIS) solution lets enterprises store, manage and protect distributed, unstructured content through a flexible and scalable offering.

So what's really on the minds of the top security and information officers working at the largest U.S. enterprises? Managed service providers (MSP) create entire business models around the needs and perceived needs of these crucial decision makers.

As part of its Managed Service Provider (MSP) strategy, Symantec Corp. has announced the Symantec Endpoint Protection Management Plug-in 1.5 for Kaseya software. The new Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 plug-in is available for free to Symantec registered partners.

The big news in managed services this week revolved around migrations to Microsoft Office 365. Bringing everyday enterprise office applications into the cloud can be a daunting prospect for businesses of any size, but two managed service providers (MSPs) stepped up to the plate this week with migration solutions geared toward small and large businesses alike.

When it comes to the technological business sector, most people don't think about a company doing anything other than worrying about its own bottom line. The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of companies that understand it simply makes sense to look out for others in their community. The Evanston, Illinois Managed IT company, Stratosphere Networks is one of the companies that is actively helping those who cannot help themselves. Stratosphere has recently become a Gold Level sponsor for the Greater Chicago Food Depository's CANstruction 2012.

Migrating your small business to Microsoft Office 365 can be a daunting and expensive prospect, but it doesn't have to be. Managed service provider (MSP) Procyon Solutions of Little Rock, AK offers a full range of support and migration services geared toward helping small businesses embrace the cloud and its innovations.

IT managed service provider (MSP) Stratosphere Networks has received the CompTIA MSP Partners Trustmark for using industry-accepted best practices for both service delivery and customer interaction. Stratosphere delivers technology services and solutions designed to meet and exceed the ever-changing business needs of all types of industries.

Wines from Australia have been steadily gaining in popularity in recent years, and the need for advanced IT support has also grown. The Australian wine industry is requiring more complex technology and support to ensure smooth production, as well as correct stock levels and proper management of transportation systems.

A new managed solutions offering is available to customers of Computer Media Technologies (CMT). The company has introduced its Zen Managed Solutions to provide customers cost-effective and scalable IT services as well as hybrid cloud-based solutions for a variety of IT needs.