Ingram Micro Seismic: 1,600 MSPs Now Engaged

Ingram Micro Seismic, the distributor’s managed services brand, generated record revenue and profit results in Q1 2010, according to Services VP Justin Crotty (pictured). But Crotty isn’t resting on Seismic’s laurels. During a discussion at the Ingram Micro VTN conference today in Hollywood, Fla., Crotty offered additional Seismic insights plus a preview of Ingram’s cloud conference — where Microsoft, Salesforce.com and RackSpace are set to take the stage. Here are the details.

Roughly 1,600 VARs and managed services providers now participate in Seismic, and an additional 50 to 65 partners are signing up each month, Crotty notes. Seismic is designed to help transform resellers into MSPs. With that goal in mind, Seismic’s product portfolio includes a range of MSP-centric software for remote device management, NOC (network operation center) and help desk services. A range of Seismic partners — such as Intermedia, the hosted Exchange specialist — are here at the Ingram Micro VTN conference.

Meanwhile, Ingram Micro seems to be doubling down on its services strategy. Crotty says the Ingram Micro Services team will roughly double in size this year, thanks to a “board-level supported effort.” The services effort includes Seismic, a training academy for certifications, on-demand IT staffing, on-site professional services, hardware services support and warranty contract management.

The Road Ahead

On the Seismic front, Crotty concedes Ingram has room for improvement. In a FastChat video, Crotty says Seimic addressed “a number of service delivery issues” in Q1. Looking ahead, Crotty says key cloud proponents — including representatives from Microsoft’s Windows Azure team, Rackspace and Salesforce.com — will participate in an Ingram cloud conference this June.

Crotty declines to say if or how Ingram will work with Windows Azure, Rackspace and Salesforce.com in the cloud… but I think he mentioned all three companies for a specific reason. Listen for yourself:

The video covers…

• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:10 Recap of Ingram Micro Seismic Q1 results
• 0:30 Addressing service delivery issues
• 0:55 Global NOC and help desk growth
• 1:05 Cloud chatter at Ingram Micro’s VTN conference
• 1:55 Ingram Micro Seismic and the cloud
• 2:30 Salesforce.com, Microsoft Windows Azure and Rackspace weigh in
• 3:15 More info
• 3:34 Conclusion

Seismic Refresher Course

Need some general background on Seismic? Find it here from Jason Beal, director of sales for Ingram Micro Services:

Key Competition

Ingram certainly isn’t alone in its MSP-centric efforts. Key rivals include Zenith Infotech, which has built a strong following among MSPs that want backup, disaster recovery, and help desk services. And Synnex — a rival distributor — has been working with itControl Solutions and former MSP Services Network CEO Amy Luby on a managed services strategy as well.

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