Time for MSPs to Manage VoIP Networks
In recent weeks, MSPmentor has heard from numerous managed services providers that are taking a closer look at the VoIP market. Not by coincidence, N-able is partnering up with Mitel to promote customized VoIP monitoring services designed for MSPs. This could be the start of a larger a trend as rumors involving Cisco’s managed VoIP strategy continue to circulate. Here’s the update.
First the hard news: N-able Technologies today unveiled an alliance with Mitel. Under terms of the relationship, N-able’s N-central software will integrate with Mitel Communications Director (MCD). MSPs, in theory, will gain the ability to more closely monitor customers’ VoIP system performance. Also of note: Mitel’s software supports VMware, which means MSPs can consolidate their monitoring efforts onto fewer servers.
No doubt, VoIP has been earning MSP attention in recent weeks. During the N-able Partner Summit in October 2010, numerous MSPs described how they were deploying IP-based desktop handsets tied to hosted PBX solutions. Similarly, Tigerpaw Software User Conference attendees described converged opportunities involving IP and phones. At SMB Nation Fall, quite a few attendees described how they were leveraging Asterisk, the open source IP PBX promoted by Digium. And at ConnectWise IT Nation, CEO Arnie Bellini pointed to VoIP as one of 19 opportunities awaiting MSPs amid the cloud computing storm.
Plenty of IT giants are taking notice. A case in point: Several sources say Cisco Systems is beta testing a remote monitoring and management platform designed. Apparently, the platform will help MSPs to remotely monitor, manage and troubleshoot unified communications systems running within small and midsize business (SMB) settings.
Of course, plenty of RMM (remote monitoring and management) software companies are partnering up with Cisco and other networking companies. We’ll keep watching the market for additional relationships to surface.
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Hi Joe,
I think this is great news for N-able and Mitel. Voice and data are converging. We’ve had an interesting position as the leading business automation suite for Telecoms for the last 20 or so years, and we have been encouraging partners on both sides of the aisle to explore the converged opportunities.
In fact, I’m sure you remember Joe that convergence was a big theme of our conference in Dallas. 🙂 We had IT/Var sponsors (N-able was one of them) and we had voice/telephony sponsors (such as TAG, Freedom IQ, and Zultys). We are seeing great synergy between the two offerings, and 2011 should see voice and data continue to merge. In fact, if you are in data and not looking at voice, you are missing a great opportunity. If you are in voice and not looking at data, you are facing bigger risks…
James Foxall
President, Tigerpaw Software
As an MSP who also provides Cisco unified communications, we’ve been doing UC Managed Services for a while. The product you reference that Cisco is working on is probably the 2nd iteration of management platforms they’ve done. The first being the Cisco Monitor Director suite, which worked on the same model as many RMM tools (deploy software on a server onsite, it reports back to a central management console). We deployed it on already existing hardware we had in place for our RMM and it worked great. However, that project was abandoned sometime mid/late 2008 if I recall correctly. It was being highly utilized and pushed by the folks over at MSPU if I remember correctly.
We had several clients on CMD and it worked pretty well. It did a very good job of monitoring thresholds based on jitter, voice quality, CPU util, etc of all Cisco devices.
Our plan has always been to staple the MSP agreement to the back of the VOIP implementation statement of work for our clients. Our UC practice has great momentum that helps feed our MSP practice (also vice versa). But, at the same time it requires you to have expertise at a high level on both ends of the fence… one being project engineering, the other being support of those projects. That’s an expensive venture to take on.
Cisco also provides the SmartCare program, which is essentially monitoring, management and hardware maintenance all rolled into one. For those familiar with the hardware Smartnet program from Cisco, this replaces that – but adds monitoring/management suite as well. Maybe that’s what you’re referencing, Joe?
Justin, James: Always good to have your perspectives. Thnx.
John: Thanks for your deeper info on Cisco. The development I’m watching involves a small business UC platform that they are briefing some MSPs about now… As soon as I have more details I’ll share them. I look forward to comparing notes.
-jp