In Depth

In Depth

Managed IT Services

• Channel explainer: Why sustainability matters

  Why is it important to have a strong green story? Where do you start, and who is going to help you? This explainer tackles those questions  Continue Reading

• Channel explainer: How to make money out of GenAI

  It’s tipped as the most important technology for a generation, but how are customers using it, can the channel make revenues from it and what are the risks?  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Ross Teague, Nebula Global Services

  The latest channel figure to share some personal insights is the founder and CEO of Nebula Global Services, Ross Teague  Continue Reading

• Why the channel can prepare for a positive 2024

  A tough 2023 is in the books, and focus now settles on a fresh 12 months where the narrative can be better across the channel  Continue Reading

• Top 10 channel stories of 2023

  It’s time to look back at what topics were making the news across the industry in the past 12 months  Continue Reading

• The top 10 channel themes of 2023

  What were the main areas of interest in the past 12 months? This handy list of the top 10 should jog memories, stir debate and garner some agreement across the channel  Continue Reading

• How was 2023 for channel partners and their vendors?

  With 2023 drawing to a close, it’s time to ask: what kind of year was it for channel businesses? And did 2023 live up to their expectations or did it fall short?  Continue Reading

• How has 2023 gone so far?

  Before we all gear up for the busy end of the year, some of the great and the good across the channel review the progress made so far in 2023  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Ken Tripp, Netwrix

  Ken Tripp, director of cyber security player Netwrix’s managed services programme, is the latest to share some personal details  Continue Reading

• The channel is key to plugging cyber skills gap

  If there is going to be one theme that continues from year to year, it is the desire by customers to work with channel partners to help solve security problems  Continue Reading

• Goodbye 2022, hello 2023: experts weigh in with channel expectations

  The year is just a few days old, so it’s a good moment to look back and ponder on what lies ahead given the experiences of the past 12 months  Continue Reading

• The themes of 2023 for the channel

  A fresh year is looming and it’s already clear what most of the major themes will be, including security, sustainability and hybrid working  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Charles Damerell, SolarWinds

  This time around, MicroScope speaks to the senior director of UK and Ireland at SolarWinds Charles Damerell about what makes him tick  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Helen Kelisky, Google Cloud

  This time around, MicroScope finds out a little bit more about Helen Kelisky, managing director for Google Cloud in the UK and Ireland  Continue Reading

• May the fourth be with you as you enter the final quarter with cautious optimism

  The last three months of the year represent the busiest time for the channel as targets are aimed for and the year goes down as a success or failure  Continue Reading

• The channel: Four decades of change

  To celebrate MicroScope’s 40th anniversary, we ask channel leaders to reflect on the changes seen over the past four decades – a shift to software, and the emergence of the managed service provider and the cloud are among the highlights  Continue Reading

• Where next for the channel?

  As part of our 40th anniversary, we look ahead to get a sense of where the channel will go in the years and decades to come  Continue Reading

• Developing the subscription model

  Customers and channel partners are moving to a world where flexible monthly payments are the norm, but that has meant distribution has had to take steps to support that shift  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Kit Kyte, Checkit

  MicroScope talks to Kit Kyte, CEO at intelligent operations platform CheckIt, to discover what makes him tick and what his opinions are surrounding remote working and technology  Continue Reading

• Balancing the risks as an MSP

  There is a growing trend among partners in converting into managed service providers – but are there risks to this approach that the channel needs to be aware of?  Continue Reading

• Change is a constant as the channel looks ahead

  Concluding our two-part look at what lies ahead this year, we find expectations of more consolidation and ongoing change  Continue Reading

• What’s in store for the channel in 2022?

  In the first part of a two-part look at what lies ahead this year, Billy MacInnes reveals what many expect will be the areas of interest in the next 12 months  Continue Reading

• 2021 review: The main channel themes

  A look back over the past 12 months, focusing on the top 10 themes that have affected the channel  Continue Reading

• The value of the managed service provider

  Understanding value is not always a given, but as Billy MacInnes discovers, it is important for service providers to know their worth  Continue Reading

• XaaS: Always at your service

  One of the themes of the year is the idea that customers want, and resellers need to be able to offer, everything as a service – or XaaS. We investigate the current state of play  Continue Reading

• The lasting impact of Covid-19

  Life is slowly starting to move back towards a more normal footing, but will things ever be quite the same in the channel?  Continue Reading

• Time to take it to the edge

  Edge computing is growing and is dominating more conversations – so just what is the play here for the channel?  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Jose Pena, Digital.ai

  Jose Pena of Digital.ai shares his insight and experiences surrounding the channel in this latest five-minute interview  Continue Reading

• Digital transformation or digital evolution?

  There is no doubt that customers are changing and moving to a more digital world – but perhaps this is better described as an evolution rather than a transformation?  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Matt Nicholson, Trustwave

  Matt Nicholson, EMEA channel manager at Trustwave, tells MicroScope about his early start in the channel but reveals he’s not a natural early riser  Continue Reading

• Service providers should ask more questions

  Nick Booth catches up with Barracuda and hears how it wants its channel to ask much more about the everyday stuff of life  Continue Reading

• 2021 predictions: Cloud, comms and remote working

  There are reasons for the channel to feel optimistic about the year ahead on numerous technology fronts  Continue Reading

• 2020: A year of accelerated change in the channel

  A look back over some of the main themes of a year that will be long remembered thanks to the pandemic  Continue Reading

• Reasons to be positive about 2021

  Optimism across the industry about the year ahead remains good thanks to the ongoing digitisation trend  Continue Reading

• Digital transformation doesn’t mean pain, say Apstra and Deloitte

  Nick Booth hears some advice from some of those trying to make digital transformation easier for customers  Continue Reading

• Channel starts considering the legacy of the coronavirus

  As lockdown starts to ease, considerations are turning to what the “new normal” will look like, and how it will impact the channel  Continue Reading

• MSPs have shown their value

  In this time of crisis, the response of managed service providers has been strong as they have stepped up to support customers  Continue Reading

• Five-minute interview: Jason Skelton, Acxiom

  Through a series of questions we find out a little bit more about another channel executive, this time Jason Skelton, Acxiom’s platform alliances head  Continue Reading

• The channel and sustainability

  There is no doubt that the climate change crisis has put the issue in the spotlight and resellers are being asked to not only help customers but show their own credentials around sustainability  Continue Reading

• Cloud tops the menu in 2020, with helpings of HCI, security and 5G

  We ask the channel what technologies and trends they see dominating in 2020 – cloud tops the list, with hyper-convergence, security and 5G also featuring  Continue Reading

• Channel faces another year of evolution

  Distributors, vendors and trade associations share their expectations for the year ahead, with the need to embrace change a key part of the message  Continue Reading

• Channel predictions: Opportunities in AI, hybrid cloud, edge and security

  Some of the great and the good in the industry have shared their predictions for what they expect in 2020  Continue Reading

• Aligning managed services with needs of SMEs

  We look at how managed service providers can ensure they make the most of the SME opportunity and how prepared they are to support SMEs as they shift spending to managed services  Continue Reading

• SD-WAN: How channel can make net gains

  How prepared are channel partners to take advantage of the rapidly growing SD-WAN market?  Continue Reading

• What to expect in Q4

  AI, contact centres and security are among the areas where the channel might gain in this quarter, according to industry figures  Continue Reading

• Cyber security and the channel

  Leading lights in the industry give their assessment of where the cyber security market is headed in the second half of 2019  Continue Reading

• Brexit crisis: How are businesses coping?

  Theresa May’s impending departure has only deepened the confusion surrounding Brexit – so what does the business community make of it all?  Continue Reading

• Channel enjoys a strong start to the year

  Just how has this year been going? There is no better way to find out than ask a number of those working in the channel  Continue Reading

• Channel opportunities stack up in managed print services

  We identify the opportunities presented by managed print services and consider the pros and cons for partners seeking to sell such services  Continue Reading

• Adapt for the era of virtual distribution

  Virtual distribution – the delivery of subscription services rather than physical products – is a growing IT trend. We consider what this means for channel businesses and how they can remain relevant in this changing IT world  Continue Reading

• Electric cars could be the vehicles for a channel coup

  Electric cars could have a more profound effect than simply just helping drivers get from A to B argues Nick Booth  Continue Reading

• The attraction of TaaS

  Offering technology and desktops as a service sounds like a good approach for the channel to take and the early adopters are urging more to get involved  Continue Reading

• Storage roundtable: Cloud and MSPs

  In the first part of coverage of MicroScope's storage roundtable the debate begins with a focus on the shift by customers towards the cloud and the movement by the channel to become MSPs  Continue Reading

• The “new Datto” outlines growth plans to MSPs

  Datto CEO Austin McChord details product roadmap and messaging to MSPs, post-Autotask merger  Continue Reading

• Cybersecurity the latest battleground for MSPs

  SolarWinds MSP says relationships with customers will suffer if channel doesn’t get security offerings right  Continue Reading

• Cloud and IoT to play key role for distributors

  Forecasts coming out of the Global Technology Distribution Council indicate that there is growth out there for disties if they focus in the right technology areas  Continue Reading

• Transformation continuing at Insight

  The channel player has been transforming its own business and the managed services side of the business continues to grow  Continue Reading

• The opportunities and threats of cloud

  The months ahead will give resellers plenty of chances to make revenue out of cloud but there are dangers for those that get it wrong  Continue Reading

• What's to come? Plenty of cloud and security

  The year is still young enough for the great and the good to be making predictions about just what technologies will make a difference in the months ahead  Continue Reading

• Distribution positioning for a smart future

  Distribution is making sure it has a role to play in a smart technology driven future  Continue Reading

• Interview: Microsoft's channel head urges IP development

  Phil Sorgen, Microsoft's worldwide channel head, is encouraging partners to develop their own IP as they embrace a cloud model  Continue Reading

• Five Minute Interview: Simon Worsfold, Fujitsu

  In the latest five minute interview we catch up with Simon Worsfold, who heads the channel sales team for Fujitsu in the UK and Ireland  Continue Reading

• Making the journey from break-fix to MSP

  A lot of resellers will be embarking on making the transition from break-fix to managed services and Clark Integrated Technology has already gone through that process and can share some of the lessons it learnt  Continue Reading