See Autotask Live in Action!

Register now and join Tom Teta, Sales Engineer for Autotask on this important webinar on driving service profitability and accountability. Learn the essentials about fact based decision making and driving your business forward.

Autotask includes everything you need to organize, automate and optimize your IT business from a single, cloud-based platform that’s accessible from anywhere – so you spend less time managing your business and more time growing it.

By attending this event you will learn how to:

• Win New Service Business
• Improve Service Delivery
• Reduce Billing Time by 85%
• Capture More Billable Hours
• Boost Profit Margins
• Gain Control of your Business

Autotask Integrates Cisco OnPlus™ to Simplify Small Business Network Management

EAST GREENBUSH, NY - February 27, 2012 -Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced the availability of a seamless API integration between its flagship Autotask Pro software and Cisco OnPlus™, a new cloud-based service that enables Cisco partners to deliver managed network services to their small business customers by providing safe, highly-secure and reliable visibility into their clients’ networks. 

 

The service, developed by Cisco and available at no charge to Autotask users around the world, allows IT service providers, value-added resellers (VARs) and managed services providers (MSPs) to create an OnPlus service desk queue within their Autotask system. The integration automatically converts OnPlus network and device alerts into Autotask service tickets and assigns them to the appropriate internal resource for resolution, according to customizable workflow rules, service level agreement levels and contract terms. Once completed, the two-way integration closes the corresponding alert in OnPlus and updates all time entries, work history and service time in Autotask.

“We are especially pleased to be able to offer the Cisco OnPlus integration to our global user community,” said Len DiCostanzo, Autotask senior vice-president of community and business development. “Cisco is one of the preeminent technology vendors in the world, and this integration adds clear value for our clients, and creates a new range of services they can offer to their SMB customers.”

Autotask’s integration of Cisco OnPlus is designed to support remote network assessment and the delivery of managed network services and features:

• Instant access from virtually any computer or mobile device connected to the Internet
• Automated ticket creation and alert handling
• Customizable automated workflow policies
• Round-trip ticket closure

“Autotask is doing some creative integration with OnPlus that helps partners provide better service to their small business customers,” said Dave Tang, senior director, small business strategy, Cisco. “These combined efforts help SMBs focus on their business while partners are able to offer a managed service with revenue streams that help grow their business.”

Boost Your Efficiency, Predictability and Profitability

Please Note: This webinar will be broadcast at 11 AM Sydney, AU time.

Sponsored by N-able Technologies:

You are invited to this introductory webinar to learn about improving your business's efficiency, predictability and profitability. Please join us to see how Autotask can help you grow in 2012!

Next Wednesday, January 11 at 11 AM AU EDT, Adam Ross, Regional Sales Manager for Autotask, and Nathan Franks, Director & Principal Consultant for Dynamic Business Technologies will take you through a month in the life of a new IT services client.

In this insightful hour, you'll see how IT business management & remote monitoring software can help you better manage all the stages of the client lifecycle, including:

• Sales & Opportunity Management
  creating a lead, opportunity and quote, then winning and closing the opportunity
  
• Contracts & Service Desk
  creating a contract and completing associated service tickets
  
• Billing & Invoicing
  check timesheets, generate and send invoices, monitor client contract values
  
• Client-Facing Reporting
  provide clients visibility into past tickets and alert issues, and SLA performance
  
• Internal Reporting
  allow management to mine business intelligence such as profitability and staff utilisation

Register Now!

How to Succeed with Managed Services: Part 8 - Delivering Managed Services

Autotask Academy and MSP University wrap up an 8-part webinar series with this capstone training session!

Part 8 - Delivering Managed Services

On Thursday, December 15 at 1 PM ET, Autotask's Len DiCostanzo and MSPU's Erick Simpson will focus on methods to provide the best service delivery experience for your clients, end-users, and your technical staff. Effective, efficient service delivery processes and procedures will increase client satisfaction and build continued loyalty among your clients.

In this webinar, you'll learn:

• An overview of incident management
• Communications and customer service tips to identify needs while keeping clients at ease and cooperative
• How to set the proper expectations and what not to say
• What to do when things go wrong, and when to escalate to the Service Manager

Register now!

To view the recorded sessions from the rest of the series, click here!

CompTIA Cloud Foundations Workshop & Certification: Module 4 - Services Delivery

At Autotask Community Live, CompTIA debuted its Cloud Foundations Workshop and Certification Program. It was so well received that we've teamed up with CompTIA to bring you the modules in a convenient webinar format.

Take advantage of the substantial business opportunities in delivering cloud solutions to customers!

On Tuesday, November 8 at 1:00 PM US ET, Dan Shapero will lead this fourth module of the Cloud Foundations Workshop, and help you understand how to align your service offerings, needs and price points when operating in a cloud environment.

Steve Noel of Autotask Corporation will also be on hand to share how IT business management software can be the central platform for managing your evolution to the cloud and delivering a whole new range of services more profitably.

Learn to develop insights into staffing, pricing and organizational considerations including:

• Service team structure
• The services lifecycle
• On-going services opportunities
• Developing operating services/implementation processes
• Nurturing long-term client relationships

Attendees must be present for the duration of this webinar to receive educational credit for this module. After completing all modules of workshop, attendees will receive a certificate of completion. Watch your inbox for opportunities to attend future modules.

Register now!

Efficiently Manage Online Backup & Recovery Services

Are you frustrated with using multiple tools to track and bill the backup and disaster recovery services (BDR) you provide?

Are you wasting time manually creating tickets and escalating backup-related issues after receiving notification emails?

If so, this is a webinar you won't want to miss!

To efficiently run their businesses, MSPs and VARs rely heavily on a central IT business management platform - one that easily integrates with tools like BDR services. Now, Autotask and Intronis have teamed up with a deep integration linking the IT business management software and cloud provider of backup and disaster services.

Please join us Thursday, October 20 at 11 AM US ET, when Matt Kowalski and Ted Roller of Intronis and Len DiCostanzo of Autotask will walk you through the core functionality and benefits of the integration, including:

• Quick and easy setup
• Effortlessly monitor BDR solutions via Autotask Service Desk tickets automatically generated by Intronis notifications
• Automatically adjust billing in Autotask per flexible contracts, service bundles, etc.
• Generate reports and client invoices

This is a great opportunity to learn how to optimize key backup processes so you can manage and deliver a broader range of services - increasing your value to your end customers!

Register now!

Live Demo: Autotask's New Integration with CentraStage RMM

To play successfully in the Managed Services arena, two things are essential: a world-class remote monitoring and management solution (RMM) and an open IT business management platform to automate and streamline everything.

Fresh from the presses, Autotask is proud to announce its newest integration with UK-based CentraStage!

Since 2006, CentraStage has offered MSPs full visibility and control of the devices they manage. And now, the information generated from CentraStage is instantly accessible in Autotask and available for detailed reporting and analysis via Autotask's robust reporting engine.

Please join us on Thursday, September 8 at 2 PM ET when CentraStage Co-Founder and CTO Ian van Reenen and Autotask Manager of Strategic Alliances Rhonda Hain unveil the details and benefits of the integration and walk you through a live demonstration of the products working hand-in-hand.

By the end of this webinar, you'll walk away knowing:

• How to improve your services workflow
• How to centrally monitor and manage services for your full client roster
• How to reduce cost and increase profitability

Register now!

Maximise Your Managed Services Practice with GFI MAX and Autotask

Please join Autotask and GFI MAX for this exclusive webinar introducing how our rock-solid integration will maximise your Managed Services Practice. You can run your business better and more profitably with the unique combination of Autotask’s IT business management software and GFI MAX’s IT security and productivity solutions.

In this not-to-be-missed hour on Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 11 AM GMT / 4 PM US ET, you’ll hear from Tony Poole, Group Managing Director of the Pure Synergy Group, one of the UK’s leading Managed Services Providers. Tony will speak on how an integrated software toolset can ease your transition, improve efficiency, and build profitable services for you customers.

Len DiCostanzo and Alistair Forbes will be on hand to introduce you to Autotask and GFI MAX and demonstrate how you can leverage the integration to:

• Win new business
• Develop new services
• Generate additional recurring revenue
• Improve service delivery
• Automate and optimize key business processes
• Make your life more manageable

Register now!

How to Succeed with Managed Services: Part 2 - Pricing Managed Services by Device

Autotask Academy and MSP University have teamed up to create an 8-part webinar series to help you build and improve your Managed Services practice and your success!

Each month, Autotask's Len DiCostanzo and Steve Noel and MSPU's Erick Simpson will cover a topic central to developing your Managed Services practice and adding recurring revenue to your bottom line.

Part 2 - Pricing Managed Services by Device
This training session on Thursday, June 16 at 1 PM ET will cover the most popular pricing strategies used by MSPs for their Managed Services deliverables, along with the pros and cons of each pricing model.

By the end of this webinar, you'll know:

• The differences between Per Device, Per User, and Per Service Pricing models
• How each pricing model affects profitability, client perception and commoditization
• How to determine your total cost of service delivery in order to appropriately set your margins for Per Device Pricing

Be sure to mark your calendar for the other sessions now, and watch your inbox for invitations to register for each upcoming event.

• Part 3: Pricing Managed Services on Value
  Thu., July 14 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
• Part 4: Managed Services Agreements
  Thu., August 11 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
• Part 5: Marketing Managed Services
  Thu., September 22 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
• Part 6: Selling Managed Services
  Thu., October 27 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
• Part 7: Onboarding Managed Services Clients
  Thu., November 10 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
• Part 8: Delivering Managed Services
  Thu., December 15 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT

Remember to follow @AutotaskAcademy on Twitter for the latest information on webinars and other IT business-building resources.

Pricing For Profits: A Guide for MSPs and IT Service Providers

Nothing's trickier than coming up with the right pricing for IT services.

Price yourself too high, and your prospects customers will balk...price your services too low and you'll leave money on the table - or worse, lose money.

If you are looking for actionable advice that you can walk away with to increase profits on the services you already sell, please register now for Len's next webinar coming up on Wednesday, May 4 at 1 PM EDT.

During this one-hour, information-packed session, Len will share his best tips based on his own success as a profitable MSP:

• How to determine costs and profits for:
  • Managed services
  • Cloud services
  • Professional services
  • Break/fix services
  • Time and material services
• Five key factors to consider when pricing your services
• How to build inclusive Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for profit
• How to use automation to scale service delivery and profitability

Register now!

Top Reasons To Use Surveys To Run Your Business Better.

By: Bob Godgart, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Visionary Officer

I’m always impressed when the IT service providers I work with take the time to ask me how things are going.

Consumer-oriented companies figured this out a while ago. They know that regular customer satisfaction check-ins will help to maximize customer retention, and help them figure out how to best position themselves to win new business. But businesses that provide services to other businesses have been slower to figure this out, and I’m continually surprised at how few companies in the IT business regularly conduct surveys of their customers.

And, increasing customer retention and loyalty is only one of the many reasons you should be regularly conducting surveys – of your customers as well as your prospects. Here are my top 10 additional reasons:

Why Service Level Management is Mission-Critical for IT Service Providers

By: Len DiCostanzo, SVP and Dean of Autotask Academy

It's All About Expectations

At the heart of almost every business relationship are expectations... expectations that have to be set, managed and met or exceeded. When it comes to IT Services, your clients' expectations are going to revolve around the specific services you are delivering and the promises or claims that you make related to them.

What Service Providers Can Learn From the Industrial Age

By: Bob Godgart, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Visionary Officer

The word "efficiency" was born out of the manufacturing age as a concept for increasing the output of factories. In its simplest form, the idea is to get more coming out of the factory from the components and raw materials you bring in. This is done by optimizing the manufacturing process, and often times bringing in new tools to speed up and/or automate those process.