Tuesday, September 13, 2011

IT Industry Veteran Len DiCostanzo Named To Lead Autotask Community

Appointment Announced as 15-City Autotask Community On-Tour Kicks Off in Cincinnati
 
EAST GREENBUSH, NY - September 13, 2011 - Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced that Senior Vice President of Business Development, Len DiCostanzo will assume leadership of the Autotask Community – an active user community which includes tens of thousands of Autotask partners, vendors and IT industry leaders. DiCostanzo, a widely recognized IT business pioneer and mentor, is a CRN Magazine Channel Chief and named to both the MSP Mentor 250 and SMB Nation’s SMB 150. The announcement was timed to coincide with the start of the company’s Community On Tour events, a 15-city series of one-day IT business-building and training seminars which begins today in Cincinnati, OH, and continues through December 8, 2011 in Dallas, TX.
 
“Len is a genuine leader in the IT channel with a vast array of real-world experience, and we are delighted to have him play a lead role in our user community,” said Mark Cattini, Autotask President and CEO. “Len’s deep commitment to the success of Autotask users and to the channel is well known and he is a tremendous asset to our company and to the Autotask Community.”

DiCostanzo joined Autotask as Senior Vice President in 2008, and has more than 25 years experience as a business technology solution provider, trainer and mentor, and one of the first providers in the industry to develop and transition to a service-delivery business model based on recurring revenue. For more than a decade, DiCostanzo developed and delivered curricula, training materials and other content to transfer his extensive industry business knowledge to solution providers and vendors in the IT channel, and has delivered seminars and workshops to thousands of service providers around the globe.

“I’m really very happy about leading the Autotask Community, but community isn’t about just one person,” DiCostanzo said. “To me, it’s all about our users and their success. There are dozens of Autotask employees and executives directly engaged with our customers through the Community every day, not to mention the thousands of Autotask users who post questions and answers to each other, share best practices and generally help each other grow their businesses.”

“The Autotask Community is a large part of the overall IT ecosystem, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to connect all of our partners – our customers and our vendors – to get better alignment between our customers’ business needs and the way all of our products work together,” DiCostanzo said.

More than 80% of Autotask users actively participate in the company’s Online Community – a forums-based module built inside of Autotask’s software and directly accessible from within the product itself. The Online Community features dozens of product- and business-oriented user forums, industry blogs, special interest groups, online help resources and allows Autotask users to weigh in on product features and functionality and to shape the company’s product roadmap.

“I am very excited to learn that Len DiCostanzo will be leading the Autotask Community effort,” said Vince Tinnirello, Autotask user and CEO of Anchor Network Solutions, Inc., of Colorado. [www.anchornetworksolutions.com] “Len is already very involved with customers and other members of the Community, so I believe it is a natural fit. If there’s anyone who knows how to establish personal relationships and listen to customer needs, it’s Len. I look forward to the initiatives he’ll bring forward and the involvement of other Autotask executives as well.”

Craig Tribuno, Vice President of Maine-based, Systems Engineering [www.syseng.com] added, “Len is clearly one of the foremost authorities on how to build a more profitable and more sustainable IT business in the channel. Both Len and Autotask fundamentally understand the opportunities that cloud-based services offer to service providers and I’m glad to have him bring that experience to the Autotask Community.”

Autotask’s Community On Tour event begins September 13, 2011 in Cincinnati, OH, and continue through December 8. The tour features events in 15 cities in the United States and Canada. Events are free to attend for value-added resellers (VARs), managed services providers (MSPs) and other IT solutions providers. For a complete agenda, cities, dates and registration information, please visit www.autotask.com/ontour.

About Autotask Corporation
Autotask Corporation provides the world's leading hosted IT business management software to streamline and optimize business processes for technology solution providers. The software integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, tech scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that drive their business and their profitability.

Autotask is accessible from virtually any computing or mobile device connected to the Internet and features a world-class API that seamlessly integrates with the other systems and tools that providers rely on to run their businesses.

For more information about Autotask Corporation and products, please visit http://www.autotask.com or call 518-720-3500 Ext. 1

Autotask® and VARStreet® are registered trademarks of Autotask Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Autotask to Launch First German-Language IT Business Management Platform

Signs Distribution Agreement with ACMEO Cloud Distribution GmbH to Meet Strong Demand

EAST GREENBUSH, NY - September 12, 2011 - In response to strong local market demand, Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced that it will launch the first, fully-translated version of its software in German later this year. The company also announced that it has entered a distribution agreement with acmeo cloud-distribution GmbH & Co. KG, a leading distributor of software-as-a-service (SaaS), cloud-based solutions for IT service providers, to sell, service and support Autotask software in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
 
“Germany is the fourth largest economy in the world and one of the strongest markets for technology products and services in Europe. We are delighted to be able to localize Autotask to better serve our existing customers here and to partner with acmeo to grow and support the IT channel in Germany,” said Mark Cattini, Autotask president and CEO.

Autotask, which has active users in 53 countries around the world, cited a Forrester Research, Inc., report projecting Germany as the largest market in Europe for IT consulting services at an estimated €16B in 2011, and the second largest for IT outsourcing services valued at an additional €12B.1
Autotask software is specifically designed to automate and optimize business processes for IT service providers by integrating critical business systems in a single, cloud-based application and providing real-time reporting and service delivery intelligence. Users typically experience significant, measurable improvements in resource utilization, profitability and ROI within the first month after implementation.

“We are very happy that we have discovered Autotask. It is the perfect solution for optimising and expanding our business,” said Maximilian Pfister, General Manager of niteflite networxx, GmbH, in Feldafing, Germany. “It helped us a lot, keeping track of the time spent solving customers issues. In just one month we raised the amount of billable time by more than 20%. Autotask also brings more transparency for our clients because they can see in real-time what is happening with their service requests.”

acmeo cloud-distribution specializes in helping IT solutions providers create and deploy cloud-based managed services to support their end clients’ businesses, including remote monitoring and management of servers and desktops, online backup and disaster recovery, antivirus protection, email programs and other services. Unlike traditional services which are billed as delivered on an hourly basis, or by project type or size, managed services are typically billed at a flat monthly rate. This provides a predictable, recurring revenue stream for service providers, and a lower overall cost for end clients and their businesses.

“Autotask is a perfect complement to acmeo’s current product offerings because it provides a central business management platform for our customers and integrates easily with the cloud-based systems and tools they use to service their clients,” said Henning Meyer, managing director and CEO of acmeo. “Registrations for our first educational webinar in Germany with Autotask attracted more than 100 IT service providers, and there is a tremendous need for a German language version of Autotask available with local support.”

In Hanover for acmeo’s Autotask user meeting, Mark Banfield, Autotask Managing Director – International, said, “Working with acmeo to ramp up and support their operations has been very rewarding. Everyone in the acmeo organization is committed to ensuring our customers success, and the success of the IT channel in Germany, and we confident that our relationship will help them do just that.”

Those interested in learning more about acmeo and Autotask will find a list of upcoming webinars and seminars here: http://www.acmeo.eu/veranstaltungen.html

  1. Forrester Research, Inc.; European Information and Communications Technology Market 2011-2012; June 8, 2011
About acmeo cloud-distribution GmbH & Co. KG
acmeo cloud distribution GmbH & Co. KG is a 2007 started cloud-distribution team who specialises in enabling IT resellers to sell cloud-solutions and optimize their VAR business. We are the biggest GFI MAX distributor in Germany and the only distributor for Autotask in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We have profound knowledge in the introduction of service contracts and managed services offerings for IT resellers. We sell cloud based solutions for IT-Monitoring & -Management, Anti-Spam, Online-Backup, Anti-Virus, CRM, URL-Filtering and VoIP.

For more information visit http://www.acmeo.eu

About Autotask Corporation
Autotask Corporation provides the world's leading hosted IT business management software to streamline and optimize business processes for technology solution providers. The software integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, tech scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that drive their business and their profitability.

Autotask is accessible from virtually any computing or mobile device connected to the Internet and features a world-class API that seamlessly integrates with the other systems and tools that providers rely on to run their businesses.

For more information about Autotask Corporation and products, please visit http://www.autotask.com or call 518-720-3500 Ext. 1

Autotask® and VARStreet® are registered trademarks of Autotask Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Autotask Corporation Establishes UK Operations

London-based Operations to Service Increased Demand in UK and Europe

EAST GREENBUSH, NY - September 8, 2011 - Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced the opening of its first European office in London, England. The UK office will act as the central point for Autotask’s European operations and meet strongly increasing demand for its products and services from IT service providers, value added resellers (VARs) and managed services providers (MSPs) across Europe.
 
The UK office is led by Mark Banfield, Autotask Managing Director – International, and staffed with engineering, support, implementation and sales personnel. Banfield has more than 10 years in the software industry, having started his career with MapInfo Corporation and holding a variety of management roles at Innopath Software, SmartTrust and Autodesk. Banfield, who has built and developed successful European and international businesses previously, spent several months planning and developing Autotask’s international operation to ensure the correct resources are in place to support the many thousands of Autotask users in UK, Europe and around the globe.

“The response to Autotask having a full-service team on the ground in the UK has been extremely positive,” said Banfield. “Not only does it allow us to better support current customers, it allows us to respond to market enquiries, engage interested prospects and have them up and much running more quickly.”

“Establishing Mark and his team in London is proving tremendously valuable for our customers and is a tremendous asset to our business,” said Mark Cattini, Autotask President and CEO. “More than 25% of Autotask users are located outside of North America, and that number continues to increase rapidly. Ensuring we have the proper resources in place to support the IT channel community in Europe is a logical step in the evolution of our business.”

Autotask software automates and optimizes the business processes of information technology solution providers. It integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, tech scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that affect their business and their profitability. Earlier this year, Autotask located its first datacenter outside of the US in London to better support its growing user base in the UK and Europe.

“We’ve been using Autotask since 2008,” said Lee Evans, Managing Director of Vital Network Solutions, a Harrogate, North Yorkshire-based IT consultancy and solutions provider. “Autotask locating offices in London signifies a deep commitment to the channel in UK and Europe, and it’s great to have local support who understands how business is done in the UK.”

Cattini and Banfield spoke from Synaxon UK’s [www.synaxon.co.uk] member conference this week in Crewe, Cheshire, England, where Cattini delivered the keynote address. In August, Autotask Corporation and Synaxon UK announced a strategic partnership to help IT service providers and resellers streamline and automate their businesses and drive higher levels of profitability.

“The whole ethos of Synaxon is about helping resellers to do business better, and the great value of Autotask is that it is designed to be open and adaptable to the way our members do business,” said Derek Jones, Managing Director of Synaxon UK. “We look forward to working with Mark and his team, and to helping resellers gain a higher level of efficiency, predictability and profitability from their businesses using Autotask.”

Autotask’s UK offices are located in London at The Brewery, 18 Petersham Rd, Richmond TW10 6UW, telephone +44 208 439 8450.

About Autotask Corporation
Autotask Corporation provides the world's leading hosted IT business management software to streamline and optimize business processes for technology solution providers. The software integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, tech scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that drive their business and their profitability.

Autotask is accessible from virtually any computing or mobile device connected to the Internet and features a world-class API that seamlessly integrates with the other systems and tools that providers rely on to run their businesses.

For more information about Autotask Corporation and products, please visit http://www.autotask.com or call 518-720-3500 Ext. 1

Autotask® and VARStreet® are registered trademarks of Autotask Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Build Up Your Revenue and Profitability, Not Your Resources and Infrastructure

The most successful technology providers employ a variety of solutions to meet and exceed their clients' needs - and to grow their revenues.

Among the available solutions, how do you create an IT business - one that's efficient, predictable and profitable - while protecting it from competitors and covering each piece of the client technology pie?
It's easier than you think!

Plugging a Managed Print offering into your IT business management software creates a unique and powerful platform you can use to become a total managed services provider for your clients!

Please join us Tuesday, September 27 at 2 PM US ET, when Gennifer Biggs, Editor at Business Solutions Magazine, moderates a panel including: Tim Brien of Oki Data Americas, Inc., Len DiCostanzo of Autotask, and James Laszko of Mythos Technology.

James will reveal how Oki Data's Total Managed Print™ was the turn-key solution he needed to expand his capabilities to include managing his clients' print fleets - all without having to add any internal infrastructure or staff!

Plus, since the managed print data flows directly into his Autotask system, James can access detailed reporting and analysis on the significant impact on his bottom line.

Don't miss this opportunity to listen in as this panel of experts explains the ins, outs, and real-world results of integrating managed print with a robust business management software platform.

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!