TDS Telecom, the seventh largest telecom provider in the US, has hired Clint Harder as its new vice president of product strategy. Harder will join the Hosting and Managed Services division of TDS. The move comes quickly on the heels of another executive hire, also from the managed services industry. Phil LaForge, recently the vice president and general manager of Nimsoft (a monitoring/management and cloud platform for MSPs that was purchased by CA Technologies last year), was hired as the chief operating office of TDS Hosting and Managed Services. So, what can we deduce from this series of events?
First, both Harder and LaForge previously worked for Berbee, a large MSP that was acquired by distributor CDW a few years back. That these two individuals with extensive managed services experience would end up at the same company again is not coincidence.
Second, both individuals being hired by TDS definitely conclude in my mind that the company is planning on making some significant advances into managed services and these two executives will be spear heading that initiative.
Third, and perhaps most important, the seventh largest telecom provider in the US making such definitive movements into managed services should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that the convergence of telecommunications organizations and IT services is gaining rapid momentum. We have already seen evidence for the last few years of telephony companies making serious investigations (and in some instances) actually creating managed services offerings within their organizations. Some telephony companies have made purchases of MSP firms, some have created partnerships, and others have created in-house organic divisions. The question is, with TDS making such a public move, how will this impact the other telephony VARs and integrators who are currently watching on the sidelines?
My gut tells me this convergence will continue and it will be global in scope. Not only does this bode well for MSP valuations (these service organizations will become even more sought after in the future) but it will create new opportunities on both sides of the channel (IT and telephony). It is going to be a busy summer in the channel.
Written by Charles Weaver, CEO of MSPAlliance
