"All in all I am very pleased and impressed
with their service. The tech support staff helped
me make this a very smooth transition. They are
undoubtedly professionals in this field and I'm
glad we made the move to their service. Only
wish we did it sooner."
:: Rick Heyn
[more]
Vergeline, a U.S.-based technology company, switches hosting providers and chooses groupSPARK as their preferred vendor.
After spending many months struggling with another hosted Exchange provider, Vergeline chose to join groupSPARK’s Exchange Reseller Program and move their clients to groupSPARK’s highly reliable and secure hosted business services. groupSPARK offers Vergeline’s customers the flexibility to manage their email, archiving, anti-virus/anti-spam filtering, SharePoint, CRM and email encryption services all through one easy to use, web-based control panel, saving them significant time and money.
“We at Vergeline have used other hosted Exchange providers in the past and none of them have provided the tremendous customer service and sales support to make our private labeled offering successful the way that groupSPARK has. Their full featured offerings allow us to drive additional revenue with our customers by adding hosted archiving, mobility, SharePoint, hosted Desktop and AS/AV filtering. The uptime guarantee has helped our customers stay connected with the service with unprecedented connectivity.”
Mike DelVerne
President, Vergeline
groupSPARK has launched Password Synchronization, a proprietary tool that will keep your client’s passwords stored in their Active Directory Server synched with their hosted Exchange service. Each time a password is changed, the password on our groupSPARK server is changed. With this optional service, users do not have to remember two different passwords and administrators do not need to synchronize them manually. Please contact a groupSPARK sales engineer if you are a current groupSPARK partner and wish to activate this product.
Not already a groupSPARK partner? Join groupSPARK’s Exchange Reseller Program and resell the most in-demand SaaS services under your own brand. Sign up today or chat with a partner manager at 877-546-7227 or info@groupSPARK.com.
groupSPARK has released Active Directory Automatic Synchronization, a new proprietary tool to help its resellers’ clients manage their hosted Exchange users through their own Active Directory (AD). The tool listens for changes in the client’s AD environment and automatically updates the hosted Exchange environment every 5 minutes with the changes. Since this is entirely automated, there is no user interface associated with this tool. This optional service allows clients with large and/or complex organizations to maintain consistency between their Exchange and Office environments in a fully automated fashion. Please contact a groupSPARK sales engineer if you are a current groupSPARK partner and wish to enable this product for a client.
Not already a groupSPARK partner? Join groupSPARK’s Exchange Reseller Program and resell the most in-demand SaaS services under your own brand. Sign up today or chat with a partner manager at 877-546-7227 or info@groupSPARK.com
The state of Massachusetts recently passed a law protecting its residents from the unlawful use or theft of private or financial data.
Law 201 CMR 17.00 pertains to “every person that owns or licenses personal information about a resident of the Commonwealth,” and requires “encryption of all transmitted records and files containing personal information that will travel across public networks, and encryption of all data containing personal information to be transmitted wirelessly.” ANY company which houses, manages, processes or distributes the personal data of Massachusetts residents is required to guarantee its protection.
The electronic transmission of a names, credit card numbers, bank account or debit card numbers, financial records, driver’s license numbers and social security numbers must not be distributed to others without encryption of the email in which it is contained.
Enforcement of this law will include up to a $5,000 fine per violation and up to $50,000 for each instance of improper disposal of personal data.
groupSPARK’s highly secure, web-based email encryption service helps remove the risks associated with data loss, regulatory and corporate policy violations. Our policy-based email encryption service is easy to use, does not require any technical knowledge and eliminates the administrative overhead associated with traditional encryption systems. Emails can be encrypted on-demand by the end user, or by the company’s administrator using content-based policies which will automatically encrypt messages based on the use of sensitive or personal information.
As a groupSPARK reseller, you can offer your customers both hosted email encryption as well as our hosted Exchange email service, increasing your average revenue per user while, at the same time, helping to protect your customers’ sensitive data.
Email has grown to become the primary communications tool for businesses of all sizes and with it we have seen the rapid growth in spam, viruses and other threats that can not only attack a single computer but an entire network. Businesses are searching for solutions that don’t just eliminate spam but also protect their whole infrastructure by removing malicious viruses and worms before they ever reach internal systems.
Protect your customers with MX Logic Premium Spam Filtering and MX Logic Disaster Recovery Services.
MX Logic Premium Spam Filtering Service
This multi-layered service establishes a sophisticated email defense which integrates spam filtering and analysis, protection from electronic fraud, and complex filtering of unsolicited and offensive inbound email content and attachments.
MX Logic Disaster Recovery Service
MX Logic Disaster Recovery Service brings together the in-bound spam filtering and analysis of the Premium Spam Filtering Service with out-bound email analysis and message continuity enabling businesses to communicate even during network outages or natural disasters.
Why should you resell groupSPARK hosted business services?
• Offer your customers best-in-class spam filtering and other hosted business services from a recognized leader in the hosting industry. groupSPARK was named by Microsoft as their 2008-2009 Hosting Partner of the Year.
• Ensure the relationship you have with your customers is protected. groupSPARK’s private label hosted services and fully brandable control panel ensure that you maintain and build upon the business relationship you have worked so hard to develop with your customers.
• As a groupSPARK reseller you can add high-margin services to your product portfolio which generate monthly recurring revenue per user. No large initial capital outlay or deployment delays ensure you can start selling leading business services immediately, under your own brand with not risk.
• All of the groupSPARK hosted business services including Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, Dynamics CRM, MX Logic spam filtering, archiving services and email support for mobile devices are all integrated into one, easy to use web-based control panel. With just a few clicks of a mouse you and your customers can quickly enable and manage the hosted services that meet their specific needs.
We are excited to announce the availability of the new groupSPARK Partner Portal – an online repository of sales and marketing tools, tips, and the latest promotions, created specifically for our reseller partners to help them increase their sales of hosted business services.
Some of the materials include:
• Brandable Collateral: Add your company logo and contact information to our unbranded hosted Exchange, SharePoint, Dynamics CRM and archiving collateral and distribute under your brand to your customers.
• Website Content Generator: Generate unique hosted services messaging for your web site with just the click of a mouse. HTML code is automatically created and can be pasted into any page of your web site.
• Logo Downloads: Download product logos such as Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft Outlook 2007, Windows Mobile, Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services and many others to use on product data sheets, trade show graphics, print ads, banners, and other marketing materials.
Are you a groupSPARK reseller? Contact Johan Malone to receive your unique login credentials and take advantage of the groupSPARK Partner Portal today.
Hosted services professionals from around the world converged on the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington, D.C. from August 10-12, 2009 for the fifth annual Hostingcon 2009.
Hostingcon is the preeminent industry conference and tradeshow for web hosts, data centers, SaaS and infrastructure providers.
This year’s conference brought together groupSPARK and over 2,000 other hosting professionals from over 30 countries in our nation’s capital. Business executives and technical gurus attended sessions on the latest technology, ideas and trends related to the hosted services industry and visited exhibitors to learn more about their new offerings.
Current economic conditions have actually spurred the continued growth of the hosted services industry as businesses large and small seek to cut expenses in all departments, especially IT. Hosted service providers have the opportunity to significantly broaden their customer base and increase their monthly recurring revenue from existing customers as they offer leading business applications like email and CRM as hosted business services.
Sunday, July 12, 2009 was one of the hottest days in recent memory but there were enthusiastic smiles all around. groupSPARK employees joined with Microsoft employees and its other partners from around the world to help Habitat for Humanity rebuild homes in New Orleans’ 9th Ward.
As participants at Microsoft’s 2009 Worldwide Partner Conference, we had the unique opportunity to volunteer at the site of some of Hurricane Katrina’s worst devastation. Four years after the hurricane, rebuilding efforts continue and we were happy to arrive in New Orleans before the conference and work side by side with residents to rebuild their homes.
Hammers flew throughout the afternoon as volunteers completed the framing on two new homes in a neighborhood known as the Musicians’ Village. The Musicians’ Village was conceived by New Orleans native son’s Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis who were eager to see the musical heritage of the city return after Hurricane Katrina.
groupSPARK employees are happy to have had the opportunity to offer their time and talents to the residents of New Orleans and look forward volunteering on other projects.
Burlington, MA - July 7, 2008 - groupSPARK — a mindSHIFT company, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and the leading provider of private label hosted Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions including hosted Exchange Server 2007, hosted SharePoint Services 3.0, and hosted Dynamics CRM — announced today that groupSPARK’s founder and senior executive officer, Ravi Agarwal, will speak at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), held in Houston, Texas, July 7-10, 2008. Agarwal will draw upon groupSPARK’s success as a leader in the SaaS industry and will address the benefits and opportunities available for resellers through private-label hosted services. groupSPARK was named 2008 Microsoft Partner of the Year, in the Advanced Infrastructure, Hosting Solutions category.
The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference brings together 10,000 Microsoft Partners to gain insight into business growth opportunities and Microsoft product innovation. Through a series of presentations and events, partners will also share insights and experiences on the latest industry issues and strategies on business success. groupSPARK was invited to join Microsoft in speaking on a number of topics including how to build a steady stream of recurring revenue through private-label hosted software services and the pros and cons of deploying an in-house SaaS solution vs. partnering with a private label provider. groupSPARK’s presentation schedule follows:
* Monday, July7th 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM, 2:30 - 3:35 PM, 310 BCEF
Small Business Symposium: Transformation To Software Plus Services: Expand Your Business By Selling Hosted Services With Your Brand
Speakers: Greg Olsby, Microsoft, and Ravi Agarwal, groupSPARK
Do you want to add new revenue streams to your existing portfolio? Are you working to retain existing customers and attract new ones to your software-plus-services offerings? Hear how other Microsoft partners are successfully evolving their businesses to offer private-label hosted services.
* Monday, July 7th 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, 351 E
Industry Partner Forum: Hosting and Delivering Your Online Services
Speakers: Greg Olsby, Microsoft, and Ravi Agarwal, groupSPARK
Learn about the revenue opportunity in targeting other Microsoft partners — including value-added resellers, independent software vendors, and systems integrators — for private-label hosting. Discover how Microsoft partners like groupSPARK can help you capitalize on this vast opportunity.
* Tuesday, July 8th 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM, 352 EF
Build a Recurring Revenue Stream: Resell Branded Hosted Services
Speakers: Michael van Dijken, Microsoft, and Ravi Agarwal, groupSPARK
With more companies looking to outsource IT to a service provider, there is tremendous opportunity for you to build a hosting business with minimal risk. Grow your business by reselling branded hosted services from a Microsoft hosting partner. Learn about this opportunity, hear from successful partners such as groupSPARK, and sign up today.
* Tuesday, July 8th 2:00 - 2:30 PM, 5:30 - 6:00 PM - Microsoft Hosting Pavilion
Build vs. Partner: When Is It Better to Partner With A Private Label Provider vs. Rolling Out Your Own SaaS Solution?
Speaker: Ravi Agarwal, groupSPARK
Interest in SaaS is exploding as SMBs demand anytime, anywhere access to their mission- critical data. Service providers see the potential revenue and customer retention benefits of selling SaaS solutions. The question is whether it is more advantageous to build your own in-house infrastructure or partner with a private label provider? Time and cost of deployment, quantity of hardware, software, and training involved and need for experienced personnel are just a few of the many issues to consider. This session will weigh the benefits and drawbacks to rolling out your own SaaS solution vs. partnering with a private label provider.
“The SaaS market continues to grow at a rapid pace as small and mid-size businesses discover that they can take immediate advantage of industry-leading Fortune-500 messaging and collaboration tools as hosted services at a price they can easily absorb. Therefore, resellers are searching for a way to offer these services to their customers under their own brand, increasing customer retention and recurring revenue per user,” says Ravi Agarwal, founder and senior executive director of groupSPARK, a mindSHIFT company.
“Through these sessions we will discuss how Microsoft partners can begin reselling private label hosted services to their customers in as little as 30 minutes, with no risk, and capitalize on this significant business opportunity. The ability to resell hosted Exchange Server 2007, hosted SharePoint Services, hosted Dynamics CRM and provide support for mobile devices under their own brand gives resellers a significant advantage over their competitors,” Agarwal said.
Worldwide Partner Conference attendees can visit with groupSPARK personnel on the Expo floor at booth #1070 as well as inside the Microsoft hosting pavilion. Additionally, the company will be accepting the 2008 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award in the Advanced Infrastructure Solutions, Hosting Solutions category for its demonstration of both technical and business marketing innovation. The award was announced on June 16, 2008 and will be officially presented to groupSPARK at an Executive Luncheon on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at the Worldwide Partner Conference.
About groupSPARK
Located in Burlington, Massachusetts, groupSPARK, a mindSHIFT company, is a leading provider of SaaS services, such as Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, and Dynamics CRM, which can be completely private labeled and resold by partners as a part of their own product offerings, thereby saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in development and support costs.
Its partners utilize groupSPARK’s turnkey private label platform to provide hosted services to their users in minutes. Partners are able to address scalability and uptime concerns by leveraging groupSPARK’s 100% uptime SLA, private label 24×7 U.S.-based support and proactive hardware and software monitoring capabilities. For additional information, visit www.groupSPARK.com.
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The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
BURLINGTON, Massachusetts – June 16, 2008 – groupSPARK, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and the leading provider of private label hosted software services including Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM, today announced that it has been named by Microsoft as its 2008 Partner of the Year in the Advanced Infrastructure Solutions, Hosting Solutions category.
The Microsoft Partner of the Year Award recognizes partners in a number of categories who are industry leaders and have a proven track record of developing and delivering to their customers best-of-breed, comprehensive Microsoft-based solutions to help them achieve outstanding business success.
groupSPARK was chosen for this prestigious award from a pool of over 2,000 entrants worldwide. The selection as the top Hosting Solutions Partner was based on the company’s demonstration of both technical and business marketing innovation. Its integration of Microsoft technology such as Microsoft Exchange Server, Windows SharePoint Services and Dynamics CRM with proprietary, industry leading automation tools enables groupSPARK resellers to go to market more quickly and cost effectively with a full suite of private label hosted services under their own brands.
“We are pleased to see groupSPARK present reselling partners with increased opportunity to deliver richer applications and the power of choice,” said Robert Deshaies, Vice President, U.S. Partner Group, Microsoft Corp. “Partners of any size can now offer hosted Microsoft Exchange Server based on groupSPARK’s service in as little as 30 minutes to customers using their own brand, domain, and corporate look-and-feel.”
“We are exceptionally honored to be selected from among thousands of Microsoft partners to receive the 2008 Microsoft Partner of the Year award in the advanced infrastructure solutions, hosting solutions category,” said Ravi Agarwal, founder and Senior Executive Officer of groupSPARK, a mindSHIFT company. “We are delighted that Microsoft has publicly recognized our proven success as the leading provider of private label SaaS applications – worldwide.”
groupSPARK’s industry leading Private Label Application Delivery (PLAD) platform enables resellers to offer hosted Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 completely under the resellers’ brand. This technology is the only one in the industry that allows for complete private label functionality, including every URL seen by the end customer. This unique private label capability enables them to go to market in a significantly shorter amount of time - 30 minutes - incurring significantly less deployment expenses and allowing them to increase customer retention and monthly recurring revenue. Couple that with outstanding customer service delivered via live 24 x 7 U.S.-based technical support and groupSPARK provides an unmatched hosted services solution to its reseller partners.
About groupSPARK Located in Burlington, Massachusetts, groupSPARK, a mindSHIFT company, is the leading provider of SaaS services, such as Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Windows SharePoint Services v3.0, and Dynamics CRM, completely private labeled and resold by partners as a part of their own product offerings, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in development and support costs.
Its partners utilize groupSPARK’s turnkey private label platform to provide hosted services to their users in minutes. Partners address scalability and uptime concerns by leveraging groupSPARK’s 100% uptime SLA, live 24×7 U.S.-based support and proactive hardware and software monitoring capabilities. For additional information, visit www.groupSPARK.com.
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Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Contact Information:
Lisa Masiello
groupSPARK
781-273-6248 x.652 lmasiello@groupspark.com
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