I've been making the rounds at IT Service Management trade shows. The impressive array of tools and technology now available to IT service professionals makes me jealous compared to what was available when I was struggling to build my managed services practice. Back in 1996, with a nascent Internet, we had few tools and even less in terms of metrics or methodology. How many desktops can one service technician manage? How many servers can one administrator handle? These numbers have changed, significantly! Where we measured capacity in the dozens, today individual administrators can handle hundreds if not thousands of servers. Still, while the tools have made life easier for Managed Service Providers (MSP), the fundamental success principles are still the same. I learned it wasn't the tools that ensured success, but these principles: expectations, communications and alignment. Setting -- and Managing -- Expectations If you do nothing else, do this: set and manage expectations. As a