Managed Service Provider Week in Review

It seems you can’t look at the managed services market these days without the cloud coming into the big picture. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is growing at a frenetic pace while Software as a Service (Saas) is undergoing healthy and steady growth. No matter which angle or network layer you approach from, the cloud dominated MSP headlines this week.

Awesome Cloud Services summed it up nicely with new research predicting IaaS will grow 41.7 percent from 2011 to 2016, with SaaS experiencing 17.4 percent growth for that time period. The research firm also predicted a rise in the market size for enterprise cloud-based services from $18.3 billion in 2012 to $31.9 billion by 2017, all of which bodes very well for MSPs.

And the cloud revolution has only just begun, according to MSPToday contributor Mae Kowalke. She discussed how cloud development and advances are just starting to rev up, with cloud adoption still in its early days. With most growth being fueled by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft and Google, the cloud still holds massive potential for service providers and end users alike.  

That is exactly why groups like the Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA) have been formed, with the end goal of furthering open, integrated and enterprise-ready cloud services. The ODCA announced a revamp of its Cloud Maturity Model (CMM) this week, which spans IaaS, SaaS, Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Information as a Service (InfoaaS). Ultimately, the group is using its usage and maturity models to help bring cloud adoption out of its infancy while easing migration and optimizing cloud usage.

Deals like the $1.3-billion one announced by IBM this week will also go a long way toward the maturity of the cloud and managed services relationship. The company will provide cloud infrastructure and managed services to European financial institutions through a partnership with Associated Dexia Technology Solutions that has IBM taking over a controlling share of that company. The massive deal is in line with IBM’s recent initiative of focusing on industry-specific cloud consulting services, and will give them a strong foothold in the financial managed services and cloud arena.