Monday Morning Impact – April 17

Rackspace Launches New Professional Services

Rackspace has rolled out an expanded professional services offering geared towards working with channel partners to help customers plan, assess, design, migrate, manage and optimize their journey to the cloud.

Through the San Antonio-based hosting company’s new Global Solutions and Services (GSS) program, Rackspace will provide professional services to any business, regardless of which cloud platform it chooses, or whether it is an existing Rackspace customer.

Rackspace has earned the highest level of partner certification from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, and recently announced a strategic relationship with Google Cloud to become its first managed services support partner for Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Rackspace also offers specialized expertise and support for dedicated servers and for the three major private clouds, powered by VMware, Microsoft and OpenStack.

“As more businesses look to move IT operations out of the data center, they recognize that they need help transitioning to multi-cloud models,” said Rachel Cassidy, vice president of Global Solutions and Services at Rackspace. “In response to customer demand, we’re expanding our managed cloud portfolio to offer professional services not only to the SMB and mid-market customers we have served for nearly two decades, but also to our fast-growing stable of enterprise customers.”

Now available globally, Rackspace GSS will place an added focus on enterprise and mid-market businesses.

Channel Impact^®
Rackspace is clearly feeling the need to build its customer base through added value. Partners will see their own opportunities based on the degree to which they will be able to engage in the related sales opportunities.

Kaspersky Introduces New MSSP Partner Program

Kaspersky Lab has launched a new partner program aimed at managed service providers in a move to expand the portion of the customer base that is looking to outsource a host of IT functions, including security, to a trusted third-party.

The specialized program is designed to help MSSPs to provide new security services to their customers, such as remote security monitoring, managed security, virtualization security and mobile device security and management.

Program benefits include volume-based pricing, monthly licensing, training and certification, and also standard and premium technical support.

Managed service providers will have the opportunity to choose between cloud and on-premises models, based on the needs and desires of their customers.

“Kaspersky Lab’s MSP Program was launched to provide more opportunity to partners – especially those that are VARs who are looking for ways to grow their business and migrate to managed service offerings in cybersecurity,” said Michael Canavan, SVP, B2B sales at Kaspersky Lab North America. “Our program provides the necessary training, resources and access to cutting-edge security solutions to make it possible for MSP partners to completely secure the customer infrastructure.”

The first phase of the MSP partner program is now available in North America and Europe.

Channel Impact^®
As increasing numbers of companies are looking to outsource IT, and in particular their rapidly evolving security infrastructure, programs such as this one can go a long way towards helping MSSPs build the strategies and functionalities necessary for success.

MSPAlliance and Ingram Micro Launch Cloud/Managed Services Certification Program

The International Association of Cloud & Managed Service Providers (MSPAlliance) has partnered with Ingram Micro Cloud to launch the alliance’s MSP/Cloud Verify Program; an initiative to improve best practices and service delivery among the managed service provider (MSP) and cloud community.

The initiative is based on ten objectives of the Unified Certification Standard (USC), a set of globally accepted standards and best practices designed specifically for the MSP and cloud industry. Measuring against these 10 objectives quantifies the overall health, competency and service delivery capability of an MSP or cloud practice.

During the evaluation, MSPAlliance will provide MSPs and cloud providers with consulting, remediation assistance to correct identifiable problems in their practice, service delivery documentation templates and an MSP/Cloud Verify report.  Providers who meet all requirements will be certified to use the MSP/Cloud Verify certification logo in all marketing materials.

Promoted benefits include simplification of the RFP process as well as improving internal policies and procedures, service delivery efficiencies, and documentation.

Channel Impact^®
The partnership with Ingram Micro should go a long way towards helping the MSPAlliance spread the word. Ingram Micro, on the other hand, gets a new arrow in its quiver for reaching out to the cloud and managed services community.