Guest Column: Megatrend Two: SaaS And Cloud Computing Change The Game

Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud computing are key elements of an unstoppable trend toward the delivery of IT applications using technology located outside the customer-owned local infrastructure. As the share of the end customers' IT budgets shifts from on-premise to the Cloud, MSPs have an opportunity to either lead the adoption of cloud services or face declining revenues and customer relevance.

Virtually every IT vendor has made a major commitment, including the well established SMB vendors like Microsoft and Hewlett Packard. As well, newcomers are joining the game, including Google and Amazon. All of them are actively selling to SMBs and creating channel strategies for this market. So one thing is certain - this is not going away.

In addition to developing Cloud Services management features into Managed Workplace, Level Platforms has been working with SaaS and Cloud vendors to ensure that their services can be managed by MSPs serving the SMB channel. This includes not only web and API monitoring technologies, but also helping them develop channel programs that properly incorporate the value that the MSPs bring. In 2009 we announced integration with Microsoft's BPOS, GroupSpark and Intermedia focused principally on the mainstream Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint applications. This is just the beginning. Client/server RIP.