I spent some time with Erick Simpson, VP and CIO of MSP University, during the Kaseya User Conference in Las Vegas last month. Even before we met, I knew Erick had written some best-selling books on managed services. But I wanted to learn a bit more about where MSP University had been … and where it’s going.

Here are some key points from our discussions.

I think it’s safe to say that MSP University is an outgrowth of its parent company, Intelligent Enterprise. An 11-year-old IT service provider, Intelligent Enterprise transitioned all of its clients to a managed services model in 2005.

The strategy involved an “all you can eat” approach to managed services, focused on three core deliverables: Remote help desk, proactive network monitoring and vendor management.

The transition to managed services treated Intelligent Enterprise well. Simpson says the company generated more than $2 million worth of managed services agreements. MSP University became a natural extension, wherein Simpson and his team share their real-world expertise — through books, training, online education and other services — across the managed services ecosystem.

A Look At the Landscape

At first glance, you may think that MSP University competes with other industry associations. But I don’t think that’s the case — especially since MSP University is working with such organizations as CompTIA.

If I had to summarize where each organization fits in the ecosystem:

Did I miss any organizations? Do my definitions above align with your own perceptions of each organization? I’m all ears.