Hot markets often lead to hot job titles. Editors who leap from print to online want to become chief content officers or chief bloggers. In the channel, the hottest title right now seems to be VP of managed services — someone who is responsible for driving an organization’s go-to-market strategy in the managed service provider sector.

A case in point: Northwest Computer Support (NWCS) has named Rex Frank as the company’s first VP of managed services.
Frank reports directly to the solution provider’s CEO–which shows managed services have clout within NWCS. Frank will focus on such areas as managed services, business continuity, disaster recovery, unified communications and print management.

So, what does it take to be a VP of managed services? Apparently, plenty of previous experience in the services sector. Frank is the former CTO for Orange County-based managed services specialist Alvaka Networks.

During his 19 year tenure, Frank was responsible for developing Alvaka Networks’ onsite IT services, network monitoring and administration services, as well as network security administration and management offerings. One of his core areas of focus includes mastering ITIL, a key standard that many managed service providers are embracing.

Watch for more solutions providers to identify VPs of managed services in their organizations.