Cloud Computing Associations: Ready to Assist VARs and MSPs?

The cloud computing land grab is starting to influence established and emerging technology associations. The latest apparent move involves the MSPAlliance, which has registered the CloudProviderAlliance.com domain — a potential clue that MSPA may spin off a cloud-centric association.

Meanwhile, CompTIA has introduced cloud and SaaS communities, while upstarts like the Asia Cloud Computing Association, the Cloud Computing Association, Cloud Security Alliance and the Legal Cloud Computing Association focus on specific cloud market segments. The big question: How can VARs, MSPs and emerging cloud services providers (CSPs) potentially benefit from the cloud association push?

I certainly don’t have all the answers just yet. For nearly three decades, CompTIA has been assisting channel partners with technical, sales and business education. And for the past decade, MSPAlliance has assisted MSPs with such services as accreditation, M&A guidance, leasing programs and more. I think it’s safe to assume CompTIA and MSPalliance will leverage their respective channel relationships into the cloud market. No doubt, MSPs, VARs and even cloud integrators are looking for sales, marketing and technology education focused on cloud computing. That’s why MSP University recently launched a Cloud Track for boot camp attendees.

Different Decade, Different Needs

But ultimately, cloud education won’t be quite the same as previous channel accreditation and certification efforts. In the 1980s and 1990s, CompTIA dominated the IT certification market. And that business certainly continues strong. And over the past decade or so, the MSPAlliance worked to accredit MSPs in the managed services market. That work also continues forward.

Still, the rules seem different in the cloud computing market — where numerous global vendors are launching certification and partner programs. On the downside, that means some cloud education could become very vendor-centric. But on the upside the vendor education is happening at lightning speed. In a May 2010 ChannelInsider slide show, the media site pointed to seven cloud certifications that were catching on with channel partners. They included:

1. 3Tera Certified Cloud Architect
2. VMware Virtualization Certified Professional
3. Cisco Certified Design Expert
4. IBM Certified Solution Advisor, Cloud Computing Architecture V1
5. Licensed ZapThink Architect
6. Open Group IT Architect Certification
7. Red Hat Premier Cloud Provider Certification

Fast forward to the present and plenty of additional certifications and partner programs have popped up. In the last few weeks alone TalkinCloud has covered the launch of the Cisco Cloud Partner Program and the IBM Cloud Specialty. Plus, Hewlett-Packard will surely make cloud moves at the upcoming HP Americas Partner Conference.

Still, I concede: Most of the vendor initiatives listed above involve technical education. Meanwhile, associations like CompTIA and MSPAlliance should have plenty of room to offer cloud business education, though I doubt there will be much opportunity for association-driven cloud certifications and accreditations. For the most part, I think cloud service providers will pursue established accreditations and standards like ISO, ITIL and SAS 70 Type II audits.

But that’s just my somewhat educated guess…

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