Spiceworks, the free, advertising-driven, managed services platform, has launched the “Reach” partner program, designed to give solutions providers the hooks they need to administrate cloud services directly through their software. Here’s the scoop.

Spiceworks Reach, according to the press release, is designed to give their claimed 1 million IT pro userbase the ability to manage cloud and on-premises systems alike from a single interface. To that end, Spiceworks is giving Reach partners APIs, support, and the ability to run ads in the Spiceworks UI.

It has the additional benefit of helping cloud providers spread the word about their services – the social aspect of the Spiceworks platform means that administrators can see their colleagues are giving the already-announced Rackspace Email integration a shot and give it a look themselves. That advantage is compounded when you realize that most Spiceworks users represent the same SMBs that make up the core market for cloud services.

Early Spiceworks Reach partners include Dell and HP for warranty renewal services, LogMeIn for remote management, and Symantec for security services, says Spiceworks Co-Founder and VP of Marketing Jay Hallberg. He says the Reach program can help MSPs get good deals on services and manage them for free, giving lower overhead and higher margins.

Reach represents a strong value proposition for MSPs, and MSPmentor is inclined to think there’s something to Spiceworks’ cloud move if heavyweights like Dell, HP, and Rackspace have already signed on.

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