Sometime in 2014, there was a big bang. Well, not really, but, without a doubt, the number of MSPs taking a serious interest in cloud computing and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) grew exponentially. What’s behind this big surge in interest?

July 27, 2015

3 Min Read
Cloud Computing Isn’t Just for Developers and Startups Anymore

By ProfitBricks Guest Blog

Sometime in 2014, there was a big bang. Well, not really, but, without a doubt, the number of MSPs taking a serious interest in cloud computing and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) grew exponentially. What’s behind this big surge in interest?

Innovation Attracts Startups and Developers First

As with all new technologies, there is a phase in which innovators and early adopters take risks and start implementing solutions and architects using the newest technologies from the newest vendors. This almost always happens outside the channel. That’s fine by us, as we have multiple clients and business relationships that don’t come to us for innovation; rather, they want reliability and knowledgeable staff managing trusted infrastructure.

These new technologies are often complex and still in development. The hardest part–making them simpler and accessible to a wider market–comes later. During this first phase, many new processes, architectures and vendor integrations begin to wash over the technology, all while interest and use cases begin to appear. It’s no secret that in today’s “cloudy” world, developers and startups are proving out and pushing the boundaries as they seek to add more value to what IT can deliver, as well as more useful features and businesses models. Sometime in 2013 we started to see large enterprises with big names claim they are “all in” with cloud computing, and in 2014 the analysts and reality proved that the early fears about cloud computing were moot.

Next Stop: Early Mass Adoption & Channel Leaders

Cloud computing IaaS is now entering the hockey stick growth phase. Cloud computing has moved from the domain of developers and startups to companies of all sizes. Some MSPs are sharing their success with migrations and new service offerings like disaster recovery.

Cloud computing IaaS is also far more MSP- and VAR-friendly in 2015. Beyond the maturing of partner programs and the fact that the channel now understands how to package, sell, manage and support on-demand usage-based SaaS applications, Cloud IaaS is now something that won’t require all new staff and training.

Simplicity Is Everything:

Making complex, and highly customizable, IT infrastructure simple is really hard. And it’s taken years for IaaS to get there. To move from the world of developers to the sysadmins and techs that MSPs depend on, the cloud needed to have multiple interfaces. While APIs are the domain of developers and devops teams, MSPs need CLIs and visual UIs to make managing complex “virtual” data centers in the cloud possible. A cloud data center management tool that is visual–one that requires a simple and familiar drag-and-drop model to deploy servers, storage devices and create network connections–makes the cloud tangible. Tools like these are instantly understandable, which gives MSPs the confidence to move forward–and makes selling, deploying and managing the cloud simpler than ever.  The ProfitBricks Data Center Designer, now in its second generation, is just such a tool. This two time CODiE-award-winning tool is now winning accolades from across the MSP community.

Guest blogs such as this one are published monthly and are part of MSPmentor’s annual platinum sponsorship.

 

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