Last week in Brussels, and this week in London and Dublin, MSPs are gathering together to discuss the future of cloud computing. Of particular importance, the issues of private cloud, data security & privacy, and country specific cloud strategies are all on the agenda.
Representatives from Cisco have also been taking part in the discussion in a unique way. Typically, vendors will take a sales stance at these types of events, but Cisco has been rather unique in their approach. Choosing to listen, rather than sell, Cisco is in an aggressive data gathering mode and is particularly interested in mature MSPs who want to discuss the future of cloud computing within a managed services context.
MSPs seem to be responding to this model very favorably and want to talk about the future of their industry as it pertains to the growing cloud computing movement. Speaking personally, I think the issue of cloud might be one of the first real issues that pulls MSPs together into a common purpose. While public cloud will never go away, private cloud is the only real path towards profitability and distinction amongst MSPs.
