This might seem like a funny title for a blog coming from me but I hope it will make sense by the end of the article. Of all the people who are questioning the use of the term “managed services” today it is the mature MSPs who are most vocal. I believe they are vocal about this topic because they see a lot of young companies entering managed services and they worry about how they will care for the name. This is perfectly legitimate concern. To preserve standards and reputation of a profession is a natural instinct. However, to through away a term solely because it is at risk of being tarnished would, I believe, be an unwise decision.
When other professions come under attack (from without or within) there are any number of protections that can be implemented. Regulation (self and public), corrective marketing, and education are all effective methods for professionals to protect their trade from newcomers. What is never done successfully is for a profession to abandon the words/terms that describe them just because those words are being abused.
For example, when the attorneys had problems with “ambulance chasers” they didn’t convene a committee and decide to call themselves LSPs (legal service providers). What they did was increase educational requirements and impose self regulation to prevent unsavory practices that would otherwise tarnish their profession. Nobody has successfully argued that doctors change their name whenever they make a fatal mistake on a patient. Internal self correction and policing are methods almost always employed when professions want to protect against dilution.
What is happening in the managed services profession today is not all bad. We have a continuation of the massive transition of VARs into MSPs that started several years ago and some of the mature MSPs are wanting the standards to remain high. There is nothing wrong with wanting high standards for young MSPs. The problem is when old MSPs begin to abandon the powerful marketing that is finally theirs to enjoy. MSPs are finally gaining the recognition they deserve…why change names now?