Considerations in Positioning as a Managed SP in a Cloud World

This IDC Market Perspective discusses the need for managed SPs to develop a blueprint to determine their optional positions in the managed cloud services market. The goal is to develop an effective position that clearly defines target markets, a set of offerings, a value proposition, and differentiation."The dramatic changes in buyer requirements when utilizing managed cloud services, along with a fundamental restructuring of the service provider industry, require that managed SPs more clearly define their positioning in this market," says David Tapper, program VP, Outsourcing and Managed Cloud Services, IDC. "Investments that managed SPs must make to define their position include assessing organizational and operational building blocks, aligning organizational and operational building blocks with strategic business factors, defining boundaries across service providers, and developing a blueprint for continuous adaptation."