DirectPointe, the top managed service provider in our 2007-2008 MSPmentor 100 report, apparently has spun off a new company called CentralPointe. The start-up intends to blend open source and cloud computing to make IT more affordable and easier to manage. An official announcement about CentralPointe is expected the week of December 1, but here are some early details.
A spokeswoman for DirectPointe says CentralPointe is now officially a company and separate from DirectPointe. Plus, DirectPointe founder Mike Proper (pictured) is CEO and President of CentralPointe, and no longer with DirectPointe. An interim CentralPointe web site has launched at http://www.centralpointe.net, the spokeswoman added.
I don’t know who will lead DirectPointe now that Proper is transitioning to CentralPointe, but it sounds like DirectPointe is in good shape; DirectPointe disclosed strong quarterly results in October.
The CentralPointe Strategy
As I’ve noted in previous blog entries, Proper is one of the most aggressive and pro-active people I’ve met in the MSP industry. He’s also evangelizes the use of open source for managed services, SaaS and cloud computing. Translation: Mike and I see eye to eye on a lot of issues.
Take a look at the CentralPointe solutions page, and it sounds like Proper is blending on-premise software with on-demand services. Imagine, for instance, if Microsoft Small Business Server and Microsoft’s online services worked together to give users the most reliable, scalable and cost-effective IT solution.
To me, it sounds like Proper is trying to apply that exact strategy using a different set of tools. Instead of leveraging proprietary closed-source systems, CentralPointe is building everything on top of open source.
Of course, these are my preliminary “best guesses” regarding CentralPointe. I suspect Proper and I will speak in the days ahead. When we connect, I will report back with more thoughts on CentralPointe.
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Posted In: Finance
Tags: CentralPointe | DirectPointe | Managed Service Provider | Managed Services | Michael Proper | MSP | Open source managed services | Open Source SaaS
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I like it. SMBs are all about saving money and being productive and the “cloud” is offering some great ways to do this.
The open source movement is so strong and once experienced it’s difficult not to look at proprietary systems as getting a bit “dated.”
TechPro57: I think we’ll see a hybrid of open and closed source for years to come. But monopoly software power has died. Bye,bye.
As a proponent of open source for a number of years – and someone that has used it to rebuild the infrastructure of my entire organization – I find what DirectPointe, and now CentralPointe, have/are doing affirms what I’ve longed believed about the ‘power’ of open source applications. That said, I’m trying to understand how the CentralPointe suite fits into the MSP ‘world’. It would appear that it potentially reduces/eliminates the need of an MSPs by simplifying the implementation/maintenance of an integrated solution set while at the same time appears that it may provide a base offering for an MSP or MMSP. Their site doesn’t really provide much insight as to what the primary(maybe there is more than one?) purpose of the product is – does anyone have any insights/thoughts on how an MSP/MMSP/MSD might be able to leverage this apparently great product?
MSPman72: Generally speaking, I think CentralPointe is, indeed, a base offering for MSPs that provides coordinated access to multiple cloud services. But that’s my perception. You should ping CentralPointe directly. CEO Michael Proper is a pretty outspoken, approachable guy who’s happy to answer MSP questions.
MSPman72: Please feel free to ping me (Michael Proper) at either 801.851.5556 – my new office line or email me at mproper[at]centralpointe.com to review the details of what is to come. I am confident you will quickly come to understand the value of what we are building and am hopeful you will join the hundreds of partners around the globe that currently help small business and distributed environments to use technology more efficiently, while simplifying the deploy and manage processes currently being used.
Looking forward to connecting with you soon!
Michael Proper