MSPmentor

Many of the top remote monitoring and management (RMM) tool providers rely on traditional closed source development models. But GroundWork Open Source is trying to disrupt the RMM market with a new online hub for open source monitoring developers and IT administrators.

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First, let me be clear (hopefully before I get tarred and feathered): this isn’t intended as any kind of attack on open source, whether the concept, the technology, or the business model. To do so would be to discount one of the most meaningful trends in IT over the past decade. What I’m discussing is open source within a very specific context: Managed service providers (MSPs) using open source products to monitor their clients’ and their internally hosted IT infrastructures. That’s a very different proposition than, say, using open source as part of a Web development service or adopting a LAMP stack in a hosting environment. Here’s why.

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Generally speaking, the vast majority of managed service providers (MSPs) grew up as Microsoft VARs. But Contegix CEO Matthew Porter proves there’s more than one way to conquer the managed services and managed hosting markets. I spoke with Porter earlier April 9 to learn why open source technologies — such as Confluence, Hyperic, Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Zimbra — play central roles in his company.

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When it comes to open source vs. closed source software, I keep an open mind and tell managed service providers to embrace the tools that best fit their companies. But during a conversation with GroundWork Open Source on February 13, I heard the latest proof that open source is pushing deeper into the MSP market. Here’s a recap of my conversation with GroundWork.

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I’m hearing a familiar trend in the managed services market: MSPs seem to be embracing more and more open source tools. The latest example involves Zenoss, a commercial open source company that specializes in applications, systems and network monitoring.

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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.

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Open source is starting to influence portions of the managed services market. But can MSPs really trust open source?

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