(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — The international association of managed service providers, MSPAlliance (www.mspalliance.com), has announced its Managed Services Accreditation Program was selected as the basis for the new “SecurWorld Managed Security Service Provider” program from RSA (www.rsa.com), the security division of storage hardware provider EMC (www.emc.com).
According to MSPAlliance’s Monday announcement, the MSAP exam as the cornerstone of the RSA SecurWorld MSSP program, which will be used as a vetting process for companies seeking to enter the managed security profession. MSSPs that want to enter the RSA SecurWorld MSSP program must first pass the MSAP exam.
“As the market leader in strong authentication and data protection solutions, RSA needed a viable and neutral standard upon which to base our new MSSP program,” RSA global channels and alliances senior director Bill Taylor said in a statement. “The MSPAlliance Managed Services Accreditation Program gives us and our managed services partners the assurance that quality, integrity, and professionalism will be maintained, as well as ensuring that end-users are receiving the highest quality services from a trusted provider.”
As managing complex security requirements becomes increasingly vital to business, Current Analysis (www.currentanalysis.com) telecom services senior research director Counse Broders said the RSA’s SecurWorld MSSP program is “a positive step” for MSPs because it assures businesses that they can count on greater accountability and quality from their service providers.
Complete details about the new RSA SecurWorld MSSP program will be announced later in Q2 2009.
MSPAlliance represents more than 7,000 MSPs and service-enabling technology vendors. In February, it introduced the Accredited Master MSP designation, an advanced managed services designation for value-added resellers and IT solution providers.
