Cloud Management Platform (CMP): Architectural choices for the cloud partner

Intro and objectives.

This blog's objective is to enable partners to make informed decisions on the CMP architecture that provides the optimum solution for user service and return on investment. The six architectures discussed have all been identified over the past five years when either running cloud vendor audits or preparing partners for cloud vendor Managed Service Provider (MSP) audits. The blog looks at the CMP as a critical tool used by the cloud MSP and its customers and excludes the use of a dedicated CMP by large enterprises.

What is a Cloud Management Platform (CMP) and why is it critical for cloud MSPs?

Gartner defines CMPs as "integrated products that provide for the management of public, private, and hybrid cloud environments". ISSI works with seven cloud vendors to provide MSP service assurance programs through an audit against a quality standard published by the respective companies. While elements of CMP functionality form a significant part of five of these quality standards, two vendors, Microsoft and Google Cloud Platform, mandate that a CMP is available for customers. CMPs fall into two broad categories: standard customer portals and fully functioning management platforms used by the partner's employees and the customers. Diagram 1 below shows the functionality generally available in CMPs; the precise functionality will vary with the cloud vendor, the cloud partners' requirements, and the CMP architecture.

Diagram 1

How the various cloud vendors require the partners to make this functionality available is shown in diagram 2 below.

What architectural choices are available

Most CMPs in use today use several applications and tools to provide the full functionality. Examples include cost reporting, optimization management, workload performance monitoring, and IT Service Management. The portal's role is to simplify access to and use of these tools and applications for the customers and the partners' support teams. Each of the architectures outlined below will include one or more third-party applications to provide some of the functionality, and the key to delivering an excellent customer experience is using a single sign-on, allowing quick and easy access.

1. Web Front End: The most straightforward architecture is a web front end. A web portal is created as the access point for the applications that provide the core functionality. This typically involves creating functions like the web portal service catalogue.
2. In-house application: Some, typically larger partners with significant in-house developer resources, create an in-house application that acts as a web portal and provides some, if not all, of the functionality. Again, the in-house application will typically rely on some third-party applications for functions such as workload monitoring.
3. Microsoft Dynamics 365: Dynamics provides a framework for developing a CMP. Several partners, typically those with a Dynamics practice within the business, have used it.
4. Information Technology Service Management Applications (ITSM) Front End: Most ITSM applications include a customer portal that can be adapted as the front end of a CMP. These include ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Freshservice, and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus.
5. Third-party specialist application: Several specialist software companies provide a dedicated CMP application. Typically, these platforms integrate with additional applications such as the ITSM tool and the workload monitoring tool. Partners that invest in this type of platform typically use it as the main cloud management application for the support and engineering teams and as the customer portal.
6. Third-party customer portal: Several companies provide an application that provides MSPs with a Microsoft-specific portal through which customers can manage their Microsoft subscriptions. Several partners have used it as a platform to further develop a full-service CMP by adding functionality and integration to third-party applications. Examples of these include Atria, Appxite, and CloudRadial.

How to decide the optimum architecture for your business?

These are the questions to start debating and researching the architecture most suited to your business's needs:

• Which cloud vendors to manage: The critical question is to ask what services you offer now and what you want to provide in the future.
• What range of cloud services to provide: This is answered by asking the question, "What services do my customers want to access?" This will vary with the target market and the partner's core competencies. Partners working in the large enterprise market will typically have different customer requirements than those working in the SMB sector.
• What internal capabilities are available? What resources and skills are available to decide on the architectural approach, develop the camp, and manage it once it is in operation?
• What internal capabilities are available? What resources and skills are available to decide on the architectural approach, develop the camp, and manage it once it is in operation?
• What cloud-managed service provider certification requirements need to be complied with? Choosing to achieve either the Microsoft Azure Expert MSP or the Google Cloud Platform MSP requires a CMP to be available for customers. However, other vendors take a different approach, and I have worked with at least one client that chose not to invest in a CMP and achieve an MSP accreditation with no CMP requirement.

Next steps

• Use the questions above to determine if a CMP is a must for your business and what architectural approach fits best.
• Develop the business case for investing in a CMP to identify business benefits, the level of investment and operational costs, and any potential risks or downsides.
• Engage with an ISSI CMP expert to develop a detailed approach for your CMP. This service is available here

The author: Barry Turner is a Senior Consultant at ISSI and has worked with a broad range of cloud partners and vendors since 2015. He has 27 years of service creation experience working with telecommunication and cloud service providers across EMEA on behalf of ISSI, Microsoft, Cisco, Mitel & Agile Programmes. He currently holds ITIL V4 Foundation, Customer Success Manager Level 2, ISO27001:2013 lead auditor certifications and is PMP certified.

As a leading consulting firm partnering closely with top cloud technology companies, ISSI is uniquely positioned to guide you through your cloud partner transformation journey. Let us help you unlock the full potential of this opportunity. Contact us today to begin your transformation. For more information, contact us at: sales@issi-inc.com

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