High Street Technology Ventures, a consortium of investors, is buying MSPSN,
one of the more active networks of managed service providers founded by MSP
maven Amy Luby, for an undisclosed amount.
The announcement of the sale is happening this morning in Washington,
D.C., at the CompTIA MSP Business
Simulation Experience, a managed services training program facilitated by
MSPSN.
Under the terms of the agreement, Gerard Kane will assume the CEO
post and guide the evolution and growth of the organization. Luby will assume a
seat on the company’s new board of directors and assist in the transition to
new management.
Kane, a former CompTIA executive, is leading the investment group acquiring
MSPSN. He says the organization is particularly appealing because of its
potential for providing valued-added and aggregated support services to MSPs,
as well as training and enablement services.
“My intention is to expand it rapidly,” Kane said in an interview yesterday.
“They have a solid core of partners, but maybe haven’t grown as rapidly as they
should have.”
Luby, a solution provider turned managed services maven based in Omaha,
Neb., founded MSPSN in 2007. Over the last
two years, Luby has grown MSPSN into a vibrant community of solution and
managed service providers that leverage the group’s support services as well as
its training program to assist in growing their managed services businesses.
Kane, who was involved in the development of such services companies as
Perimeter Security, says few—if any—managed services groups are providing
end-to-end training and support services in the way MSPSN is, and that MSPSN is
unique in its potential to grow into a holistic managed services community.
While the High Street investment group has plans for how to grow MSPSN, Kane
says there are probably many issues that haven’t been thought of. The first
initiatives are plans for announcement in the first quarter of 2010.
“Our goal is to make it easier for MSPs to do business and make more money,”
Kane says.
Word of the acquisition started leaking to the MSP and VAR
community yesterday. Several MSPs were taken aback by the deal, and are worried
that it might disrupt their existing relationship and operational model with
MSPSN. Some MSPs report that MSPSN rivals are already trying to convert them to
competitive services.
Existing MSPSN members are bullish on the deal, believing it will enhance
the organization.
“This agreement is very encouraging to us, representing a continuation and
enhancement of the tools and processes that enable us to deliver top quality
services to our customers,” said Vince Tinnirello, president of Anchor Network
Solutions, in a statement.
Managed Services 
