Managed Services Meet Open Source Database

Logicworks, a managed service provider in New York, has made a rather interesting move that other MSPs should note: The company claims it is the first authorized MySQL Platinum Hosting Partner in the U.S.

Smart move. MySQL is the open source database recently acquired by Sun Microsystems for $1 billion. It is, in my estimation, one of the top 10 open source technologies VARs should be watching — or embracing — this year.

If you’re an MSP seeking to host applications, MySQL is an great solution to have in your portfolio. Many of the fastest-growing hosted applications — such as SugarCRM — run on MySQL. And the vast majority of Web 2.0 businesses (Yahoo!, Google and YouTube, just to name a few) leverage MySQL in some way.

Logicworks, meanwhile, has pushed far beyond traditional remote managed services. The company specializes in ERP and CRM applications, and has a proprietary platform called LogicOps that manages tech deployments.