Microsoft SharePoint As A Managed Service?

Each time I chat with a VAR or solutions provider, the topic of Microsoft SharePoint seems to pop into the conversation. Channel players are having great success deploying SharePoint for their customers. It begs the question: Will SharePoint emerge as a managed service as well? I believe so, but what’s your take?

In case you haven’t worked with SharePoint, the software allows users to collaborate on content, easily find documents, etc.

SharePoint deployments are humming along quickly, according to a recent report from Forrester Research covering Office 2007 and Windows Vista Migrations. (All About Microsoft, a blog from Mary Jo Foley, offers more on the Forrester report.)

Companies like SharePointHosting.com,  Own Web Now Corp. and AIS Network Corp. have been quick to offer SharePoint as a hosted service — but I don’t have a feel yet for the potential profit margins SharePoint can generate.

Still, it’s a safe bet that more MSPs will pile into the SharePoint market as Microsoft polishes its own Online Services strategy, which the company announced on March 3.