The International Association of Cloud & Managed Service Providers (MSPAlliance) added several new certifications to its MSP/Cloud Verify program. The new certifications are all based on the core UCS (Unified Certification Standard for Cloud & Managed Service Providers) standard, used in the MSP/Cloud Verify program. MSPAlliance also issued its 2019 version of the UCS, which includes several key enhancements around security, data breach, and the expansion of external service providers used in the delivery of cloud and managed services.
New Certification Offerings
In order to provide more specific certification and audit offerings to consumers of IT services, MSPAlliance has re-organized its certification menu as follows:
- MSP Verify – for providers of managed IT services
- Cloud Verify – for providers of cloud-based applications, including Software as a Service, and cloud-based infrastructure
- SOC 1 Type 1 & Type 2 – can be added to any MSP or Cloud Verify project
- SOC 2 Type 1 & Type 2 – can be added to any MSP or Cloud Verify project
- Data Center Verify – for providers of data center services
- Business Continuity Verify – an independent testing service for MSP business continuity operations
- GDPR Verify – for service providers wanting to demonstrate compliance with GDPR
“The addition of these new offerings provides a powerful and comprehensive set of tools for service provider to demonstrate trust and transparency to their customers,” said†Charles Weaver, CEO of MSPAlliance. “The MSP/Cloud Verify program delivers an audit and certification report, verified by a 3rd party audit firm, covering a variety of topics, service disciplines, and regulatory frameworks. Cloud and managed service providers now have a single source for their certification and audit needs.”
Certification Updates for 2019
The UCS v2019 has been updated to incorporate new requirements facing service providers, including simplified guidance on the use of external service providers, new data breach and cyber-attack procedures, and improved reporting requirements for customers on the corporate health of their MSP or cloud provider. These updates will help business consumers better identify certified and audited service providers capable of delivering services that adhere to high-quality standards.
