The conversation around open-source cloud infrastructure has shifted.

For MSPs and Cloud Service Providers, it is no longer just about cost savings. Your customers are actively asking for open-source alternatives. They want to reduce vendor lock-in, regain architectural control, and ensure long-term sustainability.

At the same time, CSPs and MSPs themselves are facing increasing pressure. Licensing models are changing. Proprietary ecosystems are tightening. Predictability is becoming harder to guarantee. Having a competitive advantage is difficult.

Open-source platforms such as Apache CloudStack offer a mature, proven IaaS control plane, which provides all the necessary capabilities to replace fully proprietary technologies. Аdopting open source does not remove responsibility. It shifts it.

That is why we created the Open-Source Readiness Self-Check.
 

Why MSPs and CSPs Need an Open-Source Readiness Stream

Many MSPs today are encountering a new type of customer demand:
 
• “What are your open-source options?”
• “How do you avoid long-term vendor dependencies?”
• “Can we keep architectural control if we switch?”
• “Will you provide price guarantees?”

Open source is no longer a niche requirement. It is becoming a procurement criterion.

However, adding an open-source offering is not just about deploying a new platform. It requires readiness across architecture, operations, accountability, cost visibility, and lifecycle management.

The self-check document outlines practical areas to evaluate, including:

• Architecture and design decisions that are difficult to reverse later
• Deployment repeatability and upgrade safety
• Operational ownership and on-call sustainability
• Cost predictability beyond license removal
• Explicit accountability and escalation paths
• Realistic understanding of lock-in risks

These are not theoretical concerns. As highlighted throughout the checklist, most operational challenges do not appear on day one. They accumulate over time through informal processes, unclear ownership, and convenience-driven decisions.

Open Source for Long-Term Reliability

For CSPs in particular, open source is not just about avoiding proprietary lock-in. It is about long-term reliability.

A sustainable cloud business depends on:

• Predictable upgrade paths
• Transparent cost modelling
• Clear operational accountability
• Control over architectural direction

Open-source platforms such as Apache CloudStack provide a mature and open control plane. What they do not provide is an operating model. That must be defined by the organisation.

The most important decision is not whether to adopt CloudStack, but who operates it, how responsibilities are defined, and how risk is managed over time.

For MSPs: A Readiness Tool and a Sales Asset

This checklist is not only useful internally. For MSPs and Cloud Service Providers, it can also serve as:

• A structured evaluation tool for customer discussions
• A way to position open-source maturity during RFP processes
• A conversation starter with customers exploring alternatives
• A credibility signal when attracting new customers

By walking through the readiness questions with prospects, MSPs can demonstrate operational depth rather than simply platform familiarity.

It shows that open source is being approached responsibly, not reactively.

Enable Open-Source Cloud Growth with ShapeBlue’s Partner Programme

ShapeBlue is the largest independent integrator of CloudStack technologies globally and specialises in the design and implementation of IaaS cloud infrastructures for both private and public cloud environments. We work with Solution Providers, System Integrators, MSPs, Technology Partners, and CSPs to deliver enterprise-grade Apache CloudStack support and services.

For organisations looking to build or expand open-source cloud offerings, technical capability alone is not enough. Success depends on having the right operational model, commercial structure, and long-term support framework in place.

ShapeBlue’s Partner Programme is designed specifically for service providers and technology organisations that want to confidently deliver Apache CloudStack-based solutions to their customers. Whether the goal is to operate CloudStack internally, launch managed CloudStack-based services, resell enterprise-grade support, or expand into open-source IaaS offerings, the programme provides the structure to do so sustainably.

Time to Evaluate Open-Source Readiness

Open source removes licensing constraints. It does not remove operational responsibility.

The Open-Source Readiness Self-Check is designed to help organisations understand whether they are ready to design, deploy, and operate open-source cloud infrastructure in a predictable and sustainable way.

For MSPs and CSPs facing growing customer demand for open-source alternatives, now is the time to evaluate readiness before pressure forces the decision.