Service Providers and Implementing Partners: Is there a difference?

Our Service Provider Wiki page defines service providers as an organization that has the commitment and capacity to perform software development, advising, training, and/or implementation work using and promoting products in the OpenMRS ecosystem.

During our Thursday discussion, @janflowers explained that these are organizations that provide OpenMRS-related ervices as a core part of their work. This is not necessarily a group that is engaged in OpenMRS work as one part of a larger portfolio. She gave some examples of service providers, including Mekom and Intellisoft.

From your perspective, how are implementing partners different from service providers? What do they have in common?

What value do you think service providers gain from their partnership with OpenMRS?

@jennifer my understanding of this is an implementing partner is an entity who finally consumes OpenMRS while a service provider is the entity which deploys , configures , modifies and builds on top of OpenMRS as a service to the IP. There is some confusion though.