Cloud isn’t a “new thing” anymore but it still has the potential to create opportunities for the channel, says rhipe market research vice-president, Stephen Parker. He was speaking at a keynote session, at the company’s Cloud Channel Summit in Sydney.
Parker stressed the importance of the Cloud and claimed that businesses have to start addressing the need for it because companies are demanding a change in the way IT is consumed.
“Engage in conversation with your partners and dare to be different. There are situations in the marketplace that are changing so if you don’t have this Cloud conversation with them in a positive way, they will find someone else,” he said.
Parker added that resellers are going to have to sell less hardware, and more services. “It’s not just about selling a license, that’s the easy bit. It’s about providing the channel with tools for it to be successful.”
According to him, one way is to transition from being a Value Added Reseller (VAR) to being a Managed Service Provider (MSP). He suggested that instead of selling a box with some services wrapped around it (which is what a VAR does), resellers should work on services that may have a box in the middle of it (like a MSP).
He also mentioned that those who are selling the Cloud today should offer a significantly broader set of solutions to a significantly broader market – meaning they penetrate into more than one vertical.
“It’s configuration, not customisation. In the Cloud, you can configure things from a central point of view, rather than having to build out a unique solution for every single customer. All you have to do is find your own differentiator to stand apart from other Cloud providers,” Parker concluded.
