South African IT resellers and systems integrators are increasingly looking to collaborate with cloud enablement partners that can offer them the perks and support traditionally associated with partner programmes in the hardware and packaged software market.
This has created an opportunity for cloud solution providers to work closely with the channel to drive cloud adoption.
That’s according to Vinay Hiralall, general manager: demand generation at Tarsus On Demand, recent winners of the Microsoft Top Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) – Indirect Award, who says that a three-tier channel business model is working well in the South African cloud market. He reports that a growing number of resellers are turning to Tarsus On Demand for the value it can add not just as a technical enabler, but also as a sales and marketing partner.
“It has become clear that the channel will have a critical part to play in selling cloud solutions into the future,” says Hiralall. “Indeed, Microsoft reports that 95% of Microsoft commercial revenue flows directly through the partner ecosystem and that more than 7,500 partners join that ecosystem every month.*
“But many resellers want a relationship with a partner that can help them with value-adds such as demand generation capabilities and marketing-as-a-service support. This is something we have focused on in an effort to help our channel create more demand for cloud services and encourage clients to migrate to the cloud.”
Among other capabilities, Tarsus On Demand is a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), embedding Microsoft technologies into its own solutions and partnering with the channel to create long-term value for end-customers. “What we have found is that many resellers are not feeling the love from the cloud ecosystem,” says Hiralall.
“So while they value the technical support and infrastructure we offer them as a cloud enablement partner, they also need support in pivoting how they sell and market to the new world of -as-a-service solutions. Our partner programme is designed to fill in this gap for our partners.
“Partnering with a CSP can give a reseller the ability to hit the ground running in the cloud space without the skills certification requirements and minimum monthly revenue targets they will need to meet in a relationship with one of the big cloud providers. This helps them to make a smooth transition to the cloud.”