Responding to customer cloud demand with three new Cloud Services Resellers (SPLAR)
In support of our WW Channel Strategy for cloud services, today we are announcing our intention to appoint three additional Cloud Services Resellers (CSR) with proven, global track records in driving Microsoft cloud revenue across the public, private and hybrid cloud.
These appointments will create additional capacity focused on the partner hosted model under the Service Provider Licensing Agreement (SPLA). The explosive growth in Cloud continues to represent a great joint opportunity for Microsoft and our partners and we’re confident that these additional CSR partners will grow the market opportunity for SPLA licensing specifically and cloud more broadly.
The announcement heralds an exciting time, both for the three proposed new CSRs – Ingram Micro, Insight and SoftwareONE - and for our entire partner and customer eco system.
It’s exciting because it shows that customers are demanding that partners deliver both public cloud solutions on platforms like Office 365, Microsoft Azure and Dynamics CRM Online, complemented by hosted cloud options to address specific use cases.
Just as importantly, it also shows that the ability to deliver these true hybrid cloud solutions through a large and dedicated partner eco-system remains a real and influential point of difference for Microsoft in a rapidly growing cloud marketplace – and that’s great news for all of us.
When finalised, the three proposed new CSRs will join our two existing CSRs, Dicker Data and rhipe, in addressing this demand.
Ingram Micro, Insight and SoftwareONE came to the fore following an exhaustive three month RFI selection process, which examined, among other things, the companies’ unique value proposition in growing the cloud market in Australia along with their capacity to offer customer and partner support and investments in sales and marketing.
The three companies are no strangers to the amazing family of partners and customers that inhabit the Microsoft Cloud.
Earlier this year Ingram Micro was named as 2-Tier CSP Partner and when this new appointment is operative they will offer hybrid cloud wholesale services to an existing broad ecosystem of partners throughout Australia.
Both Insight’s and SoftwareONE’s appointment will complement the companies’ expertise in Enterprise Agreement licencing in Australia and throughout the world. The CSR appointment will ensure that Insight offers hybrid cloud licencing and guidance for an increasing number of shared services scenarios in enterprise customers and will give SoftwareONE the opportunity to offer hybrid cloud licencing and guidance for independent software vendors moving to the cloud on Microsoft platforms.
We will, of course, continue to provide our services through other purchasing mechanisms like the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Program, Open & Select Licensing, Enterprise Agreements and directly through the web.
There’s little doubt this is a great time to be a part of Microsoft Cloud Services as we all play our part in changing the world of business through empowering more productive workforces, innovating business models and transforming business processes.
It’s a really exciting time to be involved in spearheading such a profound reworking of the way we work.
Over the coming weeks Ingram Micro, Insight and SoftwareONE will share more details as they gear up for launch.