Ingram Micro thinks the channel has a key role to play in the growth of the cloud, offering enhanced services to end-users and building long-lasting relationships with them to ensure their digital transformation happens as smoothly as possible.
Research commissioned by Ingram Micro and conducted by Vanson Bourne revealed 68% of cloud users think it's vital cloud resellers offer end-to-end support as well as the cloud platform itself. However, the vast majority (86%) of resellers said they are already managing cloud services for their clients, demonstrating they're already prepped to address customer demands.
“The channel recognises that it has a role to play in providing the right customer experience to the end user," Apay Obang-Oyway, director of cloud and software for the UK and Ireland at Ingram Micro said. "If a cloud partner provides a quality service, that will have a larger positive impact for all other cloud partners. The new channel has moved on from being traditional resellers and so the key is to provide a level of service that benefits the customer’s business, something that takes place from the moment an end user makes contact with a vendor.”
He added that the cloud is changing fast and the channel needs to adapt in order to keep up with the changing tide. Although SaaS is easy for businesses to implement themselves, it's IaaS that's going to need a little help and the channel's perfectly placed to offer that support network.
“IaaS is the future of cloud, and the channel has so many opportunities available to protect future profitability in this space. Confidence in selling IaaS in the channel is growing, as is understanding the potential for innovation and growth that the infrastructure can bring," Obang-Oyway noted.
"The rise of next generation technologies, such as artificial intelligence, autonomous cars, and robots, will be key in helping to bring about such growth. The most recent innovations through cloud were all built on IaaS, not SaaS. The boom in cloud technology has introduced with it more transparency, meaning that resellers are increasingly focused on providing a quality service.”
