INTERVIEW Stuart Day - iland
“When customers turn to a managed service provider (MSP) to deliver digital transformation, migrating
infrastructure and mission critical workloads to the cloud is a central undertaking.”
Stuart Day, Director of Channel, iland
Making a Success of Cloud
In the fast-paced world of the IT channel, choosing the right partner can make or break a business. In an ideal
world, the partnership delivers a result that’s greater than the sum of its parts – after all as Stuart Day, Director
of Channel, at iland, explains - that’s the whole point of the channel
CBM: What is the basis for a
successful channel business
partnership?
Stuart Day (SD): A successful
partnership should mean
that customers benet from
outstanding technology, service
and support, which in turn
brings the partners sustained
revenues and opportunities to
grow sales. So often, however,
partner selection is rushed and
it’s unclear how the businesses
will work to align their
expertise and create a genuinely
compelling proposition for
customers.
Ineective partnerships are a
real threat to success, and that’s
why we’re seeing a real push
among Cloud Service Providers
(CSPs) towards strategies to
empower the channel and
recognition that the rst steps
are selecting the right partners,
followed by proactive investment
in the ongoing relationship.
CBM: Why do strong
partnerships matter when
it comes to delivering cloud
solutions?
SD: When customers turn to a
managed service provider (MSP)
to deliver digital transformation,
migrating infrastructure and
mission critical workloads to the
cloud is a central undertaking.
Customers can be nervous about
this transformative step, despite
knowing that it’s essential if they
are going to stay competitive.
is puts pressure on the
MSP, who owns the customer
relationship, to be condent in
the solution they are proposing
and capable of reassuring
tentative customers that they’ll
get the results they’re looking
for. at condence can only
come from having a close and
trusted relationship with the
CSP and the ability to draw on
their expertise throughout the
migration process and beyond.
CBM: So how do you then
attract the right partners?
SD: Establishing a sound
rationale for building a
partnership is an important
step. at could start out with
identifying areas of specialism
common to both CSP and
channel partner. Perhaps the
MSP has a strong presence in
highly regulated industries,
such as nance, government or
healthcare. A CSP with highly
compliant solutions that are
designed for these sectors is
going to prove a better partner
for the MSP than a more
generalist provider.
at said, while the CSP needs
to demonstrate a commitment
to delivering added value to
the MSP to improve success in
existing target areas, they also
need to show how forming a
partnership will help expand the
business opportunity and create
propositions for new sectors.
By exploring the future
roadmaps of prospective
partners, both parties can
ascertain where synergies
lie. is kind of intelligent
partnering at the outset has a
greater chance of success.
CBM: Does that make the next
steps effective onboarding
and building trust?
SD: In devising a joint go-tomarket
strategy, it’s important
to undertake a knowledge swap
to maximise opportunities. e
CSP can oer insight into its
typical customers, their pain
points and the drivers behind
their purchase, so that customer
personas and targeted marketing
messages can be developed.
Similarly, the MSP should
share insights into its own
customers and what they need
from a CSP. As the partnership
matures, this can even extend to
the MSP suggesting new features
that the CSP could oer to meet
a market need and therefore
provide more sales opportunities.
As the partnership matures,
CSPs need to commit to
working closely with their
partners to become an integral
part of their oering. is means
recognising that each partner
is dierent and one-size-ts-all
support won’t deliver the results
that either party is hoping for.
CSPs need to be proactive
in helping to identify and scope
opportunities, shortening the
sales cycle and ensuring that the
customer on-boarding process is
as painless as possible.
CBM: What are the rewards for
CSPs and channel partners
that get this right?
SD: Many cloud service providers
have historically sold direct,
but this is changing. Analysts
Canalys recently predicted that
“the share of cloud business
handled by or with channel
partners will increase in 2019”.
As customers get on board
with the as-a-service economy,
they’re looking for partners
that can oer the whole suite
of technology services from the
ground up, and that’s where
channel partners have the edge.
48 | Comms Business Magazine | October 2019 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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