Making Cloud Less Cloudy
By Dan Connolly, General Manager, Cloud Practice, Westcon-Comstor
It’s neither a secret nor a surprise that cloud computing is a big focus for small and medium-sized enterprises. After all, the average company expects to dedicate 25 percent of its IT budget to cloud computing this year, according to IDC.
Further, 72 percent of organizations have already made cloud investments, while another 16 percent plan to do so in the next 12 months, according to IDC’s 2015 Enterprise Cloud Computing Survey. Cloud isn’t coming, it’s already here. And it’s only going to get bigger.
And yet, it seems many solution providers think they’ve already missed their opportunity to deliver cloud to customers. That is simply not true.
Case in point: IDC’s survey also reveals that 56 percent of companies remain unclear which IT operations are best suited for the cloud. That smells like opportunity to me.
How Are You Helping Customers Migrate To Cloud?
Like many companies, solution providers are still feeling their way through cloud too and may feel unprepared to answer many questions that customers have. After all, there’s still a stigma of confusion around cloud for many businesses. How does it work? What are the benefits? Is it secure? Where should I start? Who are the best cloud vendors for me? The list goes on and on.
For these reasons, cloud continues to be a key focus for Westcon-Comstor. We’ve built a wide variety of solutions, enablement programs, and services all geared toward making cloud a little less … cloudy.
You don’t need to be a cloud expert to start building your cloud business. Simply put, there’s no reason cloud shouldn’t become a big component of your business — quickly.
Adding Value Around Cloud, Every Day
A recent study conducted for the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) reveals 72 percent of cloud solution providers see value in working with distributors around cloud services today, and that will increase to 76 percent in the next 12-18 months. Clearly, we’re doing something right.
And it’s not just solution providers that recognize the value distributors add around cloud. More cloud vendors are turning to distribution to reach the small and medium-sized enterprise market. For example, in another GTDC research report, Microsoft states its primary cloud goal for distributors is simple: to get more active and capable solution providers to think about cloud-based solutions and lead with Microsoft-based cloud services.
Of course, it’s also not just the industry’s giants. Faction, an enterprise-class IaaS cloud provider founded 10 years ago, sold direct to VARs and MSPs for about five years before turning to distributors in 2011. Now, about 60 percent of the company’s revenue flowed through distribution, including Westcon-Comstor, according to the same GTDC report.
Distributors have long been recognized as supply chain leaders, even as the very nature of the supply chain continues to radically transform just as fast as technology innovation. For example, Westcon-Comstor’s BlueSky cloud and service management and delivery platform provides solution providers with a 360-degree view into their cloud business: with advanced analytics, ordering, fulfillment, billing, and renewal notifications.
Cloud shouldn’t be a mystery and it shouldn’t prevent you from transforming your business — and your customers’ businesses. Leveraging the infrastructure, the skills, and the expertise of a proven partner like Westcon-Comstor will get you started — or take you to the next level.
After all, while there’s plenty of opportunity, there’s also plenty of competition. If you’re not guiding your customers through their cloud journey, there’s a good chance somebody else will.
Dan Connolly is General Manager, Cloud Practice, at Westcon-Comstor.