Greater partnership in the channel is needed to help tackle transition to the cloud market

With over 69 per cent of organisations formally adopting at least one cloud-based service in the last year, according to findings from the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF), cloud computing has achieved mainstream deployment in the UK. It is therefore vital that resellers embrace the benefits of the cloud – but in doing so they must also ensure they address the potential ensuing challenges they may have with their cloud sales strategy. These challenges include not having a full understanding of the various cloud solutions available, not having enough knowledge of the development of the cloud market, and not having sufficient background knowledge of how cloud can apply in different end–user scenarios; something which would come with experience.

Piers Linney, co-founder of Outsourcery, comments: “IT as a service is a very different beast to IT as an asset and the move can be difficult for many channel organisations to make. Resellers have the potential to miss out if they don’t educate themselves about the transition and it is therefore crucial that they seek out partnerships with CSPs to help overcome existing weaknesses or knowledge gaps.

“Resellers are used to working with traditional IT models so the skill-set of current employees would mean that a move to the cloud might not be playing to the business’s strengths. Cooperation between resellers and CSPs who are willing to help is key to bridging this education gap.

Linney continues: “There are countless examples of IT companies that have failed to adjust at the right time and have struggled as a result. Now is the time for businesses to develop the necessary skills in order to effectively adapt to the cloud, and partnering with a CSP can make the difference between failure and success.
“As there is still a market for traditional IT, the cost and benefit of transitioning is not always wholly apparent – this is why collaboration between resellers and CSPs is crucial in improving education of the long-term benefits of adopting cloud services. With hybrid IT solutions becoming more apparent and widespread, it is a way for organisations in the channel to work together with CSPs, to enhance synergies and improve the cloud and IT services available in the market,” Piers concludes.