infrachat

For us Agile Software development, a move to Cloud Based Applications and continuous deployment. They are compressing cycle times and require a sophisticated and seamless technology fabric to for success.

Clients moving to cloud service brokers to provider their infrastructure. As value added resellers, we need to provide value as to which cloud service provider is right for their environment.

Obviously SaaS. It's removing layers from the channel that have existed since the start, and putting partners on the line to deliver value directly, daily, without fail.

Hybrid Clouds. Infact Gartner advises companies to develop only after public services have been integrated with private delivery

@jpmcdon Absolutely, all cloud marketplaces are changing the game for VARs .. and for VADs as well

@jpmcdon SaaS becomes transformative for firms and the industry. What's the degree of difficulty?

with SaaS, the composable nature of the end solutions give partners the ability serve their clients better and more quickly

@IBMSmrtrCmptngVirtualization means delivering on many of IT's promises: more automation, separating hardware from software, increased agility, simplified design, policy-based management, network management bonded to broader IT workflow systems, etc.

This will bring a lot of change in terms of processes and interaction, between humans, systems and one another.

@itsmenicole And in most cases, the TCO for an on-premises solution is better than off!

From a technology POV access is super easy, performance is better, etc. The biggest challenge is getting internal security teams to know what type of data will be available on the cloud. Most don't know so they say No.

@itsmenicole Hybrid is easy to say, more difficult to do. Channel partners, equipped with the right skills (and vendor offerings like SoftLayer and servers) play a key role in guiding.

one of the big advantages of hybrid is not necessarily running onprem and offprem together, but leveraging off prem for dev/test

Talent or technology that is core competency to partner to some service unique to the partner; 100% services isn't enough; Lego blocks by themselves aren't valuable

XaaS -> #cloud = threat or oppty for the channel? IMO, opportunity to take clients from point A to B

but then the final so,it ion today still is deployed often on prem at least in larger enterprise. But having the choice is required

@pcarvao cloud is the disruptive "enabler" but could kill some while propeling others

Agree John, cloud (especially hosted and managed externally) creates a compression for innovation cycle times. This will obviate the (potential) slow reactions to organically managed on-prem. In the end both are needed.

@furrier Agreed

@furrier Lego blocks without the builder are just pieces. Builder's without blocks are consultants! #infrastructurematters

@dacarlq nice that was great put perfectly

Two ways - the channel is getting broader by necessity - what I mean is the nature of solutions are more composite crossing traditional business lines. Second the channel work is integrated seamlessly into our business and not separated foc

Just like for our clients, the ecosystem is expanding. We have to identify new partners for gaps in our solutions portfolio

It’s all about the solution. The Channel is uniquely equipped to assemble the parts.

As for our business, we need to develop sales and consulting skills that will prosper in a value added cloud brokerage model.

@JohnAlday How different are the skills?

I hear from channel partners that services revenue is actually increasing do to cloud. Is that something people are hearing?

Instead of deployment skills for consultants, migration skills are needed. For sales people, you move from an capex to an opex sales process

@Mbonamassa How broad does a Channel partner need to become directly? Or does developing the ecosystem fit the bill?

@furrier Yes, we are seeing much more focus for DevOps automation services and consulting. The cloud is driving the removal of deployment delays and moving solutions to near realtime deployments

@furrier Services revenue is a new frontier for many channel partners. "There's gold in them thar hills!" Key question is, does the firm's skills and business model match what's required?

key imo for channel is product packaging in how it can be delivered; has to be easy not complicated

@furrier Totally agree. The focus is on a working solution with minimal (visible) complexity.

@Mbonamassa Don't forget Gross Profit :-) there is so much oppty with cloud mobile and social for partners to tack on services - tons of oppty

Blurring of any lines between the various brands.

A shift from siloed infrastructure solutions (server, storage, network) to a converged infrastructure solution. We wrote a blog on the change: http://www.cimasg.co...

@Mbonamassa "Blurred Lines"....hum a few bars.

"....-as-a-service" Opportunity and threat...two sides of the same coin.

That the old "order of things" from vendor (like IBM) to VAD (like Avnet) to very local (small) solution provider has completely broken down, and now everyone's providing direct solutions to as broad of an audience as they can.

I agree with @dacarlq -- the move to xaaS offerings: IaaS, SaaS, PaaS....

Vendor preference vs loyalty

change is reality that new open technologies are in demand and shadow IT is running rampant

Channel partners have oppty to reign in the ShadowIT and be the "new mechanics" for big iron converged infr and cloud service brokering imo

Customers (especially decision makers) don’t care about specific products they care about the beneficial business results of the integrated solution which includes, people, products and processes.

for CloudOne, it's all about Managed Services. Our customers want us to be an extension of their team.

There is a significant shift in the way end user clients consume technology. This affects the channel.

@Mbonamassa Does it mean that key resources to engage are consultants

Clients want to see @cimasg provide guidance on where their existing workloads are best suited - on premisess or off

Agreeing with @JohnAlday. Well said!

The cloud is forcing companies to reevaluate what they are good at and what should be sourced elsewhere. Partners are building a host of new solutions to hone in on those unique needs, and it's the way to grow and thrive in this new market.

@FrancoisLevelut Not necessarily, most of the knowledge of the automation needs reside organically but many time these people can't see the path forward. They get stuck seeing the elephant - we help them take the first bite.

@Mbonamassa Right on Mike. #Infrastructure matters but it's all about the solution!

One area not talked about is the bus model of SaaS - Land and Expand

@furrier yes, John, back to the consumption model

Land & expand is changing the delivery model; show value first then upsell ramp to higher priced value

#1 is service catalog with brokering capability; speed the game increase quality

I think what is most fascinating today is the speed at which born-on-the-cloud a

solution providers can react to customer needs

@furrier I agree it has that potential. We see a lot of SaaS land and founder. The simplicity and relevance of the solution drives the expansion. But then I guess it depends on the landing. SaaS makes it easy to kick tires and walk too.