Details Of Global Cloud Marketplace Unveiled At Ingram Micro Cloud Summit
Summit news includes new hosted cloud solutions, “white glove” services, and an expanded channel partner program
Ingram Micro Cloud today announced the details of its next generation cloud marketplace. Approximately 900 attendees at Cloud Summit 2014, taking place April 7-9, in Hollywood, FL, were among the first to first to learn about new Ingram Micro-hosted cloud solutions, “white glove” services for resellers, an expanded channel program, and the details of its global cloud marketplace.
The news follows last week’s announcement that Ingram Micro Cloud is expanding into a worldwide services organization led by executive VP of global cloud computing Nimesh Dave. The Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace, with more than 200 solutions and 70 vendors, will now have a global platform and will include the new cloud management services.
Renee Bergeron, vice president cloud computing who has expanded her role to include global cloud sales and marketing, explains, “Resellers’ customers are becoming global. The benefit of the new marketplace for the reseller is that it can support those customers even if they don’t work in those geographies.”
She says the cloud marketplace, scheduled to be available in Q2 in the U.S. and Canada, will have similar functionality to the previous online marketplace, but the process will be streamlined — now requiring fewer clicks per transaction. The new marketplace, powered by Parallels, enables Ingram Micro partners to research solution options, purchase and activate those solutions, configure and manage them for their customers, and download billing data into their PSA tool.
New third-party cloud solutions added to the marketplace are 365 Main, Skykick, Charter, SurePayroll, Logix, and Softlayer.
“Our goal is a comprehensive portfolio of cloud solutions — a one-stop-shop,” Bergeron says. “Resellers can access this through a single portal and all in real time.”
Ingram Micro Cloud also announced its Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS), powered by Cisco, will now include Ingram Micro Hosted Exchange, based on Exchange 2013; Ingram Micro's Virtual Private Servers (VPS); and Ingram Micro Web Hosting. Jason Bystrak, senior director, cloud for Ingram Micro Americas, says Ingram Micro is assuming a new role in the channel — master cloud services aggregator — with hosted services for its reseller partners as well as equipping its partners to offer Ingram Micro’s services to their customers.
Ingram Micro Cloud will provide “white glove” services for resellers. Bergeron points out that Ingram Micro has worked extensively with its channel partners in the past four years to pinpoint areas where they need support. Bergeron says although service differentiates MSPs, not all MSPs have the resources or capability to provide cloud-related services: “Our reseller partners are asking to leverage our capabilities when it comes to service.” In response, Ingram Micro will offer technical sales engineering, onboarding, migration, service desk, and remote infrastructure management. These services are based on best practices developed over the past 15 years by SoftCom, which Ingram Micro acquired.
Bystrak adds that with the addition of a variety of new services, Ingram Micro will expand its channel partner program, giving reseller partners three program options. The Cloud Referral Program enables channel partners to market and sell cloud solutions and services to their clients and to leverage Ingram Micro Cloud’s resources for service. The Cloud Resale Program allows channel partners to continue to do business with Ingram Micro as they do through the current channel partner program, reselling Ingram Micro Cloud services and solutions and working along with Ingram Micro to provide service. The third option, the Cloud Private Label Program, allows solutions providers and MSPs to re-brand the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace and its white glove services as their own.
Bergeron comments, “With the cloud reseller program, we found one size doesn’t fit all.”
For more information, visit IngramMicroCloud.com.