5 Reasons Channel Partners Can No Longer Ignore Cloud Services

By Jason Bystrak, Executive Director, North America, Ingram Micro Cloud

Analysts are predicting cloud computing will grow to $105B and represent 17 percent of the total IT spend by 2017. Add to the mix that cloud services and solutions are on pace to realize an annual growth rate that’s 5x the total IT spend and it’s safe to say cloud computing is officially  mainstream. So why are only a fifth of today’s channel partners selling and supporting cloud-based solution and services?

There are a number of excuses and reasons we share, but the reality is if you’re not selling and supporting cloud services and solutions in 2015, you’re starting off the year at a significant disadvantage.

Demand for cloud services and solutions is on the rise among small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs), as well as enterprises. And many of those channel partners who have migrated to cloud services are reporting record-growth. Why?  Because the business case for cloud is universal, undeniable and growing stronger as a result of these five trends:

1. Businesses are becoming far more social. Whether it’s because they are growing from regional to international or maybe even global levels, businesses and people need cloud-based solutions to communicate anywhere and at any time at a price they can afford. This opens the door for mobile and unified communication solutions, as well as a more robust network to support business needs. Additionally, cloud applications such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn are becoming far more business-oriented — with many being used to serve as the voice of the customer. These applications require more bandwidth to support video and images, as well as the proper controls to ensure security concerns are addressed.

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