The Channel Must Lead The Cloud Conversation

By Lief Morin, president, Key Information Systems

Some technology pundits argue that the pervasiveness of cloud technology will render the traditional channel partner obsolete. After all, a defining characteristic of the cloud is the ubiquitous availability of data and applications. Cloud-delivered applications simplify and streamline accessibility and reduce management demands, which cut the need for internal resources and, ostensibly, the channel.

This argument, however, misses the mark. Channel partners are not only an integral component, they have a specific and important role to play concerning cloud adoption for enterprise environments, and it is a role that is not limited to simply supplying clients with products. Today’s complex IT systems shun silos in favor of highly integrated, well-architected infrastructures that require a holistic understanding of how the various pieces of the system interoperate. Channel partners need to add value to the equation by understanding their clients’ business goals, systems architecture and the role of the cloud within the greater IT infrastructure. Because of their intimate familiarity with a client’s systems and infrastructure, channel partners are well positioned to provide personalized, organization-specific value throughout the process.

If there is a single action that a channel partner can take to bring value to a client, it can be reflected in one word: communicate. At the core, a channel partner adds significant value simply by sparking the cloud conversation. Channel partners should devote time to engaging a client in a dialogue that discusses that client’s technology needs and, more importantly, its business needs. With an understanding of an organization’s goals, channel partners can recommend the best cloud approach for accomplishing them. Further, vendor-agnostic partners bring a perspective that cloud providers inherently cannot; their knowledge spans dozens of cloud providers and products, and exposes a client to a broader set of solutions than a single vendor could ever deliver.

The value of the channel partner during cloud conversations is particularly evident at three stages: decision-making, implementation, and post-migration.

Decision-making

At this stage, a channel partner’s role is to be the cloud expert, to add value by explaining the business case for different cloud options and identifying the solution that will best meet a client’s particular challenges, not those of the competitor next door. The cloud brings many benefits to organizations across industries, but there are still a number of compelling arguments — both technical and business-focused — for maintaining mission-critical or production workloads on premise.

Rather than following trends, channel partners must find a solution that fits that client, whether full adoption of a public, private or hybrid cloud; a blend of public cloud and on-premise solutions; or full on-premise options. Channel partners can provide options in the type of cloud technology that is implemented — public, private, or hybrid — across multiple cloud providers to achieve the best possible solution. No single cloud solution will fit the needs of every organization, and the move to the cloud is a complicated process that requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Implementation

Once a channel partner has worked with a client to settle on the best cloud option for that particular organization, the partner has a responsibility to then work with a client to develop a solid cloud migration strategy that will minimize disruptions and ensure a smooth transition. Channel partners should also set expectations for a client; while having a clearly defined cloud strategy means a greater likelihood of a successful migration, no implementation strategy can cover every element of the process. There is still a significant element of mystery in the cloud realm and many questions yet to be answered: With all of the hype around cloud, where will the industry ultimately land? What capabilities will be offered in the cloud a year from now, or five years from now? How can I best build a cloud solution today that will scale with my company and the industry over time? Here is where channel partners provide expertise and guidance to their clients. Keeping in alignment with the capabilities of major manufacturers’ such as IBM and AWS, and augmenting them with the channel partners’ own cloud and on-premise solutions is the path forward.

Post-migration support

The role of the channel partner in post-migration support cannot be overstated. There is real value here because of the familiarity a channel partner has with its client’s technology environment. Because channel partners are involved with client issues, upgrades, and expansions on a regular basis, partners have a holistic view of the existing system architecture, the history of the system and any legacy elements that may exist. Further, the channel partner’s knowledge of the client’s culture allows the partner to provide nuanced and customized insight when guiding the cloud conversation and delivering support.

Throughout the cloud process, channel partners continue to play an integral role, providing guidance, insight, and options to clients in support of their business goals. Channel partners must continually strive to understand clients’ organizations while continuing to gain knowledge of the cloud options available.

Lief Morin is the president of Key Information Systems, a regional systems integrator providing compute, storage and networking solutions and professional services for the most advanced software-defined data centers.