Cloud Channel Summit

 

Channel companies must accept that the cloud fundamentally disrupts their traditional business models. They must recognize that meeting their customers’ rising expectations requires transforming their go-to-market strategies and services. It changes the skills required, the sales tactics, the value propositions and service delivery methodologies.

Read more from Jeff Kaplan on Ecommerce Times.

 

A year ago, the participants of the inaugural Summit spent much of the day discussing whether there was a role for the channel in the cloud and how to get channel companies engaged in the rapidly evolving cloud marketplace. This year’s Summit attracted an impressive array of senior executives from major distributors, resellers, managed services providers (MSPs) and other IT services companies such as Tech Data, Ingram-Micro, Insight, Avnet, Cloud Sherpas, All Covered, Spiceworks and Centerbeam.

Read more from Jeff Kaplan on Sandhill.

 

Cloud Channel Summit Highlights on Vimeo.

Jeff Kaplan outlines the key objectives of the Cloud Channel Summit.

Jeff Kaplan sums up the key takeaways from the Cloud Channel Summit.

See and hear why over 30 industry leaders participated in the Cloud Channel Summit, and what they learned about today’s Cloud channel opportunities, challenges and best practices at the event. Click here.

 

Channel Reseller News (CRN) Reports, Cloud Blurs The Definition Of A Partner.

Totango Identifies, 6 Tips for Cloud Sales Using Channels.

CRN Outlines, 5 Steps To Cloud Channel Success.

 

Read Jeff Kaplan’s views about where to find them in ChannelPro Magazine.

 

Read Jeff Kaplan’s perspectives on the Channel Tech Network.

 

Read the views of Peter Chase, Founder & EVP, Business Development, Scribe Software.

 

Read Jeff Kaplan’s views in Datamation.

 

Read about how the Cloud is reinventing the Channel.

 

Read Kevin Jackson’s ‘Cloud Musings’ about channel implications in the public sector.

 

 

Click here to read what eChannelLive is saying about the Summit.

 

Click here to read the complete article by Under the Radar.

 

Doug Kass of IT Channel Planet reports initial Cloud Channel Summit to focus on market opportunities. Read More.

 

Brett Martin and Mike Vizard of Channel Tech Network discuss the future for resellers in cloud computing, and the upcoming Cloud Channel Summit. To download “Channel Happy Hour Episode-52: Kaplan & The Cloud” from iTunes, click here. To visit the ChannelHH website, click here.

 

Cloud computing is generating significant revenue streams for information technology (IT) channel companies according to research from CompTIA. Read More.

 

Read Mike Vizard’s views on cloud channel opportunities and challenges on the Channel Tech Network. Read more.

 

 

An Independent Analysis by THINKstrategies, Inc.

One of the biggest misconceptions in the Cloud Computing market is that today’s new web-based services will ‘disintermediate’ the channel because of their simpler, more user-friendly solutions, and direct sales and delivery business models.

While there is no question that the role of the traditional channel will be significantly impacted by the rapidly evolving Cloud market, we firmly believes there is still plenty of room for innovative channel organizations to operate. There are also plenty of opportunities for new types of channel partners to emerge and succeed in the Cloud.

To download a PDF of the complete Manifesto, click here.

 

By Jeffrey M. Kaplan, E-Commerce Times

One of the most intriguing alliances established by Salesforce.com has been its partnership with Dell, and at Dreamforce this year that partnership blossomed into new opportunities. Salesforce’s and Dell’s channel-related announcements indicate they recognize that building new channel models for success is essential for the continued growth of the cloud market. Read more.

 

For more views, visit our Cloud Innovators Blog.