What to Consider Before You Reach for the Cloud

Just like there are a variety of end users, building a successful Cloud business is not a one-size-fits-all model. Whether a Cloud Builder, Cloud Provider or Cloud Reseller, Tech Data asks you to consider a number the following before building your Cloud business plan.

• Understand Your Customers’ Needs. As with anything you deliver to your customers, be it products or services, what you deliver is only as good as the demand of your customers. The Cloud is no different. Find out how you can provide your customers with the ease and cost efficiency of the Cloud to their business. You can make your line card as substantial or concise as you need by augmenting your current portfolio or by being a referral agent to vendors on your customers’ behalf, therefore adding a new revenue stream to your business without having to go outside of your comfort zone.
• Understand Your Capabilities. If you’re at a place in your business timeline where you’re ready to expand, you may want to consider investing in skilled professionals well versed in difficult-to-replicate solutions, setting your company apart from other VARs and MSPs. But, this requires infrastructure requirements and costs that you may not want to invest in at this time. Instead, it may be better to partner with a network of vendors or other resellers than to take on creating, hosting and delivering the Cloud on your own. You also can create a hybrid model providing a part of the solution, paired with vendor-provided services.
• Know The Service Models. There are three Cloud service models: Software as a Service (Saas), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas) with each requiring their own set of skills, knowledge and training.
  • SaaS – Vendor-provided services such as Web-managed email, office productivity applications and CRM. Resellers can offer these vendor services along with their own deployment, migration, training and support services to meet their customers’ needs.
  • PaaS – Users can facilitate the development and deployment of applications they need while relying on solutions providers to handle the management. Resellers can either offer their own unique offerings or provide capacity and support services from one of their vendor partners.
  • IaaS – End users are provided with processing, storage networks and other resources through Cloud-based software instead of on-premise. Resellers can be the providers of these services.
• Private, Public or Hybrid. Whether providing your own Cloud services or offering those of your vendor partners, you need to determine which kind of Cloud model you would like to provide. Though all offer resellers with the opportunity to provide consultation, implementation and support services, each also enables solutions providers the opportunity to access their own unique capabilities.
  • Private Clouds, though built and operated internally by businesses, provide resellers with the opportunity to design, deploy and even host for these businesses.
  • Public Clouds, though owned by private entities, provide cCoud-based and remotely delivered services. These are another way resellers can support their customers’ needs.
• Hybrid Clouds are the most common enabling solutions providers to find the best of the public and private to suit their customers.
• Offer Training and Support. When consulting your clients, don’t forget to provide them with the proper tools for training and educating their staff. The Cloud can make their business more efficient, but there is still a need to make sure their staff is skilled. You can either devise your own learning plan based on the needs of your customer base or you can partner with experienced training organizations that are well-versed in the Cloud. (TDEducation can help you train your customers making sure they are confident and ready when they switch over to the Cloud.) By partnering with these organizations, you can provide another service to your clients and improve the value of your Cloud line card.
• Manage Your Clients’ Expectations. After you have prepared your customers’ for the shift to the Cloud, you need to make sure that all their expectations are met. One of the simplest, and most critical ways to do so is through Service-Level Agreements (SLAs). By providing these agreements, signed by vendors and other partners, you can assure your clients that their expectations will be met and if not it will signify a breach of contract. This will help waylay their concerns regarding security and privacy. As a solutions provider you also have the opportunity to provide them with additional security and privacy services making you their trusted advisor.

TDCloud can help you make the most of this opportunity by providing you with the tools and services you need to make sure you’re ready to embark on this new profitable endeavor.

Check out our offerings under TDCloud Academy to see what training opportunities are available right now through Tech Data.