FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 20-02-2015
Ignoring the cloud is business suicide
The IT distribution ecosystem is one that is constantly evolving. But amidst all the hustle and
bustle in the industry one thing has remained the same: the interdependence between ISVs
(Independent Software Vendors) and their distributors. With the emergence of cloud,
WestconGroup’s vendor partner, Microsoft warns that ISVs must develop a cloud strategy or
risk the lives of their businesses.
“The biggest blocker we see with ISVs today is that they come traditionally from the on-prem
world, their solutions are very focused on running traditionally in a data centre or at a
customer’s site. And they don’t understand the technology, therefore there is a reluctance to
test the waters…The danger for ISVs is that if at some stage they don’t transition, they are
going to be left behind. It could be devastating for their businesses,” says Johannes Kanis,
partner, strategy and program lead for Microsoft South Africa.
When it comes to cloud adoption, ISVs are overwhelmed by licensing requirements as well
as concerned about the security of cloud storage. The question that partners Microsoft and
WestconGroup is asking, is how they can help ISVs to be cloud ready and understand the
technology that will get them there. One of Microsoft’s ISV partners talks about cloud
readiness and security:
“To be cloud ready what we are looking at is hosting a lot of our services on Azure and
building our stuff out into an Azure platform so people can consume those as part of the
solutions that we have built,” says Sean van der Westhuizen, business development lead at
Mint Management Technologies.
Regarding cloud security van der Westhuizen says that it is a conversation that needs to be
had with customers around whether or not they are willing to compromise the data that is
stored in the cloud. If not, he suggests a hybrid cloud solution where the most pertinent
information is stored on-premise and the rest is hosted in the cloud.
Your cloud partner
“The relationship between WestconGroup and ISVs is simple; we can help them to grow
their business and they can help us to grow ours. Ignoring cloud is no longer a viable option
and we are a distributor that possesses the expertise to help ISVs with the overwhelming
licensing requirements on this journey,” says Leane Hannigan, cloud solutions director for
WestconGroup Southern Africa.
“Everything an ISV does with regard to the cloud will need a license but it’s all about how
you license and WestconGroup and Microsoft can help ISVs with the licenses that are best
suited to their businesses and the businesses of their customers. The value-add aspect of
our business also means we can help with integration, aggregation and management of
cloud,” adds Hannigan.
WestconGroup has a comprehensive license offering from on-premise to cloud to hosting –
and is the only distributor in Southern Africa to offer this. With this comes the support that
ISVs need to survive in this time of change, across all products, regions and even in presales. Through Microsoft, WestconGroup provides ISVs the cloud solutions that they need to
host their own data, be it Azure or the licenses required to sell software to third parties.
With SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement) WestconGroup gives ISVs that are
members of the Microsoft Partner Network the ability to provide hosted and on-premise
solutions to its customers on a flexible, low cost, monthly billing option. This is also the only
licensing agreement partners can use to sell their software to a third party.
“The perception of licensing at this stage seems to be that it is this an undefeatable monster,
but that isn’t this case. The problem is that ISVs aren’t choosing the correct licenses for their
purposes. For example, they will purchase volume licensing instead of options that Microsoft
has designed specifically for them like the ISV Royalty licensing, that’s where we come in,”
says Hannigan, “We can help them make these decisions.”
The reality is that cloud is here to stay and ISVs are either going to adapt their businesses
accordingly or risk disappearing altogether. Microsoft has described the current state of the
channel as “mobile-first, cloud-first” and suggests that even if ISVs start small, they need to
start the march towards the cloud sooner, rather than later.
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About Westcon
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About WestconGroup
WestconGroup, Inc. is a value added distributor of category-leading unified communications,
network infrastructure, data center, and security solutions with a global network of specialty
resellers. The company goes to market under the Comstor and Westcon brands.
WestconGroup’s teams are located in 60+ countries around the globe, create unique
programs and provide exceptional support to accelerate the business of its global partners.
Strong relationships enable partners to receive support tailored to their needs. From global
logistics and flexible customized financing solutions to pre-sales, technical and engineering
assistance, the company works with partners to respond with agility and speed to changing
market conditions so they can achieve the fastest time to revenue. WestconGroup’s portfolio
of market-leading vendors includes: Cisco, Avaya, Polycom, Check Point, F5, Palo Alto and
Blue Coat, among others. For more information, please visit www.westcongroup.com.
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