At the Microsoft Inspire conference this week, Tech Data announced it will make available extensions to its Cloud Builder program that are optimized for specific cloud computing platforms.
At the same time, the distributor also revealed it has expanded its Cloud Solution Factory catalog of vetted cloud offerings to include offerings from NetApp, Veeam, Docker Inc, and the container service provided by Microsoft.
Many partners are starting to specialize on specific cloud platforms, so Tech Data is extending its Cloud Builder program to create in collaboration with Microsoft an Azure Express offering designed for Microsoft partners.
In general, channel partners are all over the proverbial map in terms of embracing cloud platforms, says Sergio Farache, senior vice president of global cloud solution at Tech Data. About one-third of partners have aggressively embraced the cloud, while another third of partners are being more opportunistic about the cloud. Another third of partners, however, don’t see much of a requirement to build a cloud practice because their customers are still running the bulk of their workloads in on-premises IT environments, says Farache. Roughly 80% of all workloads are still deployed on-premises, adds Farache.
“A lot of partners are a reflection of their end customers,” says Farache.
Rather than trying to force partners down a specific path, Farache says Tech Data is committed to working with partners anywhere they happen to be along the path the cloud. The Cloud Solution Factory catalog, for example, provides access to a series of offerings that Tech Data makes simple to deploy via the Tech Data Cloud platform.
The transition to the cloud has been going on for over 10 years now. That transition might be starting to pick up some momentum as Microsoft dukes it out with Amazon Web Services (AWS for dominance, but the day when most solution providers might be only focused on cloud-based offerings appears to be as far off as ever.
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