Plenty of cloud companies have partner programs for VARs and MSPs. But how can channel partners gain an integrate view of all the multi-vendor cloud workloads they're managing for customers -- and potential upsell or cross sell opportunities associated with those workloads?
One potential answer comes from cloud distributor Pax8, and the company's recently launched Pax8 Stax effort. According to the company, Pax8 Stax "offers a real-time, aggregated view of the entire suite of cloud solutions MSPs are offering their customers. This enables the MSP to see market penetration opportunities by customer group and fill in the technology gaps."
With Pax8, MSPs can move, add, or change seats from multiple vendors for their customers with a single click, the cloud distributor asserts.
It's a safe bet the Pax8 team will drive home that point at next week's ConnectWise Automation Nation 2018 and DattoCon18 conferences in Orlando, Florida and Austin, Texas, respectively. The cloud distributor is expected to be on-hand for both conferences.
Pax8: Cloud Vendor Partners
As of late 2016, Pax8 had about 11 vendors and 900 partners transacting business on the system. A quick glance suggests Pax8 now has about 16 vendors across four service categories on the system. The lineup includes:
- Productivity Applications: Microsoft, BitTitan, BAE Systems, DataMAPt
- Infrastructure: Microsoft Azure, ProfitBricks, CloudJumper
- Continuity: Datto, Infrascale, Carbonite, Veritas
- Security: Symantec, Webroot, IBM Maas360, Sophos, Breach Secure Now
Fast forward to next week's ConnectWise and Datto conferences, and we'll seek updates on the vendor and partner figures from Pax8 executives.
Growth Opportunities, Competition
No doubt, Pax8 has an opportunity to work even more closely with MSPs. As part of that effort, the company has been integrating its cloud platform with popular MSP software dashboards.
The competition isn't standing still. Traditional distributors such as Ingram Micro, Tech Data and Synnex have launched various cloud services marketplaces and associated management platforms. And cloud-first players such as Excel Micro and the aptly named Cloud Distribution also are in the market.
Of course, Pax8 isn't resting on its laurels. We'll be watching for Pax8's next potential moves at the ConnectWise and Datto conferences next week.
Additional reporting by Sarah Kimmel.
