“We see more and more customers recognising marketplace spend as a way to de-risk commitment thresholds”
Pete Groushko, Technology Solutions Sales Director UK, Computacenter
Does Computacenter have a hyperscaler marketplace strategy?
Yes, our strategy is based on the partner maturity offered by each relevant hyperscaler and the wants and needs of each ISV. Over the last three or four years the role of the VAR has expanded from simply adding value in evaluating and deploying the most appropriate technology, to also evaluating the most appropriate route to procure as well, understanding and aligning the benefits of each to the customer’s need.
Could you quantify how important a route to market this currently is for Computacenter?
It’s incredibly important and it’s growing. We see more and more customers recognising marketplace spend as a way to de-risk commitment thresholds, as well as offering a very agile method to procure and sometimes leverage additional benefits that differentiate from a traditional procurement mechanism.
Which of the hyperscalers do you feel is currently the easiest to deal with (for instance around fees, admin, or the ability to make private offers)
We love dealing with them all, of course! Seriously, each has their merits, but I’d suggest AWS has the greatest credible track record of understanding the benefit of the partner offer and VAR engagement. This is being aggressively chased down by MS and GCP, though.
There is plenty of apprehension in the channel about the rise of cloud marketplaces, particularly around the fees and admin involved. Do you share this anxiety?
There was scepticism and concern when we were asked to integrate with HW partners via EDI or use “Partner Websites,” but I fully expect automation and simplicity to reduce the concern around admin and increased costs in the future. The role of the VAR is often about having an opinion on which technologies are most appropriate to answer a customer’s business needs, and this has naturally extended to customers expecting an opinion on the best way to source.
What top tips would you have for hyperscalers who are serious about growing their partner-led marketplace sales?
Understand the value of the modern VAR.
Most credible VARs offer far more than a transaction hygiene route, providing technical and commercial validation, deployment skills and consultancy to ensure value realisation. Proliferation would be accelerated by thinking of this not just as a platform but as a procurement assessment decision that can drive value for money. The hyperscaler that acknowledges the need to drive greater automation, seamless and clear reporting, improved finance options, and has the ability to draw down commits for professional services purchases will accelerate the partner led marketplace use.
