Ingram Micro signs up to Microsoft cloud offering

Up and away: Ingram has fully embraced Microsoft's cloud offering

Ingram Micro has linked arms with Microsoft in the cloud, by announcing its full support for the software giant’s BPOS offering.

As a result, Ingram will offer its reseller base access to a dedicated web site, a trained sales team, marketing and training resources, to help them better understand cloud computing technology.

Apay Obang-Oyway, head of category (software and mobility) at Ingram Micro, said: “The economic climate within which organisations operate today has also meant a focus on effective business investment ensuring that lowering total cost of ownership is kept front of mind when making IT investment decisions.

“Microsoft’s cloud offering of online services is a new opportunity for the channel that helps enable the transition of organisations towards dynamic IT in a more cost-effective manner. Microsoft online services also has the ability to help channel partners achieve stickability with their end customers by truly becoming their ‘Trusted Advisor’.”

Obang-Oyway added that as consumption patterns of end user customers change, partners that adapt their business models to embrace the cloud are the ones winning business.

“This is why Ingram Micro will be focusing on educating channel partners, new and existing, about the opportunities that exist and how partners can exploit those opportunities,” he said.

Clare Barclay, director of strategy and programmes at Microsoft, said: “Online services represent a huge range of opportunities for our partners to embrace. Initiatives like this will help to provide a comprehensive support framework for our partners to make the most our of the cloud computing opportunity.”