Making money from the cloud

Much has been made about the threat that cloud computing poses to the channel, with the rise of on-demand software seen by many as the beginning of the end for the traditional reseller model. But it doesn't have to be bad news commercially and, talking to some of our partners recently, it is clear what needs to be done to make the model work to their benefit in 2012.

Demand for infrastructure alone has evolved into demand for infrastructure plus services: resellers have to become more consultative in their approach and act increasingly as advisors to their customers as they define their cloud strategy. The trust element between partner and customer is now crucial as market demand grows for this advice. Indeed, feedback from our partners suggests that trust is now the biggest concern for customers after security.

For many, the move to cloud may be very straightforward but for others it could be a staggered approach with, perhaps, a move to a hybrid model initially but, either way, having confidence in the reseller to advise on the best approach according to the end user's goals is the key to generating revenue in both the short and longer term.

Nessa Lynchehaun (pictured) is UK channel director at Mimecast