Griffin takes flight and soars into cloud
ISP to build IT support channel following MBD acquisition
Andrew Dickinson: Griffin will target IT support firms
Griffin Internet is planning a tweak of its channel strategy and a move into hosted desktops in 2011.
The ISP said the move has been on the cards for more than five years, but has only become a reality since its parent company’s acquisition of managed services outfit MBD in July.
MBD, which has now been renamed Allurian, specialises in white-labelled hosted applications that Griffin will sell through the channel.
Andrew Dickinson, managing director of Griffin, said: “The main channel partners we will target will be IT support firms, rather than our traditional voice and data VARs.”
Paul Watson, chief commercial officer at hosting provider Star, said he expects more ISPs to follow Griffin’s lead.
“A statement of intent to enter this market and adopt a channel model is already a very aggressive move,” he said. “But unless there is substance behind it, it may not come to much.”
Oliver Moazzezi, technical architect at rival Cobweb, added: “Entering the cloud market requires a lot of financial resources and skill, especially now Microsoft and Google are competing in this space.”