Intermedia looks for BPOS VARs
Hosting provider tempts UK partners with Private Label programme
Hosting provider Intermedia is on the hunt for partners that want to market Microsoft's online services.
The US-based firm recently extended its Private Label reseller programme, which allows partners to white-label its suite of Microsoft cloud products, to EMEA.
These include hosted Microsoft Exchange 2010, Sharepoint 2010 and Intermedia's take on the vendor's Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS).
The company claims to have signed up "five to six" partners to the programme since its launch in January.
Bob Leibholz, senior vice president for business development at Intermedia (pictured), said the programme boasts several advantages.
He explained: "We give partners the ability to own the customer relationship by allowing them to bill their customers directly.
"The BPOS model gives partners a referral fee as a reward. With us, they can charge what they like."
Leibholz said VARs make a "40 to 50 per cent" margin on each mailbox, and are encouraged to offer migration and support services.
He added: "You do not have to be Microsoft-certified to resell our products."
Andy Trish, managing director of Microsoft Gold partner NCI Technologies, said Intermedia's billing model would be welcomed.
He said: "One of the major drawbacks with selling Microsoft BPOS is the billing model, because resellers want to be the ones to bill the customer."