Westcoast hires cloud tsar

Mark Davies responsible for growing distributor's cloud business, with a focus on Microsoft CSP programme

In a sign of how seriously the big distributors are taking cloud services, Westcoast has enlisted a dedicated director to head this area of its business.

Mark Davies, the industry veteran appointed to Westcoast's new cloud services director role, has been charged with developing the distributor's cloud proposition, which the broadliner stressed is a growing part of its business.

The move comes six months after Westcoast was appointed as a tier-two partner for Microsoft's cloud solution provider (CSP) programme, which will be a key focus of Davies' new role.

Westcoast is not the only distributor adding resource around cloud, with Tech Data only last week appointing a business development executive for the CSP programme. Ingram Micro is also stepping up its efforts in this area.

Westcoast claimed interest in CSP, a scheme designed to allow resellers to offer Microsoft cloud services including Office 365 via monthly billing, has been growing since Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in July.

Davies (pictured) said: "As a tier-two CSP distributor, Westcoast are ideally placed to support and enable partners in their journey towards providing a wider cloud offering. With the breadth and experience of the team here we can ensure that the partner can make sure they have the right solutions in place for their customers, with our full support."