News in the Channel - issue #44

SaaS

success and support at Adventoris, warns: “Seemingly everyone is finding ways to incorporate it into their solutions, regardless of whether it’s needed or useful,” he says. “For instance, an ‘AI- assisted search’ functionality may not offer many (if any) benefits over a traditional algorithm. That’s not to say that AI doesn’t have enormous potential. From automating repetitive administrative tasks to improving order processing and analysing large volumes of data, there are some genuinely exciting applications, particularly for SMBs that may not have the time or resources to dedicate to these activities. “For SaaS providers, the challenge is demonstrating how these capabilities can deliver tangible benefits to their clients, whether that’s reducing costs, improving efficiency or freeing up employees to concentrate on more valuable activities.” Anthony says AI is increasingly being built into SaaS applications themselves, changing how people use the software as well as what they expect from it. “We are seeing it automate tasks, surface information and recommendations, and make better use of the data already sitting within those applications,” he says. “Customers increasingly want to know what AI can do for the business and whether the use case stands up in practice.” Christian adds that AI can be useful for maximising the value in the SaaS tools businesses already use. “You’d be amazed at the value that can be added to a business just through layering in AI capabilities,” he says. “[For instance] Copilot lives within the Microsoft environment and is a good way of giving AI secure curated access to a dataset without the risk of oversharing everything else. “This is what we’re trying to promote to MSPs, to just deliver credible end-user AI training, prompt training with a degree of monitoring, and just bring all these users into the world of daily AI use. “There are material gains through just effective end user use of Copilot,

alongside maximising what you’re using from your SaaS tooling.”

You'd be amazed at the value that can be added to a business just through layering in AI capabilities. “ ” Contributors

Business value With SaaS solutions evolving, so should the way resellers and MSPs approach sales conversations with customers about it. Morten says resellers should focus less on selling SaaS as a standalone

product and more on explaining the business value it creates. “The

conversation should be about outcomes: improved collaboration, better workplace experiences, increased flexibility, simpler management and stronger long-term value,” he says. “They should also help customers understand how SaaS fits alongside hardware and services. In AV and UC especially, the strongest proposition will often come from combining devices, software, support and lifecycle services into one joined-up solution. “At the same time, resellers need to be ready to manage the commercial complexity behind SaaS. This includes billing, renewals, consumption, usage tracking and customer success. Having the right tools and processes to manage recurring revenue will be essential.” Joel says there is often not enough discourse regarding the structure required to support or enable many SaaS solutions; the bedrock of which is good data. “As someone who spent the better part of a decade working in software implementation, that really should be emphasised,” he says. “The quality of data has a large impact on the success of a SaaS platform and putting in the leg work early pays dividends further down the road.” Jordan adds that resellers should treat security features as a differentiator, rather than as an add-on sale. “If security is treated as an upsell, the reseller ends up competing on price for the core product, hoping to recover the margin later,” he explains. “Leading with integrated security changes the conversation, making it about

Anthony Dobson

arrow.com

Jo Holliday

acronis.com

Kevin Hallmark

huntress.com

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