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intelligence (AI), machine learning, Internet of Things, blockchain and edge computing are empowering businesses to innovate, and bring products and services to market faster, staying ahead of the competition. “Finally, sustainability has emerged as a critical factor for customers assessing IaaS providers. With an increased consciousness of environmental impact, businesses are looking to providers that prioritise energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, carbon neutrality and transparent reporting on environmental initiatives.” Cloud, on-premise or hybrid With the evolution of IaaS, customers have to decide whether they want cloud, on-premise or hybrid solutions. As Paul notes, the choice between these solutions depends on several factors such as data sensitivity, regulatory requirements, cost considerations, scalability needs and IT expertise. “Many businesses are adopting a hybrid approach to strike a balance between flexibility, control and cost-effectiveness,” he says. “As mentioned previously, another critical factor is the financial treatment the solution will require. “SMBs and startups are increasingly favouring cloud solutions due to their scalability, cost-effectiveness and ease of management. Conversely, large enterprises with extensive legacy systems, and often strict compliance requirements tend to opt for on- premises solutions. “However, hybrid solutions have gained traction over the past decade or so as it offers a middle ground for businesses seeking to leverage the benefits of both deployment models.” Tom adds that in Infinity Group’s experience customers are increasingly adopting a cloud first approach to new solutions while looking towards the hybrid model to enhance or extend legacy on-premises solutions. “Such needs must be balanced against a range of metrics, such as budget and security demands, but on-premises solutions rarely provide facilities customers require for their workloads or working practices,” he says.
suited to their needs,” says Andy. “We’re fortunate in that TD SYNNEX represent all three major hyperscalers – AWS, Microsoft (with Azure) and Google – and we have dedicated teams for each. That means we can provide trusted advice and support on all the main options available – plus several others – and can work with partners to identify what’s right for their customers. “Another challenge for reseller partners is having the skills and resources on hand to configure, deploy and manage IaaS. Here again, we can provide the support partners need through our professional services team. Finally, there is a need to monitor and manage usage and billing, for which our partners can use our StreamOne Ion platform.” Paul adds that businesses should seek resellers that offer data centres in multiple geographic regions, enabling businesses to deploy their applications and services closer to their customers. “This not only improves performance but also reduces latency, enhancing the overall user experience,” he says. “It’s also important to have comprehensive support and management services. Outsourcing infrastructure management should enable businesses to concentrate on core activities while entrusting technical aspects to experts. Therefore, 24/7 technical support, monitoring, and troubleshooting are essential.” Focus on customer goals Meanwhile Sam recommends three key points for resellers to emphasise to customers when selling IaaS solutions. “Firstly, focus the customer on what they want to achieve,” he says. “Sometimes companies opt for technology solutions in isolation of the business objectives and backtrack to make the technology match up to the business needs. Rather companies should focus on what the business needs and understand the budget before implementing IaaS. “Once the customer knows what the business wants to achieve, the next step is to marry up the time complexity with the associated costs and identify which options are available in the market to help meet these objectives within the defined budget and timeframe. “Companies must have a list of core requirements for the platform that they need and spend time during the pre-sales process to assess the criteria against the options available on the market. It is also important that they look at data protection and determine if there are
Once the customer knows what the business wants to achieve, the next step is to marry up the time complexity with the associated costs and identify which options are available in the market to help meet these objectives within the defined budget and timeframe. “
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Andy Brown technical services director UK
uk.tdsynnex.com
Reseller challenges With IaaS evolving and many options
available, it poses challenges for resellers. “The challenge that many resellers face is in talking to customers about the myriad options available, and which of those might be best
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