MSPs looking for a helping hand sometimes turn to independenceIT (iIT) and its Cloud Workspace Suite, a virtual workspace that includes Microsoft Office, Exchange and access to applications, files and e-mail over the Internet or through a private MPLS connection.
The apps are backed up for disaster recovery, and are all protected by iIT’s security staffers.
Besides the software services, iIT is now lending partners a learning hand in the form of iIT University (iIT U).
All iIT partners immediately become members of the new program, which is aimed at driving more revenue from the cloud.
There are three main elements to the program. On the marketing side, partners get sales and marketing materials such as case studies. These materials can be customized to suit a particular partner’s needs.
For training, iIT customizes its approach for different partner types.
And finally, there is strategic consulting to “determine how cloud services fit within their current portfolio, and helps partners develop attractive cloud services offerings that create new income opportunities,” the company explained.
On the technical side, there is the Cloud Workspace Certified program. Here, “iIT U assists with onboarding, provisioning, troubleshooting and other issues that may arise when empowering end users with cloud services,” the company said.
The whole idea, the company says, is to develop a plan specific to each partner. “Rather than simply dropping off some training packets or holding a webinar with multiple partners, independenceIT created a customized presentation that gives our sales, support and technical teams insights into effectively selling and managing cloud services,” said masterIT CEO Michael Drake. “The extended session we attended allowed our staff to quickly expand their knowledge and troubleshoot potential sales road blocks. iIT helped us crystallize our go-to-market strategy and identify new markets we could address with this offering.”
One partner is thankful for the help. “The sales and marketing templates that independenceIT provided saved us thousands of dollars in development and legal costs,” said Connecting Point President Ted Warner. “Working with independenceIT is a strategic advantage because we not only receive a sophisticated technology delivered within an elegant interface, but also the training and materials necessary to sell it effectively.”
indepenceIT believes its MSP partners have a bright future. “Industry analyst firm Gartner has said repeatedly that the current IT services model is changing. In fact, they state that IaaS [infrastructure as a service] and BPaaS [business process as a service] will grow 13.1 percent and 47.3 percent in 2013,” said Jim Lippie, EVP, business development, iIT.
Edited by
Alisen Downey
