ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY
include the physical
‘lift & shift’ of solutions
from on-premises to the
cloud, and the hosting,
management and support
of them. All in all, the
channel can be seen
as a trusted partner in
assisting an organisation
into the cloud.”
Ossama Eldeeb
at VMware adds:
“The biggest Middle
East channel revenue
opportunities are in
developing a wider digital
transformation strategy,
especially in breaking
down cloud silos, helping
lines of business avoid
duplication in cloud
investment and a need
to coordinate on multi-
cloud usage. In the world
of SaaS, Middle East
channel partners need
the most up-to-date
certifications from leading
SaaS vendors. Partners can
Ossama Eldeeb, Senior Manager, MENA Partner
Organization, VMware.
also guide organisations in
scaling up to Platform as a
Service, which is primarily for developing
1. Nurture your ‘trusted adviser’
applications, and Infrastructure as a
status: With many SaaS solutions
Service, which provides the infrastructure
still being quite new, there are many
cloud-based offerings.”
companies that need advice and a
Dr Hichem Maya, at SAP MENA, echoes
certain amount of hand-holding when
this sentiment: “In the rapidly changing
it comes to choosing the right solutions
world of SaaS, Middle East channel
to match their individual needs. VARs
partners need the latest certifications
are perfectly placed to determine
from leading SaaS vendors, especially
what those needs are, to put forward
in applications for human resources,
different options and then help hammer
customer engagement, procurement, travel
out effective service-level agreements
and contingent labour.”
with SaaS providers.Vijay Jaswal at
Software AG says: “SaaS presents new
opportunities for VARs and System
Four ways to take advantage
Integrators (SIs) to secure additional
Many service providers and vendors agree
revenue in terms of integrating open
that the channel has a vital role to play
source modules into their business
when it comes to SaaS, especially in the
offerings. Being knowledgeable of
SMB sphere, where organisations will still
industry verticals, VARs and SIs
seek out SaaS resellers for implementation
can provide the support system to
and advice. There are at least four ways the
businesses in this manner. Channel
channel can take advantage of new SaaS
partners, however, will have to rethink
opportunities to generate revenue:
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their role because software vendors
provide the host of services for
business, from owning the product
to hosting, management and support
application services.” Vijay Jaswal
at Software AG says: “As SaaS
solutions continue to attract more
subscribers, more organisations
will require consulting services to
identify their operational needs
and explore how SaaS can change
the way they do business. VARs,
for example, given their expertise,
can provide technical assistance to
customers, particularly in negotiating
their service agreements with SaaS
providers.” Ambarish Gupta at
Knowlarity, says: “By nature, SaaS
products are available globally to
access, but to fulfil the sale, inside
sales might not always be the most
effective channel, especially with
products targeting medium and large
enterprise customers where human
touch is required. This is a great
opportunity for channel sales to take
off, as they can offer these services
in geographies within country and
In the world of
SaaS, Middle
East channel
partners need
the most
up-to-date
certifications
from leading
SaaS vendors.
Ossama Eldeeb, Senior
Manager, MENA Partner
Organization, VMware.
ssue 08
NTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS