Cloud Ecosystems: Chart Your Course Get Insight Into the Opportunities and Challenges of Working Within Cloud Ecosystems
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Cloud Ecosystems: Chart Your Course Get insight into the opportunities and challenges of working within cloud ecosystems. Learn what it takes to thrive, examples of burgeoning networks and how to target your cloud offerings at vertical industries. EDITOR’S NOTE HOW TO THRIVE IN DROPBOX CULTIVATES FINDING YOUR FEET IN A CLOUD ECOSYSTEM A PARTNER NETWORK A VERTICAL MARKET EDITOR’S NOTE Cloud Ecosystems: A Complicated Enterprise Extensive ecosystems are developing in this package provide a closer look at specific HOME around cloud platforms such as Salesforce, ecosystems and partnering considerations. EDITOR’S NOTE ServiceNow and Dropbox, to name a few. Eco- Esther Shein’s feature on the Dropbox ecosys- system participants and components include tem, for example, examines this evolving eco- HOW TO THRIVE IN A CLOUD ECOSYSTEM the cloud platform vendors, vendor-provided system, which encompasses more than 2,000 add-ons to the platforms and independent partners and thousands of app integrations. DROPBOX CULTIVATES A PARTNER NETWORK software vendors providing third-party apps Participating in a cloud ecosystem is a that work with a given cloud. It’s up to channel complex undertaking. Along the way, partners FINDING YOUR FEET IN A VERTICAL MARKET partners such as systems integrators and cloud must demonstrate the technical viability of consultancies to sift through the various pieces their integrated offerings, while also ironing and create cloud offerings that meet the spe- out issues surrounding reliability, security cific requirements of their customers. and industry-specific applicability. This That’s a collaborative task and one that the handbook aims to get you started down that main handbook feature explores. Nicole Lewis’ path. n feature explores how channel companies deal with cloud ecosystem challenges, which can John Moore range from vetting partnering candidates to Senior Site Editor managing liability issues. The other features SearchCloudProvider 2 CLOUD ECOSYSTEMS: CHART YOUR COURSE COURSE PLOTTING How to Thrive in a Cloud Ecosystem Many channel companies view their that vendor platforms often lack. Those IT HOME ability to collaborate with partners to build IT solution providers and their partners collabo- EDITOR’S NOTE offerings on cloud application platforms as a rate on ecosystems tied to vendors’ cloud plat- vital part of their strategy. forms in areas such as finance, fulfillment and HOW TO THRIVE IN A CLOUD ECOSYSTEM This action plan has three aims: to strike scheduling, ERP and marketing. valuable business partnerships; strengthen To expand the reach of these plat- DROPBOX CULTIVATES A PARTNER NETWORK customer relationships; and develop go-to- forms, cloud ecosystems are also evolving market ready, customized offerings made around industry-specific fields such as the FINDING YOUR FEET IN A VERTICAL MARKET with the latest technology. Channel partners, telecommunications and life science industries. however, are finding that it takes various Another area of development is cloud eco- approaches, skill sets and business acumen systems for niche business processes such as to best leverage a cloud computing ecosystem document management and business process built on core cloud offerings and third-party management offerings. apps. In this rich technological environment, To extend the core set of capabilities on channel partners, customers, ISVs and ven- cloud platforms—such as Salesforce, Google, dors are tapping into a plethora of oppor- ServiceNow and Oracle Cloud—systems inte- tunities, observed Saideep Raj, global grators, consulting firms and independent soft- managing director at Accenture’s Cloud First ware vendors (ISVs) are tasked with configuring Applications division. and customizing these platforms to close the “From a client’s perspective, they want gaps in technology and provide functionality to cover the entire scope of their business 3 CLOUD ECOSYSTEMS: CHART YOUR COURSE COURSE PLOTTING processes using an ecosystem that can address govern how the technology will be consumed any functional gaps not addressed by the main and priced, along with intellectual property platform. As a result, the main cloud platform protection and arrangements around liability. vendors see greater adoption and increased “Customers don’t want to buy a solution stickiness. Additionally, ISVs are able to use and then find out they have to get agreements these channels to expand their reach,” Raj said. with 10 to 15 different players that built the HOME Raj noted that channel partners’ ability to get components,” Raj said. “Furthermore, compa- EDITOR’S NOTE the best results from collaborating in a cloud nies involved in the cloud ecosystem need clear computing ecosystem will depend on sev- arrangements around who is liable if something HOW TO THRIVE IN A CLOUD ECOSYSTEM eral factors including how well they evaluate goes wrong.” their customers’ needs, their companies’ over- As Accenture works through its own partner- DROPBOX CULTIVATES A PARTNER NETWORK all cloud capabilities and their ability to stay ships—Accenture is a Salesforce partner, and abreast of emerging IT trends. both companies have invested in Vlocity Inc., a FINDING YOUR FEET IN A VERTICAL MARKET cloud software company with a focus on verti- cal applications—company executives noted NAVIGATING ECOSYSTEM CHALLENGES that another important aspect of managing To address persistent challenges, channel part- relationships in the cloud computing ecosys- ners need an in-depth understanding of the tem is that channel partners should have a keen business process and technology issues that understanding of their ISV and cloud vendor are impacting their clients. They also must roadmaps. have skilled people to support offerings in the “If you are not tied into the roadmap of market and agree on the commercial terms that companies that you are partnering with in the “Companies involved in the cloud ecosystem need clear arrangements around who is liable if something goes wrong.” —SAIDEEP RAJ, Accenture 4 CLOUD ECOSYSTEMS: CHART YOUR COURSE COURSE PLOTTING ecosystems, what you could find yourself doing ServiceNow. Another approach to take is being is building out features that ISVs end up pro- able to build a close working relationship with viding in the near future, and, obviously, that’s the partner managers at the corporate level and very onerous,” Raj said. sales managers in the field to ensure successful To make sure channel partners get the most comarketing or sales efforts. out of their cloud ecosystem experience, Raj “Success in the cloud market depends on a HOME identified the following actions as important strong partner ecosystem, as long you have a EDITOR’S NOTE for companies seeking to differentiate: clearly defined value-add,” Kaplan said. HOW TO THRIVE IN A CLOUD ECOSYSTEM n Providing technical viability; n Positioning the offering for the clients in PARTNERING WITH CLOUD PLATFORM ISVs DROPBOX CULTIVATES A PARTNER NETWORK particular markets; and One company that has expanded its reach n Making sure issues around reliability, through partnerships with ISVs that collabo- FINDING YOUR FEET IN A VERTICAL MARKET security and performance are addressed. rate on offerings around Salesforce platforms is Appirio, a cloud solution provider based in Jeffrey Kaplan, managing director of THINK- Indianapolis. strategies Inc., an IT consulting firm based in Explaining how these partners help the com- Wellesley, Mass., said companies involved in pany build offerings for customers around cloud computing ecosystem projects need to worker and customer experiences, Appirio’s be focused on the same target markets and key client partner, Mike Martin, said the company buyers, and must be clear about the value-add has solution partner agreements with compa- their product or service delivers. nies that integrate with Salesforce and enhance He noted that IT solution providers should functionality. Those companies include Docu- be confident they have the right APIs and other Sign (electronic signature), Conga (document integration capabilities to interoperate with generation and mail merge) and Callidus- offerings from, for example, Salesforce and Cloud (configure, price and quote processes). 5 CLOUD ECOSYSTEMS: CHART YOUR COURSE COURSE PLOTTING Appirio also works closely with cloud integra- said Appirio wants to make sure the app or tion providers such as Dell Boomi, Jitterbit partner’s functionality meets the core require- or Informatica to help customers implement ment or has enough flexibility within the app middleware offerings. to meet the use case. “Our relationships with other partners in the ecosystem broaden the work that we are HOME able to do for our customers,” Martin said. ESTABLISHING A VETTING PROCESS EDITOR’S NOTE He added that when looking for partners to Not every company depends on Salesforce’s work with, Appirio typically scouts for com- AppExchange. Executives at Bluewolf, a global HOW TO THRIVE IN A CLOUD ECOSYSTEM panies listed on Salesforce’s AppExchange, a consulting agency and Salesforce partner based business app store that features thousands of in New York, said their practice is to search for DROPBOX CULTIVATES A PARTNER NETWORK enterprise and small business applications. companies outside the AppExchange and vet Company executives charged with selecting their offerings. FINDING YOUR FEET IN A VERTICAL MARKET companies in the AppExchange take three fac- Bluewolf, which was acquired by IBM in May, tors into account, Martin said. The first is cost. conducts