Cloud Solution Provider program: which model is best for your business?
By Brent Combest, Director, Partner Profitability & Compete Microsoft on October 9, 2015
Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program is a powerful, important platform for any partner who sells Office 365, Azure, Dynamics CRM Online, or EMS. As more partners leverage the platform to grow their businesses, I hear more questions about the two models of CSP participants: direct (one-tier) or indirect (two-tier). What are the advantages of each, and how can you decide which is a better fit for your company? Let’s break down the differences:
Which CSP type fits your company better?
Direct providers offer customers all-inclusive services and are capable of managing all aspects of the customer engagement, as detailed below.
Indirect resellers engage with a two-tier provider, commonly a distributor or hoster, who maintains the relationship with Microsoft and provides additional functions and services the partner does not.
The two models enable partners to select the approach that makes the most sense for their business; both offer partners great opportunities to maximize profit and generate new revenue in the cloud.
Altec is a Gold Dynamics partner that offers mid-market enterprise document-management and workflow solutions, and we were recently introduced to the P2P Maturity Model and the opportunity to engage in a “P2P Journey Experience.
Sales leads are the lifeblood of any growing business. In fact, without enough leads, there may not be any growth at all. But simply generating a large quantity of leads isn’t the complete solution.
Fireminds has a rare transformation story. The 2015 Bermuda partner of the year began as a standard IT shop. The team then developed a ticketing solution built on Microsoft Azure...
Partners who don’t already have a cloud strategy today have the opportunity to find an indirect partner that is fully supportive and can help produce healthy margins.
I often hear from partners that they admire Microsoft’s culture of innovation. And it’s true that we encourage experimentation and innovation at every level.
