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As part of PCR’s Cloud Sector Spotlight, we chatted to Westcoast about its cloud programmes, how it supports resellers, and what it has planned in the cloud sector throughout 2016.
Paul Harman, director of enterprise and software at Westcoast discussed how the distributor works with Microsoft to deliver its CSP (Cloud Solution Provider) programme.
“We’ve been a Microsoft distributor for nine years and we sell right across the range of Microsoft services – from open licensing to OEM and FPP products, with a big focus on cloud,” he said.
Harman also touched on how Westcoast supports its resellers, telling PCR: “There’s a big focus on the people within the business, so we have a dedicated Microsoft licensing team. We have a big focus around cloud so [we have] lots of cloud specialists.”
We also spoke to Mark Davies, director of clouds services at Westcoast, who revealed how he thinks the market will adapt in the future.
“I think the market is changing dramatically. The ability for resellers to take their model away from being transactional to being recurring – as a distributor, we have to exactly the same thing.”
Davies also revealed the value of CSP for resellers: “The value is that it gives them the ability to have control of the customer. This was a big issue going back previously but now they have the ability to support the customer directly, to bill the customer directly, and they can capitalise on the support that we can provide them enabling them to do that.
“There’s also bigger margins upfront and there’s also the ability for other third party services to be pulled together into that CSP programme, to then build a broader offering,” he explained.
Check out the full video with Westcoast below:
Throughout January, PCR is running a dedicated Sector Spotlight on The Cloud – click the logo below for more articles