The Global Cloud Channel Market

An interview with Barbara Spicek, Senior Vice President Global SI & Channel Sales, ASG Software Solutions  one of the leading experts in the channel industry. Barbara is a well-known channel advocate with 20 +years’ experience building and accelerating revenues in direct and indirect routes to market in global enterprises. She is currently spearheading the ASG Software Solutions transition in the global cloud channel market.

Hi Barbara, please provide a brief outline of ASG’s Global Partner Program.

Our new Global Partner Programme offers integrators and resellers an opportunity to generate new sales and revenue opportunities. It identifies their most complex business issues for cloud, content and systems.

Our focus is on reaching partners who align with our core solution areas, specifically integrators and resellers that deploy, design and service IT environments. They are able to form their own practices, ultimately creating a sophisticated network of partners, with the most innovative and business efficient IT solutions currently available.

The program launch marks a major DNA change for ASG and demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative end-to-end IT solutions. It provides partners with the necessary support to succeed in a rapidly expanding global market.

How does the program increase routes to market?

Our Global Partner Programme represents a major transformation in ASG’s go to market approach. Our sales model, marketing approach, tools and systems have all altered to ensure a sole focus on expanding partnerships and routes to market.

Our long-term goal is to for 50% of ASG’s sales to go through the channel, with a particular focus on cloud and content. I am currently looking for around 60 or 70 new partners worldwide, an estimate that I believe is achievable in the very near future.

What are the key benefits to partners engaging in the program?

There are numerous benefits in being part of our Global Partner Programme that specifically aim to assist in long-term business growth.

Integrators and resellers will be able to identify new growth opportunities by working alongside ASG to develop viable business models around IT services and solutions. The programme is built around competitive pricing models for integration, reselling, project registration and lead assignment. In addition, we provide partners with long term managed and professional service revenues through proof of concept and demo support.

Furthermore, partners will have access to sales tools and customer collateral, including customer presentations and call scripts. Web content, banner ads and demand-generation tools are also part of our partner offering.

How does ASG help companies better manage their cloud systems?

Our cloud solutions portfolio offers end-to-end cloud orchestration and management enabling delivery of IT services across the enterprise. ASG, unlike our competitors, focus on the end-user business processes the need for increased automation and efficiency beyond the pure technical implementation.

Through ASG CloudFactory our partners will be able to provide more than a pure either hybrid or private cloud design but they will be able to represent themselves as the core IT strategy enablers.

Additionally ASG Cloud solutions can service our integrators and resellers to form their own Cloud, SaaS or automated IT service delivery offerings.

How do you see the program expanding over the course of 2014?

Partners are an essential part of our overall long-term business strategy and we will continue to introduce new tools and systems to support growth. Standard marketing development plans and revenue and skillset based incentive programs are planned for introduction later in 2014.Specific focus for 2014 will also be to enable our partners around solutions sales methodology. We will expand the program through used cases and incentives around selling complete, integrated solutions addressing customer pain points and vertical needs.

Geographically we will expand particularly in the worldwide core markets. In EMEA that would be UK, France and Germany.

As a female what if any challenges / benefits have you encountered over the years?

An interesting and re-occurring question over the years. I have always considered myself an executive as any other executive and focus on business issues at hand rather than gender. In my experience a key success factor in driving and executing a business strategy is to design, deliver and execute and I have a track record on all three elements. Throughout my career I experienced that delivering on your role ensures support within the organization and eliminates challenges. 

Do you have any advice for women going into the field?

Same advice I give to any of my employees or peers. Be creative, productive and dedicated to your role, work collaboratively within our environment and deliver to the business and you should be successful regardless of gender.

What is the most gratifying aspect of your work?

Being part of ASG’s long-term business objectives and ensuring that our message is heard globally is probably one of the most gratifying aspects of my work. Being deeply immersed in the channel means that together with our partners, who we often have long-term relationships with, we are working towards our greater vision of fostering a more sophisticated and agile IT environment for companies worldwide.