Tech Data Jumps into the Cloud With Products, Services, Tools for Channel Partners

Tech Data Corp. said that it has initiated a new practice for channel partners focused on cloud computing, featuring a lineup of products, services, support and training aimed at those that build private clouds, construct cloud infrastructure or leverage public clouds.

Tech Data’s TDCloud is intended to help channel partners uncover, develop and close sales opportunities for private, public or hybrid cloud architectures, officials said. The distributor also is offering a cloud education vehicle called TDCloud Academy, a tiered program providing training and resources to help channel partners glean profit from selling cloud solutions.

The distributor said that its goal with TDCloud and TDCloud Academy is to help channel partners kick start their cloud business, answer their cloud inquiries, provide expertise and ways to make build a successful cloud practice.

Joe Quaglia, Tech Data senior vice president, marketing, said that TDCloud and TDCloud Academy are the “first steps” to connect customers, solutions and channel partners for alternative IT solutions.

“We’re on a mission to connect end-customer demand for alternative IT computing and consumption together with the most robust IT Vendor solutions that are selling today to ensure our VARs can profit from this transformational shift occurring in our industry right now,” he said.

The distributor’s TDCloud solutions are segmented by the kinds of activities in which cloud-focused channel partners engage. For example, the Cloud Builder solutions include servers, storage, networks, virtualization and security aimed at channel partners that build on premise or off-premise private clouds for their end- customers.

Tech Data’s Cloud Provider solutions are suitable for channel partners involved in building cloud infrastructures to offer services or resources as hosted solution to end customers. The third solution piece is for Cloud Resellers that work with existing public cloud infrastructures to sell solutions.

“Tech Data does more than just put the right products in our customers’ hands,” Quaglia said. “We provide our reseller customers with end-to-end support, fom initial assessment and vendor-focused training, certification and authorization, to system configuration and final delivery to the end-user,” he said.

Patrick Booth, CCB Inc. executive vice president, said that Tech Data has helped the Racine, WI-based provider of IT solutions to non-profit organizations transition its business and clients to cloud computing.

“Tech Data has been a strong advocate for CCB as we transitioned our business and our customers to the cloud, providing us with the products, support, information and training we needed to stay ahead of the curve,” said Booth.