(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — UK cloud platform provider ThinkGrid (www.thinkgrid.co.uk) announced on Wednesday it has signed a distribution agreement with Australian IT services ditributor VADIS Systems (www.vadis.com.au) that will allow resellers to sell cloud computing services.
The distribution deal lets resellers the ability to offer their customers a range of services including hosted virtual desktop, Exchange and communications, VoIP, software as a service, virtual server infrastructure and cloud storage.
The move hopes to take advantage of the rapidly growing cloud market in Australia. The last 12 months has since a significant increase in cloud computing adoption in the area.
VADIS Systems will help resellers bring the ThinkGrid offering to the 1.8 million Australian small businesses.
Channel partners will be able to white-label or resell ThinkGrid’s cloud services and package these alongside their existing offerings.
VADIS Systems will work with its partners to assist them in taking ThinkGrid’s cloud offerings to their customer base.
Partners can also use ThinkGrid’s billing and provisioning engine, which lets them purchase at a wholesale rate and then customize the cloud services to specific customer needs.
The agreement will let ThinkGrid provide a platform for resellers to engage in cloud computing without the traditional barriers to entry typically associated with services proposition.
Resellers continue to own the customer relationship while ThinkGrid and VADIS Systems work together in the background, ensuring service levels and customer confidence is maintained.
The two companies will be offering resellers training programs, sales collateral, joint marketing and qualified leads.
“Working with VADIS Systems will really help us to gain traction in the Australian market,” says David Pratt, COO of ThinkGrid. “The team knows how to take leading edge disruptive technology to market, and ensure that everyone gets value. Our offering has already received some great feedback from end-user customers. SMEs in particular have really embraced the ability to get enterprise class IT infrastructure and applications at a fraction of the previous cost. Customers no longer need to make upfront CapEx investment in expensive hardware, software and support, and instead can move all IT costs to an easy-to-manage, monthly operational expense.”
VADIS Systems provides virtualization and cloud computing, networking and security. By partnering with ThinkGrid, the company can complement its portfolio by ensuring resellers are able to provide customers with a complete end to end IT solution.
