Tech Data: Solutions Store For Software Licenses, SaaS Orders

Tech Data has launched the StreamOne Solutions Store, a Web-based platform to sell, provision and bill software licenses and Software-as-a-Service orders to customers.

The StreamOne Solutions Store includes all the SKUs, prerequisites, programs and pricing specific to each reseller, and data is updated in realtime, said Joe Quaglia, senior vice president of U.S. marketing at Tech Data.

"Think of it as the one place where an SMB VAR who gave up on software because it's too complicated can get back in because we've made simple the right access to the right SKUs. The point of selection is to the point where the end user gets a license in a touchless system," Quaglia said. "There are more SMB resellers that are back in the game again selling software because we are taking complexity out of the system."

The StreamOne Solutions Store expands Tech Data's strategy of going to a "touchless" software order model in which purchases are generated seamlessly through Tech Data's Web site.

About 70 percent of software orders through techdata.com are not touched by an individual now, according to the company. That's up from 30 percent in December 2010, Quaglia said.

Vendors participating in the StreamOne Solutions Store include 2X, ABBY, Aplicor, CHR Solutions, CloudBasic, Cloud Provider, Document Logistix, HyperOffice, ipConfigure, I.R.I.S., ITpreneurs, LeadMaster, Mailprotector, McAfee, Message Solutions, Navicat, NetLib, RazDog, Retrieve Technologies, Reviora, Serif, SiteLock, Sonian and Storage Online

More than 200 vendors are in the pipeline, Quaglia said.

NEXT: Tech Data's Software License Selector

Tech Data said in the fall that it had planned to integrate cloud services into its StreamOne platform, which launched last February.

The new StreamOne Solutions Store builds on the StreamOne Software License Selector, a tool that guides solution providers through a series of questions to determine the proper product or SKU for a customer. Solution providers are now able to offer niche products and cloud services, generate one invoice for end users and reduce license purchase cycles, said Quaglia.

StreamOne has seen a 62 percent increase in unique users in the past year, and the number of visitors to the Software License Selector has increased 89 percent year over year, said Quaglia.

"The channel is responding very well to the Software License Selector," he added. "Fast forward to today, once we solved the efficiency issue we wanted to give ISVs and cloud providers a route to market through the channel. Now you have all these cloud providers looking to expand and accelerate cloud in the market. Our design of this system, our in-house platform, was designed to cater to those two [ISVs and cloud providers].

ISVs and cloud providers can upload their SKUs, pricing and delivery format through Tech Data's APIs, where applications and cloud services will be available to reach Tech Data's 60,000 VARs, Quaglia said.

In the past, ISVs, particularly small, niche, vertical developers, have worked with distributors’referral or agent model programs. StreamOne is a direct integration model, Quaglia said.

"StreamOne is owning and controlling the provisioning, billing, usage metrics, delivery -- and all of that is included. We're integrating with the vendor community. That's a key point of robustness to resellers. They want to work with a central repository using our tools, our credit, all the things they enjoy working with Tech Data on."

Solution providers will be able to open their own branded software storefronts later this year, where end users can buy and set up automatic payment for licenses or usage, Quaglia said.