Tech Data And ViaWest Join To Offer Colocation And Cloud To Resellers

Acting as a vendor, ViaWest, a colocation and managed service provider, entered into a new distributor partnership Monday with Tech Data. The Clearwater, Fla.-based distributor will leverage the Denver-based service provider's suite of colocation and cloud solutions with channel partners.

The partnership brings ViaWest a distribution channel in providing solutions to other resellers, said Sean McCaffery, vice president of channel sales at ViaWest.

"We turned to Tech Data because of coverage, reputation and their world-class, cloud-leveraging platform," said McCaffery. "It's someone who understands as a distributor, and is an outlet to over hundreds of thousands of resellers that are playing in the cloud space today."

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For Tech Data, this partnership is a larger strategy to reinforce its focus on TDCloud, the distributor's cloud business unit, and bringing in other vendors, said Bharath Natarajan, director of product marketing.

"We're continuing on-boarding vendors based on functionalities they bring to our table, such as Infrastructure-as-a-Service, and end-user computing and productivity," said Natarajan. "We focused on a relationship with Carbonite to do backup in August 2013, so we're slowly bringing in strong vendors in our portfolio."

Currently, ViaWest has 27 data centers with locations that include Dallas, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Tech Data reseller partners will be able to provide their clients with a full suite of solutions of hybrid cloud, colocation and managed services, said McCaffery.

"This benefits the reseller because now he has a tool belt in reaching coverage to his customers, providing another way that he can wrap around a total solution," said McCaffery. "We're part of the solution that brings infrastructure, migration and other services a reseller provides to his customer that is all hosted in a cloud solution or in a white-labeled manner with us."

Tech Data resellers also have the option to white-label and have their own logo on the cloud solution platform, said Natarajan.

"With ViaWest, resellers will have cloud services, support, see it packaged for 100 users, and have it hosted," said Natarajan. "A partner wants a brand with their user, and white-labeling allows a partner to have that."

The new partnership sparks interest for Tech Data's partner, cloud services provider Techniq LLC, said Kelly Mueller, senior account manager. Solutions will be available to Techniq's clients in industries such as the private sector, health care, service, and local business and contractors.

"Tech Data has been instrumental in cloud and in our growth, and now we're able to go through a partner like ViaWest to reach into the data center," said Mueller. "They have colocation, Rackspace and other Infrastructure-as-a-Service options for my clients."

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Working through a distributor like Tech Data is especially important for the small Phoenix-based company, said Mueller.

"I leaned on them as a cloud tremendously, and I'm on the phone with them every day as they help our company find new avenues for business," said Mueller. "TDCloud is extremely informative, and it's tough for a small company to search all these products and review all these vendors. It allows us to go to one location, all on their site."

With security risks continuing to rise, it is important for businesses to seek colocation services, said McCaffery.

"Customers are finding that having cloud in-house is not their expertise; their IT department needs to focus on other things," said McCaffery. "Through TechData and with ViaWest, we can bring a secure stack from a cloud perspective through Cisco, EMC, NetApp and VMware architecture with ultra secure data with Tier 1 and Tier 2 authentication. We provide complete monitoring and exceptional support."

A future prospect for Tech Data's TDCloud business includes continuing to bring in new vendors, said Natarajan.

"This is a big win for us, and we're going to continue on bringing in vendors like ViaWest," said Natarajan. "In addition, resellers will get training, information and customer enablement so they don’t have to worry about resources."

PUBLISHED MARCH 4, 2014