Layered Tech Preps Partners For Cloud Sales With New Program
Plano, Texas-based Layered Tech unveiled its partner program on Tuesday. Through the new program Layered Tech hopes to engage partners looking to include dedicated hosting, virtualization and cloud computing technologies into their overall servers to boost the value delivered to their clients.
What sets Layered Tech's new program apart from the pack is that it's not just built on reseller discounts, though resellers stand to make a fair margin. The program pairs partners with dedicated account managers, sales engineers and project managers to give them access to internal expertise to help the sales cycle. Additionally, the new partner portal gives solution providers the ability to order online and unlocks access to joint-marketing material and training resources like Webinars to help partners engage more customers and shorten the sales cycle. The portal also automatically authenticates partners when they log in to apply proper pricing, discounts and offers based on partners' status of silver, gold or platinum.
"We want to enable partners to do it easier," said Todd Abrams, founder and president of Layered Tech, adding that the new program is not based around a resale model, but around a sale of solution sets and added services and value. "If you can get something for $1 less, great, go get it. We want to add value and have partners with us for the long term."
Affiliated Layered Tech partners can stand to make 10 percent to 18 percent margin, Abrams said, adding that he wants the new program to earn partners between 40 percent and 60 percent margin on the overall solution.
Abrams said Layered Tech's new set of automated tools coupled with its access to skilled Layered Tech representatives gives partners an edge as they investigate the cloud and their role in it. Overall, system integrators, VARs, SaaS providers and technology consultants can streamline and strengthen their ability to sell and deliver dedicated, virtual and cloud computing infrastructure and services.
"Different partners want different things and we want to provide that gamut to them," he said.
And for partners who aren't ready to dive into the cloud computing arena whole hog, Abrams said some partners can be on-boarded with a hybrid approach where they can still sell a mix of dedicated and cloud offerings as more cloud opportunities develop. Abrams said that model better helps partners prepare for the difference in revenue streams as they switch from capital expenses to operational expenses and annuity payments.
Currently, Layered Tech has roughly 500 partners that it has built up over its 6 years in the cloud computing game. Layered Tech as eight data centers globally with infrastructure that powers millions of Web sites and applications like e-commerce and SaaS.
"We're looking for partners who want to deliver Layered Tech solutions as value-added services within their own core business," Abrams said. "We developed our new partner program because we recognize that there's a need within the channel for additional resources and capabilities that can help guide partners' end-use customers to the right technology solution, whether that's within a dedicated hosting or cloud computing infrastructure."
The new partner program follows Layered Tech last month raising $20 million in funding to continue cloud and virtualization initiatives. The bulk of that investment is set to go toward growth opportunities in cloud computing and potential acquisitions to supplement Layered Tech's existing cloud computing, virtualization and managed services offerings and garner Layered Tech a competitive advantage.
At the time, Layered Tech chairman and CEO Jack Finlayson said some of the funding would be earmarked for "fairly ambitious" and "aggressive" growth of Layered Tech's channel presence and partner programs.