Cloud channel insights
Practical thinking on cloud channel programs, partner ecosystems and go-to-market across SaaS, PaaS and IaaS.
What Makes a Cloud Channel Program Actually Work
A working cloud channel program aligns incentives, protects partner margin, and rewards recurring value rather than one-time transactions.
Cloud Marketplace Pioneers: A Look Back at the Summit Sponsors
An archival look at two companies whose work anticipated the cloud marketplace and management models that followed.
Building a Partner Tier Structure Your Channel Will Actually Respect
Revenue-only gold-silver-bronze tiers reward the wrong partners and erode trust, so build tiers on proven capability and delivered customer outcomes.
Reading the Vital Signs of a Cloud Channel
Revenue tells you the channel paid its bills last quarter - it says almost nothing about whether the channel is alive.
Who Owns the Customer? Navigating Channel Conflict in the Cloud
Cloud makes channel conflict sharper because the vendor can see and reach every customer. Managing it well is a matter of design, not diplomacy.
Why MDF Checks Cash but Co-Selling Wins Deals
Co-marketing dollars are easy to spend and easy to waste; co-selling is harder, messier, and where partners and vendors actually close cloud deals.
From Reseller to Cloud Solution Provider: Reinventing the VAR
The classic value-added reseller model does not survive the shift to subscription. Reinventing it means selling outcomes, not boxes.
Paying the Channel for Revenue That Has Not Happened Yet
The upfront-margin playbook that built the reseller channel quietly falls apart the moment your product becomes a subscription.
The Economics of a Profitable Cloud Partnership
Cloud partnerships live or die on lifetime economics, not point-of-sale margin. Understand the math before you sign the agreement.
Turning Signed Partners Into Producing Partners
Most partners never sell a thing, and the reason is almost always onboarding that stops at the signature.
Building a Cloud Partner Ecosystem From Scratch
You cannot recruit an ecosystem into existence. You have to earn the first few partners, prove they can win, and let the network compound.
SaaS, PaaS and IaaS: How Each Layer Shapes Your Channel Strategy
The cloud stack is not one channel opportunity but three. Each layer rewards a different kind of partner and a different go-to-market.