As an enterprise platform vendor operating on-premises and cloud describe the ongoing regional market opportunities for channel partners and partner programme.
EDITOR’ S QUESTION
Why cloud channel partners are important for enterprise solutions
Paul Abi-Chahine at SUSE explains why cloud channel partners are becoming increasingly important in the region.
As an enterprise platform vendor operating on-premises and cloud describe the ongoing regional market opportunities for channel partners and partner programme.
Suse has four main product offerings for the software defined datacentre and zero downtime environments that are key for the era of digital transformation. The four solution areas are: mission critical Enterprise Linux, private cloud, storage and Linux management. There is a healthy appetite for open-source solutions and SUSE has a major role for about 25 years, in offering enterprise-ready open source solutions for our customers. SUSE was the first Linux provider to bring Linux to the mainframe for IBM System Z.
It is SUSE’ s priority, together with our partners, to offer a variety of solutions for enterprises. Customers face common challenges in the digital age: they are looking to modernise and standardise their IT infrastructure, leverage cloud computing and software-based storage solutions, and make use of new technologies like big data, while achieving zero-downtime environments. SUSE’ s business grew 18 % in the last fiscal year with growth across all routes – direct, channel, OEM and cloud.
The SUSE channel partner programme launched in September addresses channel partners that resell open source enterprise
Paul Abi-Chahine is Regional Director Emerging EMEA at SUSE
technology from SUSE. The programme focuses on four SUSE solution areas: enterprise Linux, software-defined storage, OpenStack cloud, and systems management.
The SUSE Partner Ecosystem also encompasses cloud providers such as AWS or Azure, technology partners like Intel, IBM, HPE or SAP. The channel partner programme reflects that enterprise IT customers need to be able to adapt quickly to changes in their markets, and so do their technology providers.
With this new programme, SUSE provides channel partners with a programme that is focused on business success and helps them provide better value and support to their customers. It is mostly focused on what partners need, to be successful in their daily business with their customers. Clearly, this includes three major points: training, support and profitability.
The cloud business model, private, hybrid or public is fast growing concept for enterprises in the region. For several years now BPS Middle East has been focused on cloud distribution models for various technology vendors in the region. The partnership with BPS Middle East as a cloud distributor for Middle East, will be a benefit for our current SUSE customers as well as new and prospective customers who consider partnering with regional cloud providers for running mission critical workloads on-demand.
Focusing initially on enterprises in telecom, utilities, banking and public sectors, across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Pakistan, BPS will be responsible for building a cloud service provider channel model in the region. This will include SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP, SUSE High availability and Management Extensions, SUSE OpenStack Cloud and SUSE Enterprise Storage.
BPS’ s experience will be leveraged to offer technology-on-demand offerings as an opportunity for cloud service providers, to develop innovative delivery methods which in turn will help them become more competitive and to offer a unique value proposition to enterprises.
SUSE web site partner locator lists the following in UAE: Data Taag, Integra Technologies, Mideast Data Systems, Versata, RAS Infotech, New Horizons Computer Learning Center, Ingram Micro.
54 Issue 03 INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS