FRED CREHAN is Regional Director – Middle East at Confluent , a company that is creating the foundational platform for data-in-motion . Crehan talks about his current job role and how Confluent is working with channel partners and helping organisations to harness the full power of continuously flowing data to innovate and win in the modern digital world .

As the regional director for Confluent in the Middle East , I lead our business in the region . While my background has always been in the technology industry , I am relatively new to the region , having recently relocated to Dubai from the UK . I am currently focused on understanding regional dynamics , opportunities , and nuances and while this presents its challenges , it ’ s something I relish ! I thoroughly enjoy absorbing new cultures and have even begun learning Arabic . I ’ m firmly committed to this region as it really is at the forefront of digital innovation .

Can you explain how your company works with channel partners ?

At Confluent , we engage with three types of partners . First are our cloud providers – the likes of AWS , Microsoft Azure , and Google Cloud – who through their marketplaces make our solutions available via subscription to their customer bases . Second are our expertly qualified global and regional systems integrator partners who work in tandem with our Professional Services team . They serve the essential function of integrating Confluent into their systems architectures , acting as trusted Digital Transformation advisors to our end customers in order to ensure they benefit from comprehensive , impactful solutions . And finally , we engage our ISV partners . Together with Confluent , these organisations like MongoDB , make up the heart of many modern data architectures which help drive a real-time competitive edge for businesses thanks to sophisticated data-driven and event-driven applications .

How do you ensure channel partners flourish in a highly competitive market ?

The key here is enablement – something we take very seriously at Confluent . By intent , we work with a select group of partners that are ready to build a practice around our technologies . And we set these organisations up for success by extending the full range of technical , sales , delivery , professional services , and marketing support they need to thrive .

By intent , we work with a select group of partners that are ready to build a practice around our technologies .

What are the latest trends you see emerging across the channel ?

Whether you ’ re a systems integrator or a consultancy firm , you ’ re ultimately a peoplebased business that ’ s built around the skills of your employees . With technology advancing at a breakneck pace that ’ s only set to accelerate further , a key factor channel organisations need to take into consideration is which technologies they choose to invest in and build their practices

Fred Crehan , Regional Director – Middle East , Confluent

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