ThinkGrid University Readies Partners for a Cloud-Led Business

Nov. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- London, November 21st, 2011 - ThinkGrid, the world’s first platform vendor enabling real IT services from the cloud, is today launching a ThinkGrid University; a programme designed to help partners successfully transform to a cloud-led business. With ThinkGrid’s Cloud-based IT services being delivered on an ‘on-demand’, pay-as-you-use Opex basis, this business model can differ from the traditional, Capex-led revenues from IT equipment and infrastructure that resellers are used to gaining. ThinkGrid University equips partners with guidance and techniques needed to make the transition to the cloud through a series of online training courses.  

Rob Lovell, CEO at ThinkGrid, commented: “Unlike the majority of cloud vendors, we believe the channel is absolutely central to the success of cloud computing. Having operated a 100% channel-led strategy for some time, we’re now seeing a real tipping point where our partners are finding that their traditional Capex-led business model is not sufficiently geared for Opex-based revenues from cloud computing. Moreover, with cloud it’s no longer about making a one-off sale of a desktop infrastructure but about generating recurring revenue from hosted virtual desktops and other services. ThinkGrid University offers the necessary support, alongside our channel enablement team to operationally move to a Cloud-led sales model.”

Gartner predicts that the cloud market is set to reach $150 billion by 2013, as businesses start to look at SaaS and cloud computing options rather than buying new PCs and software upgrades. Services such as ThinkGrid’s Hosted Exchange and Hosted Virtual Desktops offer resellers a prime opportunity for addressing this market potential. However, failure to adapt to the business and operational requirements of delivering cloud services can prevent long-term success. ThinkGrid University prepares partners for the challenges of running a complete cloud services business. The training programmes cover everything from the basics of educating customers on the benefits of cloud computing to more complex issues such as integrating services with existing IT infrastructure, billing & provisioning and more broadly how to structure a sales organisation around recurring, Opex-based revenues.
Lovell concluded: “Predictable, recurring revenues have long been a prized trophy for most resellers and cloud computing has the real potential to deliver this reward. Nonetheless, running a successful cloud-led services company requires modifications in business processes that have yet to be written in any text book or covered by a management guru. Resellers need to gain traction in this space rather than talk. ThinkGrid University builds upon the extensive experience of our channel team in delivering a cloud platform to the channel. This ensures both our partners and their customers can confidently enjoy the advantages of this new IT model..”

The ThinkGrid University will consist of online tutorials and webinars that are designed to be interactive and develop pre-sales, sales, operational and technical skills and will be run online via ThinkGrid’s Partner Portal. It will align to ThinkGrid’s three-tier channel programme: Silver, Gold and Platinum. The channel programme involves a two-way commitment, so channel partners fully invest in selling ThinkGrid’s services to their customers, while ThinkGrid offers continuous support and advice along the way.

About ThinkGrid

Founded in 2008, ThinkGrid is a private corporation headquartered in the UK, with offices located in London, Seattle, Sydney, Belgrade and Lviv by an experienced management team. We operate tier 3 & 4 data centres across the world to house our platform, which delivers real IT services such as Hosted Virtual Desktop, Virtual Server, Voice to our partners. Partners then can use our state-of-the-art software platform to provision, bill, manage and service their customers in real-time.

ThinkGrid have over 10,000 users accessing services on a day to day basis, powered by our partner ecosystem which encompasses over 150 partners who deliver and resell our services, packaging them for different vertical markets. For more information visit: http://www.thinkgrid.com