Unlocking opportunity with strategic partnerships makes good business sense

Digital transformation strategies require more than cutting-edge hardware and software. COVID-19 has accelerated business IT requirements, intensifying the need for solution-based models, scalable programs, guaranteed profitability and improved experiences.

For the IT sector to successfully enable this transformation and meet the specific requirements of today’s end users, resellers are reinventing traditional ways of operating, and expanding offerings by embracing collaborative relationships and strategic partnerships.

Dicker Data’s Partner-to-Partner (P2P) Portal for Microsoft Cloud was born from this change in channel activity. It unites resellers with solution partners offering products or services with deep industry expertise in a specific Microsoft Cloud or customer segment.

Reseller partner Vigilant.IT is a great example of a partner who has successfully embraced the partner- to- partner (P2P) opportunity. The team have leveraged their Azure migration expertise to collaborate with other Dicker Data partners to increase revenue through optimised solution delivery. Growing their own revenue as well as enabling partners to better address their customers cloud needs, Vigilant.IT are one of Dicker Data’s top Solution Partners featured in their P2P Portal.

Vigilant.IT have over a decade of experience in Microsoft infrastructure, security and networking, they offer IT advisory and planning, systems testing and integration and IT infrastructure management. With Vigilant.IT, Microsoft partners can be rest assured they are working with an industry leader, the team recently received global recognition at Microsoft Inspire 2020, as a best practice case study for a Zero Trust Security solution.

Trusted expertise

Dicker Data facilitates Partner to Partner engagements via a self-service portal whereby they provide a trusted directory of Microsoft Certified Solution Partners. Solution Partners are vetted by the team for suitability and can promote their services and industry expertise to the wider Dicker Data network. All Dicker Data partners can access the portal and utilising the browsing function as well as best practise templates and resources designed to assist the partnering process.

Arsenio Mendoza, Dynamics 365 Practise Lead at Dicker Data said, “Dicker Data is committed to providing ongoing value to our resellers with trusted partnerships. The P2P portal offers an extensive network for partners to identify skills and offerings that complement their own and collaborate with industry leaders to deliver integrated solutions for optimised customer outcomes. The P2P matrix also allows partners to explore new business growth opportunities with compatible partners.”

Delivering integrated end-to-end solutions

P2P is modernising traditional IT practices, reimagining business models and enhancing how services are delivered to customers.

Sarah Loiterton, General Manager of the Microsoft Cloud Division at Dicker Data said, “COVID-19 revealed industry skill gaps and certification requirements. As customer IT requirements are demanding more for less and cloud-based solutions surge, P2P enables resellers to address any inhouse skills gaps, access resources like Cloud Service Provider (CSP) capabilities and maximise Dynamic 365, Azure and Microsoft 365 integrations to meet customer expectations and maximise new revenue streams.”

Strategic partnerships unlock business opportunities. They enable IT professionals to focus on their strengths, while leveraging collaborator capabilities to offer packaged end-to-end solutions, with rapid implementation and increased ROI, turning partners into long-term IT advisors.

According to a 2019 Forrester study commissioned by partnership management platform Impact, 77 percent of businesses believe strategic partnerships are key drivers to sales and marketing strategies.

On embracing P2P within their business model, Stephane Budo, Director Innovative Solutions at Vigilant.IT said, “The majority of our work conducted on P2P is migration strategies and services within Azure subscriptions and Cloud Solution Providers (CSP) environments. Our migration capabilities require a unique and niche skillset. By engaging with other partners, not only are we adding value to their customers and giving them capability to tap into new lines of business, but we’re also reducing business costs by leveraging our skills to forecast and mitigate migration risks, fill skills gaps and deliver solutions to their customers effectively and efficiently. Equally, this engagement helps us evolve our business by continuously increasing our expertise in the field and overall brand awareness.”

Building trust is critical in establishing partnerships

As partnerships are established within Dicker Data’s trusted network, outdated competitive barriers are instantly alleviated. All P2P solution resellers are vetted by Dicker Data and approved based on Microsoft certifications, competencies, experience, and sales levels criteria.

Daniel Janicki, Microsoft Azure Practice Lead at Dicker Data said, “Confidence is key. We negate competitive impediments as all Solutions Partners in the P2P ecosystem have met specified criteria. Partners become trusted advisors, offer forward thinking and end-to-end solutions to partners and their clients while facilitating their own business growth by delivering superior technology solutions.”

While Dicker Data enables networking through the P2P portal, partners form their own agreements and partnerships, built on mutual trust and industry reputation. This allows resellers to accelerate business opportunities and engage in cohesive alliances.

Sarah highlighted, “Vigilant.IT is very channel friendly, they work closely with partners, cater to their business models and are a credible and well-trusted vendor in the IT sector. We have created P2P to ensure every party involved is at a mutual benefit and no customer relationships are at risk.”

Stephane added, “We’ve built a credible reputation in the industry and working with Dicker Data, partners trust us with their customers. We work transparently, tailor our solution to offer high quality services and ensure partners are across every stage of our delivery from service implementation through to customer engagement.”

Work smarter to scale and grow

The P2P ecosystem drives revenue and profitability by giving partners the opportunity to collaborate on joint-offerings, sales and go-to-market activities, to reduce the cost of entering new markets and optimise solution delivery efficiency.

Daniel said, “P2P gives partners confidence to tackle any challenge by giving them access to experts who can help bring new customers on board, offer best practice approaches and tailor solutions that boost customer confidence.”

Stephane said, “Using Vigilant.IT’s expertise with migration and Azure, partners can on sell solutions to their customers, increasing their profit margins with improved services. Whether it be a multi-cloud approach or streamlining different technologies to function cohesively, collaboration enables enhanced efficiency and service delivery to end users.”

While accessing new skillsets and resources helps partners retain clients and maintain their position as a trusted advisors, the P2P portal also enables resellers to showcase their offerings to the broader Dicker Data partner network. This means partners can access new business opportunities while empowering referrals through Dicker Data.

Stephane shared, “Being endorsed by Dicker Data played a key role in building instant advocacy for partner-to-partner relationships. By promoting our services on the platform, partners could easily see the solutions and services we were offering and identify how they align with their customer’s requirements. Beyond migration work, we secured many leads from referrals and partners interested in outsourcing our managed service offerings for their customers, while also supporting us with services like Dynamics 365.”