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New Channel Venyu Opens in the Cloud

Solution providers of all sizes are trying to trying to navigate their way through cloud computing options that to one degree or another are all disruptive. The question that many of them are wrestling with is whether they should build their own cloud computing capability or opt to resell cloud computing services delivered by someone […]

Written By

Michael Vizard

May 30, 2012

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Solution providers of all sizes are trying to trying to navigate their way through cloud computing options that to one degree or another are all disruptive.

The question that many of them are wrestling with is whether they should build their own cloud computing capability or opt to resell cloud computing services delivered by someone else. On the one hand, building out a cloud computing capability might be more profitable, but the upfront expense of building a data center is substantial. On the other hand, if they opt to resell a service delivered by another vendor they risk not only losing control of the customer, the valuation of their company could drop if investors perceive that all the organization is doing is acting as an agent on behalf of another entity.

What many solution providers are looking for is the best of both worlds. They need a low profile partner in the cloud that doesn’t sell direct, while at the same time giving them access to a platform that can support a wide range of cloud computing services. One cloud service provider trying to step into that gap is Venyu, which today launched a channel program around VenyuCloud, a cloud computing platform that is based on VMware vCloud software.

According to Shawn Brazeau, director of channel sales, the channel program ranges from rewards to referrals and classic reseller agreements to strategic partnerships. That flexibility is critical because the degree to which a solution provider is going to be involved in a cloud computing project can vary widely from customer to customer. Brazeau says that most cloud computing deals involve some form of data protection and disaster recovery that don’t typically require a strategic partnership. But as new technologies such as “cloudbursting” come into vogue the number of strategic partnerships involving more dynamic forms of cloud computing is likely to increase. In that model, solution providers may opt to rely on Venyu to augment their own cloud computing platforms or simply resell the Venyu cloud to customers that are looking to rightsize their internal IT infrastructure in the era of the cloud.

Brazeau says that Venyo opted to go with VMware because in terms of management capabilities vCloud is significantly ahead of any rival platform. In addition, he notes that vCloud includes capabilities that allow it to manage virtual machine platforms other than VMware, which makes it ideally suited for hybrid cloud computing environments that are likely to span multiple types of virtual machines.

Ultimately, Brazeau says that Venyu is trying to give the channel the benefits of both cloud computing and a managed hosting environment via a single program. That effort, he adds, is anchored around data centers in New England and Louisiana, the latter of which is housed in a secure area managed by the U.S. government.

As cloud computing continues to evolve it’s hard to say that there is ever going to be one perfect model for the channel. Given that lack of clarity the better part of valor may be to find an approach the providers the most amount of flexibility possible. After all, when there is as much uncertainty in the market as there is today, now may not be the best time to limit your options.

Michael Vizard

Michael Vizard is a seasoned IT journalist, with nearly 30 years of experience writing and editing about enterprise IT issues. He is a writer for publications including Programmableweb, IT Business Edge, CIOinsight, Channel Insider and UBM Tech. He formerly was editorial director for Ziff-Davis Enterprise, where he launched the company’s custom content division, and has also served as editor in chief for CRN and InfoWorld. He also has held editorial positions at PC Week, Computerworld and Digital Review.

New Channel Venyu Opens in the Cloud

Michael Vizard

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