Commercializing technology has never felt more possible. In just three days, we were able to track industry trends, gain insights from inspiring speakers and enjoy networking opportunities at Cloud Summit 2022 down in Miami.
In the last year, our work with the team at Ingram Micro Cloud has resulted in some amazing mutual growth. While the three-day event focused on supporting those who want to build, buy and sell cloud and digital technology, it was clear partnerships continue to trend and lead the way for the future.
Partnerships work. After all, PartnerStack and Ingram Micro Cloud power Pinnacle, a joint program designed to help Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) launch and scale their partner programs from affiliate, to referral and reseller partnerships. The program allows for ISVs to list on both the PartnerStack marketplace and the Ingram Micro Cloud marketplace within the first 60 days, granting access to a combined network of more than 120,000 partners. The Pinnacle Program allows ISVs to invest in channel growth quickly, often seeing revenue in as little as three weeks.
At Cloud Summit, we heard from incredible speakers such as Tarik Faouzi, SVP and general manager at CloudBlue, Lincoln Lincoln, VP, head of sales and customer success at CloudBlue, and Duncan Robinson, VP, global portfolio management and marketing at Ingram Micro Cloud, all of who see the channel and global distribution as a massive opportunity for revenue growth. PartnerStack had the privilege of sponsoring an amazing networking event, educating vendors and partners on the power of Pinnacle at our booth, and to support a better understanding of referral programs as a massive revenue driver. The event environment provided the right vibe to support tech growth from all sides.
Here are five of our key takeaways from the week — that are helping shape the future of SaaS.
The need for consolidated services offerings is crucial.
One of our favorite keynotes came from Victor Baez, the SVP of Cloud Channel Sales at Ingram Micro Cloud. With the channel growing in market share from 30% to 40%, Baez spoke to the value of direct sales and the efficiencies of the channel — and why companies see growth from it. It was clear that the future is the channel: vendors and partners are looking for a centralized experience and channel sales accomplishes just that.
Ingram Micro Cloud is a complex system and can be challenging to navigate for ISVs early in their partner journey.
At Cloud Summit, we confirmed one of our fundamental reasons for launching Pinnacle, to begin with: the path with Ingram Micro isn’t always clear to everyone. ISVs struggle to navigate the global ecosystem of Ingram Micro Cloud, meaning they can’t always extract the greatest value at the speed they want to grow. With Pinnacle, we provide a clear guided program, the support of PartnerStack’s onboarding, customer success, and integrations teams, and the network of both PartnerStack and Ingram Micro Cloud.
Connecting with ISVs and chatting about best practices and making introductions to one another were extremely valuable.
At PartnerStack, our ISVs (customers) come first. We love meeting everyone who is a part of Pinnacle, and even more valuable to meet them at our booth. After a year of launching partner programs remotely, bringing everyone from across the globe (Lithuania, Israel, the United States, and other places around the world) was so exciting to be able to humanize the experience. We were able to help with strategy and best practices, while also introducing current Pinnacle vendors to partners who were already in the ecosystem.
Partners in Ingram Micro Cloud’s ecosystem are excited about new opportunities.
Meeting our partners was a huge plus. We realized how excited partners are about the opportunity to add more software services to their existing client base. Pinnacle allows these partners to work with ISVs in a referral capacity, meaning that they broaden their offering in a simple way. Seeing our partners so excited about the opportunity of reducing risks themselves by presenting more offerings to their clients truly proved the value of our hard work.
In-person events really do have a massive impact.
PartnerStack understands how powerful remote work is. That being said, the ability to connect with channel leaders from across the world in the flesh was invaluable. At Cloud Summit, we were able to host a Cabana Bar Crawl at SLS Hotel that saw more than 500 partners and vendors come together to celebrate channel partnerships, share a few laughs, and connect face to face. Meeting our European and Australian counterparts only strengthened our relationships, with the experience elevated by the fireworks, events, and Miami warmth we’ve all been craving.
Thank you to our friends at Ingram Micro Cloud and CloudBlue for hosting PartnerStack and the Pinnacle program at your memorable event.
We can’t wait to see everyone at Cloud Summit 2023 in Las Vegas, bring it on!
