Increasing complexity in IT is driving a need for closer collaboration between cloud stakeholders, which ultimately, is beneficial for customers.
This is according to cloud experts speaking ahead of the ITWeb Cloud & Data Centre Summit, where Routed, Veeam and VMware will host a panel discussion on the value of an ecosystem in a complex cloud environment.
Sumeeth Singh, cloud provider business head at VMware Sub-Saharan Africa, explains: “In the context of the panel discussion, an ecosystem refers to the multiple building blocks that make up a cloud operating model. These encompass people, process, and technology, and having the right partners to deliver on this. The right ecosystem allows businesses to focus on core business drivers, while the cloud, infrastructure and management thereof is handed over to the partner ecosystem to manage and facilitate.”
Matthew Lee, cloud and hosting manager – Africa at Veeam, says the cloud ecosystem includes all stakeholders: “All suppliers, channel route to market even including the clients, are stakeholders in the ecosystem. Collaboration across the ecosystem eliminates any fear, uncertainty and doubt, and fast tracks decisions and execution (time to value). There is a host of information out there favouring a specific technology angle. But if this technology is not aligned to other wider technology providers who are also involved then the solution is not complete and there is potential for the project to fail.”
Andrew Cruise, MD of Routed, says that where historically, vendors and service providers tended to operate in silos, this is changing. “Vendors had more power and pull years ago, but now there is more choice, and they are having to up their game. At the same time, the world is becoming more complicated when it comes to IT, and there is a growing global shortage of expertise. These factors are driving vendors and service providers to play together better and integrate better. It’s a maturing approach,” he says.
Cruise notes that customers need to consider how the solutions they choose integrate with others and fit into the bigger picture: “If their vendors aren’t talking the ecosystem story, they could end up locked in and stuck in a silo. They need to feel confident that their vendors are talking to each-other.”
He adds that the ecosystem also needs to pool skills and support. “Customers are looking to resellers, service providers and vendors for support. Since we see a trend whereby major vendors are now snapping up the best people, centralising the expertise and deploying it across the ecosystem can be beneficial for all the stakeholders.”
Sumeeth Singh, Matthew Lee and Andrew Cruise will participate in the panel discussion on the value of an ecosystem in a complex cloud environment at the ITWeb Cloud & Data Centre Summit on 1 November.
For more information, and to register for this event, go here.
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