Today’s business landscape is characterised by disruption and transformation that can occur suddenly and create unforeseen challenges at any time. “To be prepared for this, and remain competitive, it’s essential for organisations to migrate to the cloud. This allows them to unlock the benefits and agility it offers,” says Charmaine Peens, Microsoft Brand Manager at First Distribution. “As a leading value-added distributor in South Africa and across Africa, we have established our reputation as a key player in cloud services by partnering with global brands like Microsoft. Azure is a huge area of focus for our team.”
First Distribution offers a comprehensive portfolio of leading data centre, cloud, networking and security products, including hybrid solutions that integrate on-premises, private and public cloud services from multiple vendors.
The Azure business model is centred on empowering partners to leverage Azure’s comprehensive suite of cloud-based services, including infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS). “Through Azure, First Distribution enables African businesses to migrate to the cloud, with secure, scalable cloud storage and computing power that enables businesses to reduce capital expenditure on physical infrastructure,” Peens adds. “Another benefit is enhanced collaboration. Azure’s cloud-based tools enable real-time collaboration across dispersed teams, a key benefit in Africa’s geographically diverse landscape. Finally, Azure provides advanced analytics and AI tools, which help businesses gain deeper insights, automate processes and enhance decision-making.”
Business opportunities
By partnering with First Distribution and Azure, partners gain immediate access to a growing market where enterprises are increasingly turning to cloud solutions for efficiency, scalability and cost-effectiveness. The demand for digital transformation solutions across various industries, including finance, healthcare and retail, presents substantial business opportunities.
David Nel, Cloud General Manager at First Distribution, says First Distribution’s cloud solutions are tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities within the African market. “The portfolio, highly skilled staff to support and manage vendors, and an unrivalled level of expertise ensures our partners have all the key elements required for success. We host one of the largest technology partner-to-partner networks in Africa, allowing partners to extend their reach across the continent.”
There are two fundamental challenges facing organisations in South Africa and Africa, as they embark on their journey to the cloud. “The first of these is enablement,” Nel says. “We understand that our partners know that cloud is an imperative, but taking the first step can be daunting. What should they offer to customers? Where do they begin? What do they need in place and how does it differ from their current offering? We’re able to assist with expert advice and personalised recommendations to enable a seamless transition.”
The second challenge is demand and scale. “This includes analysing how our partners unpack their value propositions, evolve their brand messaging, generate leads and converting those leads. Based on these challenges, our focus has been on assisting our partners with enablement, and also to grow their businesses through leveraging the functionality of cloud,” Nel says.
Cloud is for all
First Distribution realises that cloud computing is not just an imperative for enterprise customers. As Preegan Chetty, Microsoft Azure Product Manager at First Distribution, says: “Our services are fully enabled for partners transacting with various business sizes. Over the past year, we’ve put significant focus on increasing NetCustomer Adds, specifically driving a run rate business in SMB/SME as one of our key objectives. Our messaging to the market has been specifically directed to increase demand in the smallest businesses, leveraging productivity and collaboration tools by using Microsoft. Microsoft Cloud is for every organisation. Our motto is: Cloud is for all – large and small.”
First Distribution has invested in many different capabilities to enable partners to transact as seamlessly as possible. “We focus on ongoing communication with our partners through relationships with associated account managers, enablement and the continuous evolvement of our own value proposition,” adds Peens. “Our processes include timely licence renewal notifications, as well as forward cover on rate of exchange. This helps our partners to seamlessly transact with their customers, who benefit from fixed monthly costs.”
“By investing in operational, sales and brand resources, our partners get the best service,” Nel emphasises. “We’ve enabled 24/7 support as well as Advanced Support, which our partners can leverage to ensure priority on any query that may arise. Over the past year, First Distribution has aimed to exceed expectations in terms of our service and delivery. The consolidation of our tools, our service levels and our consistency have set us apart from the rest. Our goal is always to enable our partners to support their customers in meeting critical business objectives.”
Multiple services and platforms allow ease of analysis, management, security and governance, all under one virtual roof. “Our highly certified Azure team will help your internal stakeholders with Azure product, sales and technical enablement. Through our skilled resources, we have the ability to support your sales and technical teams from an Azure Pre-Sales perspective,” Chetty says.
First Distribution’s Azure business model is a crucial enabler for partners in South Africa and across Africa seeking to drive digital transformation. By providing access to Azure’s cutting-edge cloud technologies, offering extensive partner support and unlocking new revenue streams, First Distribution empowers partners to deliver tailored solutions that address the unique challenges of African businesses. The scalability, flexibility and security of Azure ensure that partners can deliver sustainable, future-proof solutions that drive business transformation across various sectors on the continent.
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