Seeking to expand the breadth and depth of offerings in its software-as-a-service portfolio, D&H Distributing Co. will offer hosted applications from cloud aggregator SaaSMAX Corp. to its reseller channel.
A new alliance pact between the two companies empowers D&H partners to sell the hundreds of products in San Diego-based SaaSMAX’s expansive cloud application catalog in addition to the Microsoft and other cloud systems already available to them.†”Anyone who is a D&H cloud provider will have access to everything within the SaaSMAX [marketplace],” says Ryan Flynn, senior sales manager for cloud and applications at D&H, which is headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa.
The new agreement authorizes also SaaSMAX partners to procure and sell Office 365 and other Microsoft cloud solutions through D&H. Those widely popular offerings have not been available from SaaSMAX previously.
Working together, D&H and SaaSMAX plan to assemble pre-packaged and resellable solution bundles combining cloud software, hardware, and professional services for customers in the education, healthcare, government, and financial services industries, among others.
“Our teams are partnering together to look at the different verticals and develop recommended solutions,” Moskowitz says. Helping partners sell solutions rather than just products is a key strategic priority for D&H, which launched a Solutions & Services enablement program in support of that goal earlier this year.
D&H partners will also be eligible to receive targeted guidance from SaaSMAX, which maintains in-depth relationships with the vendors it represents, about which cloud applications are best suited to their particular business model and objectives. “Whenever we talk to a partner we really vet out who their ideal clients are, who they work with, and how they want to grow into the future,” Moskowitz says. “From there, we very strategically look at what are the specific vendors that would contribute in a great way to this partner’s business.”
D&H views cloud computing generally and software as a service specifically as ways for channel partners to add new revenue streams without adding new staff or deploying expensive tools.
“A lot of the MSPs out in the market are selling desktop support [and] server support,” Flynn says. “My goal is to give them services and give them products that they don’t have to hire someone to manage.”
The alliance with SaaSMAX is the latest development in an ongoing effort by D&H to build out its cloud solutions business. Earlier this week, for exmaple, the company added solutions from Dropbox Business to its cloud marketplace.
