Parallels expanded its strategic agreement with Ingram Micro on Tuesday. Through the extended relationship, announced at Ingram Micro’s Cloud Summit conference, Ingram Micro will deploy Parallels Automation as the core service delivery platform for its new Cloud Marketplace, and invest in Parallels.

Ingram Micro says that with Parallels Automation it will be able to deploy a wider range of cloud services along with professional services and support capabilities in its Cloud Marketplace. Currently, the Cloud Marketplace features 70 vendors and 200 cloud solutions and services, including web hosting and cloud infrastructure services, which were a byproduct of its SoftCom acquisition last September.

“As cloud computing moves further into the mainstream, Ingram Micro is ideally positioned to help our channel partners, vendors and IT professionals capitalize on the opportunities and growth potential cloud computing brings to businesses of all sizes,” Nimesh Dave, executive vice president of Global Cloud Computing, Ingram Micro said. “Our people, processes and platform have become clear differentiators for Ingram Micro and the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace. This strategic alliance with Parallels will enable us to execute against our vision of a global cloud services marketplace and further empower channel partners and IT professionals with the IT industry’s most in-demand and comprehensive portfolio of turnkey cloud services.”
With end-users of both partners in the SMB space, both will benefit from the increasing SMB demand for cloud services. And Parallels will benefit from partnering Ingram Micro, which has so many alliances in the IT space. Recently, WHIR blogger Tom Millitzer wrote about the IT sector embracing the cloud, and how it is simultaneously a service providers biggest opportunity and threat. It is clear that Parallels sees this segment as a major opportunity.
“Ingram Micro’s decision to base its Cloud Marketplace on Parallels Automation is a strong vote of confidence in Parallels business and the innovation, security and reliability of our cloud services platform,” Birger Steen, chief executive officer, Parallels said. “For the world’s leading technology distributor to make an equity investment in Parallels and work together with us to execute its vision for cloud services enablement both regionally and globally is a significant testimony to Parallels proven approach to successfully delivering and supporting cloud services to businesses of all sizes.”
In an interview with the WHIR last week at WHD.global 2014, Steen said that region and locality could be an advantage for service providers offering cloud.
“A lot of the questions of people have are where are these differentiations? Where are these niches that will let me grow my business? Some of it is going to be closeness to the customer,” he said. “Some of it will be that you’re vertically specialized.”
“The long story short is that if you are standing still in this market and you’re offering the same thing you offered 10 years ago, you’re sure to erode your market share,” Steen said. “You may keep your existing customers but you’re not going to get any new ones.”
Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace could help service providers carve out their specialization among other cloud providers.
keyoian Reviewed by keyoian on . Ingram Micro Deploys Parallels Automation for Cloud Marketplace http://www.thewhir.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/cloudkeystock.jpg Parallels expanded its strategic agreement with Ingram Micro on Tuesday. Through the extended relationship, announced at Ingram Micro’s Cloud Summit conference, Ingram Micro will deploy Parallels Automation as the core service delivery platform for its new Cloud Marketplace, and invest in Parallels. Ingram Micro says that with Parallels Automation it will be able to deploy a wider range of cloud services along with Rating: 5