Working With Partners Means Never Going It Alone

Take a moment and think about your car. It doesn’t matter what type of car or truck you drive; they all have a body, windows, a steering wheel, a dashboard with instruments, a sound system, and an engine. Now, think about the brand of your vehicle. Could you also name the brands behind some of its parts?

Most people will mention Bose for the sound system or Firestone for the tires. Beyond that, they often can’t name another manufacturer involved in the making of their vehicle. The average car or truck is a testament to the collaborative nature of the automotive industry. It contains a staggering 10,000 to 15,000 parts supplied by hundreds of suppliers and manufacturers, all coming together to create an intricate contraption that takes you from point A to point B. 

Now, think about technology. Technology vendors are good at what they do. They make devices, create software, provide cloud-based services — just as Ford, Mercedes, and Toyota are good at creating car bodies and engines. Not one vendor, however, provides the end-to-end systems that businesses require for all their operational needs. Networking, security, business management, operations management, and office productivity require a constellation of products and services to produce the outcomes that businesses need and expect.

Let’s face it: technology is complex. When business leaders seek technology solutions – whether IT professionals, operations managers, or executives – they need the support of experts. You need the support of experts. It’s nearly impossible in today’s complex technology ecosystem for any single organization, much less any single person, to maintain the full understanding and resources needed to select, implement, integrate, and operate the multitude of products required to achieve business objectives. Now, you may call these experts “technology vendors” or “solution providers.” However, technology vendors call these experts “partners.” 

Vendors’ ecosystem partners help ensure that customers like you receive the right products and services and the necessary support and resources to maintain them. They provide the access, resources, and expertise to make vendors’ technology truly effective.

Today, the partner ecosystem is a vibrant, diverse collection of partner types, with each bringing its unique expertise and resources to the table. From technology providers to service providers and system integrators, every partner plays a distinct role in the technology enablement mission, contributing to its overall success (and your overall business success). Here’s a sampling of the types of companies in the partner ecosystem, all of which you may need to lean on at some point: 

• Value-Added Resellers (VARs): These “point-of-purchase” companies sell products individually or as collections of complementary offerings. They commonly offer customization and integration services as well.

• Managed Service Providers (MSPs): Remotely managing IT infrastructures and/or end-user systems under a subscription model, MSPs provide network, application, infrastructure, and security management services to help improve your operations and cut expenses.

• Systems Integrators (also known as Line-Builders/Machine Builders): These firms specialize in integrating various subsystems and ensuring they function well together. Systems integrators are critical in merging disparate information technology (IT) systems and software to meet specific operational objectives.

• Global Systems Integrators (GSIs)/Consultants: GSIs are large firms that provide comprehensive systems integration solutions worldwide, typically to global or multinational corporations. They offer consulting, software development, and hardware installation services, helping large organizations integrate and manage complex IT and operational technology (OT) systems across multiple regions.

• Cloud Service Providers (CSPs): These companies offer computing, infrastructure, and/or business applications in the cloud. Their services are delivered to customers like you online and scaled dynamically as needed.

• Professional Services Providers/Consultants: These experts provide advice in a particular area, such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, or IT management. They assess your needs, provide recommendations, and sometimes help implement solutions.

• Independent Software Vendors (ISVs): ISVs make and sell software for specific verticals or use cases. Their software is compatible with one or more platforms or devices — for example, a field management application designed for mobile Android devices.

As a buyer of IT and/or OT products and services, you’ll likely source from or work with multiple types of partners in one-time engagements or through extended contracts. The benefit of working with them is that they know their vendors and technologies inside and out. They have relationships with vendor experts and access to their resources to make your product selection smooth and efficient.

But complex IT engagements may require the expertise and resources of multiple ecosystem partners at once, especially when an IT/OT convergence is necessary to achieving your business objective. When looking at a project that requires multiple hardware, software, and system components from different brands, deployment and integration expertise, and ongoing support, you’ll likely need to engage with a consultant, systems integrator, service provider, and reseller to get the technology and support you need.

Many of these partners know their strengths and weaknesses well. They often have extended relationships with companies whose offerings and skills complement their own. Through those collaborative relationships, they can marshal resources to get your jobs done faster and more efficiently, resulting in greater time to value and return on investment.

Whether looking for a focused engagement with one partner or the support of an entire ecosystem, you should seek out these partners based on their vendor relationships, technology expertise, experience in working with businesses like yours, and depth and breadth of their ecosystem relationships. If you’re dealing with a technology vendor, it can help you identify and select the right partners for your project. You can also use vendors’ partner locators to research different partner types and their capabilities.

Again, IT systems aren’t simple, and they’re only getting more complex, particularly as IT/OT convergence becomes table stakes. At the same time, business leaders like yourself can’t afford failed experiments that cost time and money. Smart IT, operations and executive teams — whether steering large enterprises or small shops on Main Street — leverage their ecosystem partners to ensure they spend wisely and achieve demonstrable results.

So, let’s get back to your car. You can drive nearly any vehicle you enter because of the collaboration and coordination among all the parts suppliers in the manufacturing process. They created one unified system. This is the value of working with partners; they make the end-to-end systems you need and expect. The lesson: if you want good results, don’t go it alone. 

-----

Larry Walsh is the CEO, chief analyst, and founder of Channelnomics. He’s an expert on the development and execution of channel programs, disruptive sales models, and growth strategies for companies worldwide.