Live Blog: Ingram Micro Cloud Summit 2013

Written by samdizzy
April 9, 2013

At Ingram Micro Cloud Summit 2013, VP Renee Bergeron is discussing the convergence of telecom services and cloud services. Yes, there's plenty of cloud services brokerage and aggregator chatter, too. Here's a live blog.

At Ingram Micro Cloud Summit (NYSE:IM), VP Renee Bergeron is updating the company’s cloud services brokerage strategy, which focuses mostly on aggregator services. Bergeron is telling VARs, MSPs and cloud integrators about some key milestones as well as new efforts that involve telecom services converging with the cloud. The key data point: 86 percent of resellers attending the conference have sourced at least one cloud service from Ingram. Here’s a live blog.

On Stage Now: Bergeron

Cloud Services and Cloud Computing represent a $35 billion addressable market for VARs, MSPs, channel partners and IT vendors.
Resellers have gone beyond Cloud 101. But resellers face a common challenge: How to accelerate the growth of a cloud business. “That’s where Ingram steps in by seeding the cloud.”
In a new program: AlertLogic, CA Technology, Cisco, SherWeb and Trend Micro are working with Ingram to help VARs and MSPs to build cloud businesses. The effort includes direct mail, telemarketing, email, webinars and events.
An Ingram Micro Cloud Desk has 200 support engingeers who can help VARs and MSPs with pre-sales support. It will also offer post-sales support.
Most video interviews with VARs talk about Ingram’s ability to vet cloud services for the channel.
Lots of VAR case studies this year. Some of basic (example: moving Exchange to the cloud) but the key theme is clear: Customers, with the help of Ingram’s VARs, are going cloud.
Ingram Micro Cloud now features 41 vendors offering more than 100 aggregated solutions.
86% percent of resellers at the conference have purchased at least one solution from Ingram Micro Cloud.
Eight resellers in the room now source at least eight or more solutions from the Ingram Micro platform. One partner is involved with 11 cloud services; another partner has 15 cloud services sourced from Ingram.
A Hardware as a Service (HaaS) offering, featuring HP or Lenovo hardware, is being launched now. There will be nine different options.
Voice and Data Communications: Telecom offerings from Time Warner Cable and CenturyLink also were announced.
Ingram is launching a new cloud interface in a quarter or so.
IM Link is a new offering: All about IT lifecycle management — plan, implement, manage and support.
22% of resellers in the room did more than $500,000 in cloud recurring revenue in 2012.
3% percent of resellers in the room did more than $10 million in cloud recurring revenue in 2012.
Side note: Those numbers sound really, really high. Bergeron mentioned a few times that those figures represented annual recurring revenues. I will ask her a little later today where the data came from. Assuming the stats are on the mark, then they’re impressive. But I wonder if system integration revenues are mixed in.
More than 4,000 VARs now use Ingram Micro Cloud (though Talkin’ Cloud doesn’t have a feel for levels of engagement across that partner set).
Bergeron’s closely three keynote messages: (1) the cloud can meet the needs of businesses large and small; (2) the cloud is a great opportunity that presents some risks and challenges — which Ingram can help VARs to overcome; and (3) Ingram Micro’s value proposition is we solve customer business problems through the right cloud solutions.