Google Apps: 6,000 Resellers Embrace Cloud Consulting

Google Apps now has more than 6,000 authorized resellers. Although it’s impossible to say how much cloud services revenue that represents, there’s no doubting that Google’s channel partner program for SaaS resellers and cloud consultants remains in growth mode.

Prajesh Parekh, representing the Google Apps Reseller Team, disclosed the 6,000 reseller milestone in a blog post today. Some of those resellers now rank among the world’s top 100 cloud services providers (top 100 CSPs), according to Talkin’ Cloud’s own research.

Google’s partner program allows VARs and resellers to manage end-customer billing, an attractive feature that Microsoft is planning to offer with its own Office 365 Open cloud program. Although Office 365 deployments have been accelerating, Office 365 Open cloud billing will take about a year to roll out internationally, Microsoft has stated, with project completion expected by July 2013.

Google Apps Reseller Services

Google’s Parekh is directing customers to Google Apps resellers for the following six services:

1. Assessing the initial move to cloud-based solutions
2. Helping set up and manage Google Apps
3. Training employees to fully explore and use the many features of Google Apps
4. Data, data, data – migrating data, implementing data policies, managing storage with Google Drive, and more
5. Integrating Google Apps with other business applications
6. Support, network and security management, and building Google Sites

Item 5 seems particularly lucrative. Cloud Sherpas, for one, is helping customers to integrate Salesforce.com with Google Apps. And Google has promoted scripting tools as a way for VARs to get started with their integration work.

6,000 resellers is an impressive figure. But Talkin’ Cloud also needs to keep the figure in perspective. It’s impossible to say how many of those partners are driving significant revenues with Google, nor can Talkin’ Cloud estimate how many end-customers those Google Apps resellers have assisted.

That said, Google’s footprint in the next-generation IT channel cannot be ignored. VARs, MSPs and cloud consultants have taken notice — either embracing Google Apps, or seeking alternatives to it.