Google Apps Offers MSPs Payment Flexibility
Roughly 24 percent of the world’s top MSPs offer Google Apps to their customers. To further boost that figure, Google is rolling out more flexible payment plans to IT services providers, Talkin’ Cloud has confirmed. So what’s the upshot for Managed Services Providers (MSPs)? Here’s our spin.
Generally speaking, a lot of SaaS and cloud providers require up-front payment on full-year commitments. For smaller managed services providers (MSPs) and VARs, those full-year, up-front commitments can sometimes crush cash flow. On the flip side, some SaaS and cloud providers only offer monthly or quarterly payment programs — potentially forcing channel partners to manage a lot of recurring paper work rather than a one-time annual fee.
Google is aiming to give channel partners the best of both worlds — offering MSPs and their customers flexiblity on commitment length (1 day, 1 month or 1 year) and payment frequency (monthly or yearly), Talkin’ Cloud reported today.
Chasing Office 365 In the Channel
That’s good news — and the move comes at a critical time. The Google Apps team spent considerable time at MSP conferences in 2011 and 2012. But some of that initial channel chatter has since gone quiet. Meanwhile, Microsoft has significantly expanded its Office 365 channel partner program. The result: Nearly two-thirds of the world’s top 501 MSPs say they now offer Office 365 to end-customers, according to our 2014 MSPmentor 501 report, which will be published in February 2014.
We’ll be watching to see if Google’s added partner program flexibility attracts new MSPs to the conversation.
This is great news. We do a
This is great news. We do a lot of Google Apps in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have won many deals in the Bay area over other San Francisco IT Support companies because they are not listening to the needs of their clients who want to work with Google Apps.
Thanks
Ted Kramers
Irvine Consulting
Ted: I’m still amazed by the
Ted: I’m still amazed by the number of MSPs and VARs that have not at least kicked the tires on the Google Apps partner program. I’m not suggesting it will make partners rich. But the migration services from Exchange and ongoing customer engagement surely drives customer retention. Keep me posted as Irvine Consulting makes more moves.
-jp
Google apps leaves alot to be
Google apps leaves alot to be desired, as far as managability and capabilities as compared to Exchange. We didn’t kick the tires on the partner program because we didn’t like google apps from a client perspective, nor an MSP (management of the service) perspective. Not very profitable either, but neither is O365 or exchange, so that wasn’t a factor.