https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Master Agents
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Diversity & Inclusion
  • MSSP Insider
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • Apply Now
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Channel Educational Series
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
    • Channel Convergence
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Content Resources
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Circle of Excellence
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Master Agents
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Diversity & Inclusion
  • MSSP Insider
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • Apply Now
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Channel Educational Series
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
    • Channel Convergence
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Content Resources
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2021 MSP 501
    • Circle of Excellence
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

New/Changing Channel Programs


ISVs and the WalMart of B2B App Marketplaces

  • Written by Beth Vanni 1
  • June 15, 2012
For today’s software developer, there are many choices of technology platforms on which to build next-generation applications. Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, IBM, SAP, Google, Amazon Web Services, Apple and others are in a heated race to win the hearts of minds of ISVs --  both those retrofitting legacy apps and those building ground up for the cloud.

For today’s software developer, there are many choices of technology platforms on which to build next-generation applications. Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, IBM, SAP, Google, Amazon Web Services, Apple and others are in a heated race to win the hearts of minds of ISVs —  both those retrofitting legacy apps and those building ground up for the cloud. But, how does a developer make the best and most economical decisions around their go-to-market support requirements from their platform vendors, and are application marketplaces the silver bullet to cloud success?

All the software leaders have their own applications portals now, with a growing variety of apps. for both B2B and consumers. Although most smart developers are making their development choices based on the strength of the publisher’s toolset, the portability of the code and the availability of existing plugins, their decisions about how dependent to be on their platform vendor’s go-to-market support isn’t quite as clear-cut.

Who Is Leading SMB App Market?

Much like the gaming marketplace has spawned a thriving set of on-line and retail channels, the cloud applications marketplace is expanding quickly. The dominant on-line marketplaces such as iTunes and Google promise access to millions of mobile consumers.  But, for B2B apps, especially for the SMB market where a high degree of customization may not be necessary, the leaders are still unclear.

As the mobile applications leader, Apple’s launch of its B2B marketplace in July 2011 was an important step in its efforts to bring corporate functionality like volume licensing and version control to the on-line applications world.  The jury is still out on how important this effort will be to Apple’s penetration of the enterprise space.

Shouldn’t the promise of the cloud — ease of access, affordable consumption and a breadth of highly specialized applications – extend to the developers also?  No one cares what the applications are written in, and increasingly they expect to get the hottest apps on any device their employees use.  Will we see a day soon where IT Mangers can go to a SaaS “Walmart” for a selection of collaboration, expense reporting, project management, accounting, SFA and other core business applications?  And, where ISVs who spend the time and money to write their application on iOS, Android, Ruby on Rails or the Force.com platform, can have access to a centralized set of well profiled corporate users?

Even if this vision of a truly centralized marketplace for applications becomes a reality over the next 3-5 years (which is a bit of a stretch), how might that impact the emerging reseller market for cloud apps? Can regional SI’s and VARs who are beginning to do some light customization of cloud apps and white-label them through their own unique customer portals survive if an on-line Walmart emerges soon with blue-light specials on the hottest apps?

ISVs as Channel Partners

In our State of Partnering study for the last several years, ISVs continue to inch up the list as one of the most strategic partner segments for the global IT vendor  community. However, they seem to be the most under-supported channel segment, especially in terms of quantifiable go-to-market support. Getting technical and architectural support, great prices on test and development licenses, yes.  But, unless you’re a big, global horizontal or vertical ISV, getting much custom marketing support beyond the vendor’s partner portal (or now their apps. marketplace) can be near impossible.  Which is why the aggregation of these emerging marketplaces becomes so important for the smaller ISV placing their bets on the cloud.

Will there be a Walmart of the on-line B2B applications world? And, how critical will that channel consolidation become for the average multi-platform ISV?  I’d love to hear your prognostication.

Beth Vanni is VP of PartnerPath, which helps IT vendors elevate the impact of their partnering efforts. For more information on PartnerPath’s research or partnering development services, contact Beth at bvanni@partner-path.com.

 

 

 

 

Tags: Agents Cloud Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Networking New/Changing Channel Programs Strategy

Related


  • Student with laptop
    Lenovo DaaS Touts 'Dramatic Growth' for DaaS, ID's Top Vertical Sales Opportunity
    “The number of seats we manage is into the millions of DaaS customers."
  • Judge and Gavel
    Judge: Charter Must Pay Windstream $19 Million for 'Egregious,' Deceptive Mailer
    The judge said Charter "intentionally and wrongfully" interfered with Windstream's customer contracts and good will.
  • Threats
    10 Ways to Keep Customers Safe with Threat Protection by Year's End
    Cybersecurity vendors share more advice for MSSPs and other channel partners.
  • Business handshake
    Ujet, Peerless Network Enter Master Agent Agreements with PlanetOne, Intelisys
    Ujet’s channel partner program supports strategic business partnerships, master agents and integrators.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Understand Buyer Motivations to Build More Opportunities
  • Mass Microsoft Exchange Exploitation Still Impacting Organizations
  • 'Everybody Was Surprised': 6 Partners React to Rodney Clark Becoming Microsoft's New Channel Chief
  • Agents Voice Concerns, Hopes for Master Agent Consolidation

Galleries

View all

10 Ways to Keep Customers Safe with Threat Protection by Year’s End

April 9, 2021

Industry Perspectives

View all

Why Every MSP Should Consider TCO When Selecting a BCDR Solution

April 9, 2021

6 Ways to Ready Your Customers for 5G Security Challenges

April 5, 2021

Endpoint Security Is Huge in the Merging New World of Work

April 2, 2021

Webinars

View all

Top 3 Intel Security Technologies To Help Against Advanced Cybercrime Attacks

April 15, 2021

What to Look For: 2021 Threat Report

April 22, 2021

Health Care and SD-WAN: A Seller’s Guide

April 27, 2021

White Papers

View all

Top Tips: How Resellers Can Leverage Rackspace to Enhance Customer’s Cyber Security Protection with Microsoft 365 Security

March 30, 2021

Top Tips: Optimize Your Microsoft 365 Investment with Rackspace Technology

March 30, 2021

The Smart Approach to Cloud Workload Placement Decisions

March 19, 2021

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

November 1, 2021 - November 4, 2021

MSP Summit

November 1, 2021 - November 2, 2021

Channel Evolution Europe

November 30, 2021 - December 1, 2021

Videos and Fastchats

View all

FASTCHAT: How Fortinet Reduces Complexity Through Networking, Security

Strong Customer Experience Needs Strong Partner Experience

December 22, 2020

Happy Holidays from Channel Partners & Channel Futures!

December 21, 2020

2021 Excellence in Digital Services Awards App Open

December 9, 2020

Twitter

ChannelFutures

Anti-Asian racism, and racism and discrimination of all forms, have zero place in our society. #StopAsianHate and t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

April 9, 2021
ChannelFutures

MSSP @inc_renaissance promotes Trish Kapos to channel chief. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/RxLQ6g https://t.co/oWCdHeRqIW

April 9, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@GetSpectrum ordered to pay @Windstream more than $19 million for deceptive mailer. #lawsuit… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

April 9, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@Percona says channel can help with #opensource solutions and #databases for everything from aspirational to must-… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

April 9, 2021
ChannelFutures

Our latest #Cybersecurity Roundup features @HuntressLabs on @Microsoft Exchange exploitation, @ptsecurity,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

April 9, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@SemperisTech unveils first branded partner program. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/RxH4Bq https://t.co/TVjG8xhGNv

April 8, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@PerchSecurity announces its 2021 MSP Threat Report, calling on MSPs to build a mature cybersecurity practice.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

April 8, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@Bitdefender unveils enhanced partner program. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/RxGk3T https://t.co/o70VS1Hn7w

April 8, 2021

MSSP Insider

Business advice for MSSPs and news from the broader security channel.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X