Google I/0 2012: Paging Google Apps Resellers and VARs
Google I/O 2012 chatter has started early. The conference (June 27-29, San Francisco) typically attracts thousands of software developers focused on Google Apps, Google Android and other Google technologies. If you scour the audience, you’ll also find fast-growing Google Apps Authorized Resellers and Google Apps Marketplace members. So what’s in it for VARs?
If you’re seeking to leap into cloud computing, Google I/O is an inspiring, awesome event. For VARs that fear the cloud, Google I/O is downright intimidating and unnerving.
Indeed, the average attendee at last year’s event looked about 25 to 28 years old — and had grown up purely in the cloud, according to The VAR Guy’s own aging eyes. For white-haired VARs who once made a living selling client-server systems, it can be jarring to see so many young folks embracing a business model that involves very little on-premise hardware and software to sell.
(The VAR Guy, for the record, allegedly is 42-years-old… aging fast… and trying to keep up with the times.)
Where Google Apps Partners Fit In
Most of Google I/O is designed for the cloud developer and mobile developer crowd. But there are channel pros — lots of them — in the audience. Familiar Google channel and SMB leaders like Stephen Cho and Jeff Ragusa are typically in the house. And lots of education — covering topics like Google Apps Script — can help VARs to string together and integrate multiple cloud applications.
The VAR Guy believes he has found a back door into the upcoming Google I/O 2012 conference. If you plan to attend please don’t be shy. Tweet The VAR Guy (@thevarguy) and let’s grab some time together, compare notes, and try to determine if all those third-party developers are onto something big…
