Schuster on Open Systems: A Chance to Differentiate

Alongside those challenges lies the ongoing question of how partners can distinguish their practices from those of peers. Many partners still are searching for ways to “differentiate beyond infrastructure and move into areas of value to the customer,” Schuster said.

“That’s another reason why I’m excited about security and Open Systems,” she said. “Customers are well on that path for IaaS and are looking at redoing their apps and app road maps, and so partners really need to think about what is going to be their area of expertise.”

It’s a slow process, though.

“One of the challenges is that partners still make a lot of money doing the infrastructure and they haven’t really worn it out,” Schuster said. “But at this point, with the last year and a half and acceleration customers have had, I do think a lot of the profitability has left that business. … And those partners that haven’t really defined that differentiation are having a hard look at their businesses.”