Jason Beal, Global Channel Chief, AvePoint

Assessment of Clark: Beal doesn’t know Clark but said his credentials suggest that his experience speaks for itself. “His background is in ecosystems in IoT and mobility and some of the nontraditional partner models, which I think is fascinating,” Beal said. “Remember, they were one of the first vendors that was dragging the traditional reseller kicking and screaming into the cloud. And I credit Microsoft with really helping partners move into the cloud and helping the distributors invest in these cloud marketplaces. And then lately, you see Microsoft as a leader in talking about the total economic opportunity around its technology.”

Reaction to Schuster’s departure: “She has a wonderful reputation and has been so present,” Beal said. “Anytime you have somebody who has been so present, that may be a shock. Sometimes you have executives at a company who are less publicly facing and less than engaging, but she has been so engaging. When you know someone with such a good reputation and so many relationships, and then there’s such a pronounced change, it’s a bit of a surprise.”