By Khali Henderson

Cloud computing provider Cost Effective Technologies (CET) announced Tuesday that Voice and Data Distributing (VDD) has become an authorized distributor for the company and will focus on creating a distribution network for CETs cloud services within the telecom agent channel.

VDD, a wholly owned subsidiary of Voice & Data Systems Inc., develops and manages channels for emerging technology service providers, telecommunications carriers and manufacturers. VDD works with multiple master agents on behalf of its clients.

While the telecommunications industry is clearly excited about cloud technology, it has struggled with how to effectively deliver cloud services through a master agent platform,” said Brian Barnes, channel manager for VDD. For the first time, VDD will be able to accomplish that because of the innovative and powerful platform CET provides telecom master agents.”

In the four months since it launched its channel program, CET has formed channel relationships with four solutions providers with vertical specializations, but this is the first agreement the company has targeting the telecommunications channel, said CET Co-founder Hannah Smitterberg. We believe that some very natural linkages exist between the cloud and the telecom worlds, and we are excited to launch this initiative,” she said.

CET is seeking channel partnerships with master agents and independent agents as well as IT solutions providers and MSPs, Smitterberg said, noting that it does have a direct sales force in its local market in and around Lincoln and Omaha, Neb., but it intends to sell exclusively through the channel outside its local market.

CET is a recently formed subsidiary of Nelnet Inc., a publicly traded company with more than 30 years of business process outsourcing experience. It launched its cloud computing offer nearly a year ago to provide infrastructure as a service, software as a service and other IT service and support offerings for small and medium businesses.

The cloud offering is priced on a per-seat, per-month model, and ranges from a low of approximately $20 to $25 per user, per month up to a high of approximately $70 to $75, depending upon client size. Agents are compensated as a percentage of recurring revenues based on a sliding scale and are paid in perpetuity over the life of the customer contract.

Agents will be offered training on the cloud, sales strategies and CETs products as well as marketing support, product demo support, contract negotiations and more. Additionally, CET is dedicated to providing as much (or as little) sales support as necessary, for as long as necessary,” Smitterberg said. 

She also noted that some agents may only be lead generators, while others may become closers. The compensation structure is rewarding on both ends of that spectrum, and we supply all of the tools necessary to help each agent fulfill their goals.

Smitterberg, who also is CETs CEO, is leading development of the channel as it is a strategic priority for the company.