Monday Morning Impact – February 19

Global Cloud Dominance Brings New Opportunities, Challenges for Partners

Consumer and business applications are contributing to the growing dominance of cloud services over the Internet, according to the seventh annual Cisco Global Cloud Index. The updated report focuses on data center virtualization and cloud computing, which have become fundamental elements in transforming how many business and consumer network services are delivered.

For business users, enterprise resource planning (ERP), collaboration, analytics, and other digital enterprise applications represent leading growth areas.

The study forecasts global cloud data center traffic to reach 19.5 zettabytes (ZB) per year by 2021, up from 6.0 ZB per year in 2016 (a 27 percent compound annual growth rate. Globally, cloud data center traffic will represent 95 percent of total data center traffic by 2021, compared to 88 percent in 2016, according to the report.

In the past, security concerns have been a major barrier to cloud adoption. Improvements in data center governance and data control have helped to address security concerns, reducing enterprise risk and better protecting consumer information.

Additionally, the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) applications such as smart cars, smart cities, connected health and digital utilities requires scalable computing and storage solutions to accommodate new and expanding data center demands. By 2021, Cisco expects IoT connections to reach 13.7 billion, up from 5.8 billion in 2016.

The increasing need for data center and cloud resources has led to the development of large-scale public cloud data centers. The report expects that there will be 628 of these hyperscale data centers globally by 2021, compared to 338 in 2016.

“Data center application growth is clearly exploding in this new multicloud world,” said Kip Compton, vice president of Cisco’s Cloud Platform and Solutions Group. “This projected growth will require new innovations especially in the areas of public, private and hybrid clouds.”

Among the highlights of the report predicting growth by 2021: Big data will account for 20 % of traffic within data centers, compared to 12% in 2016; video streaming will account for 10% of traffic within data centers, compared to 9% in 2016; and 75% of the total cloud workloads and compute instances will be SaaS workloads and compute instances, up from 71% in 2016.

Channel Impact^®
The data underscores strong opportunities for partners working the high-end data center space.

CompTIA Updates Cloud Certification

CompTIA has introduced a new version of its cloud certification, reflecting updated skills necessary for IT professionals deploying, optimizing, and maintaining cloud services.

Marketed as “CompTIA Cloud+,” this vendor-neutral certification is intended to foster advanced cloud skills in the context of broader IT systems and operations.

“Cloud computing does not happen in vacuum as an end unto itself,” explained James Stanger, CompTIA’s chief technology evangelist. “Cloud-based infrastructure services are increasingly important pieces of an organization’s total IT system. Hybrid and multi-cloud environments have become the norm. IT professionals must weave these pieces together into secure solutions that run mission-critical systems and meet specific business needs.”

To receive the certification, IT professionals must demonstrate their knowledge and skills in five areas: configurations and deployment, security, maintenance, management, and troubleshooting. The education track is followed up with performance-based questions and hands-on simulations in the certification exam.

In the security realm, for example, individuals are tested on their ability to apply access control methods, as well as implement key automation and orchestration practices. They must also demonstrate the ability to anticipate and identify cyber threats to cloud technologies.

The CompTIA Cloud+ exam is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in compliance with the ISO 17024 standard.

Individuals interested in CompTIA Cloud+ should have two to three years of work experience in networking, storage or IT data center administration. It’s also recommended that they be CompTIA Network + and/or CompTIA Server+ certified.

Channel Impact^®
The updated certification will help channel partners and other IT professionals to stay current with evolving technologies and industries. Targeted roles include system administrators, systems engineers, network administrators, network engineers, cloud developers, cloud specialists, and cloud engineers.

Fuze Expands GTM Strategy

Fuze, a Boston-based company that offers a cloud-based communications platform provider for the global enterprise, has announced that it has moved beyond its previous referral model to a global partner program in which select partners can resell the company’s product line. Fuze, formerly “ThinkingPhones,” is also piloting professional services and support partner engagement models with additional program components to roll out in 2018.

“Unified communications and collaboration stands as the next hyper-growth market opportunity for the channel; we are excited to launch this expanded partnership program as a core element of Fuze’s business growth strategy,” said Chris Doggett, Chief Sales Officer, Fuze. “We have expanded the program to enable value-added resellers, solution providers, and IT/communications solution consultants to offer Fuze’s market-leading communications platform to their customers and prospects and grow their business.”

The program allows partners to choose their own levels of involvement across the Fuze sales process, whether it is collaborating on customer acquisitions from start to finish, or simply offering an initial recommendation. Program benefits include commissions/discounts, an online training program, deal registration, MDF, back-end rebates, and an NFR program.

Channel Impact^®
The move is expected to strengthen the company’s indirect go-to-market strategy while extending the company’s reach in key territories, including the UK and Europe; Australia; New Zealand; and Africa.