Partners:Use Networking Prowess As A springboard Into Cloud Services

Multi -cloud environments are all the rage in IT stratergy these days and when putting together private and public cloud environments- also called hybrid cloud– the network that cloud traffic traverses is critical, solution providers say.
Partners say solution providers that want to break into the cloud market can leverage the networking and carrier services they are already offering to make the connection. Those solution providers are already equipped to help connect a customer’s disparate cloud environment, said Ed Fox, vice president of network services for New York-based solution provider MetTel.
“It’s the next logical step for folks like us and it makes sense, because we have all different methods to get our customers to the cloud,” he said.
Adcom sloution,a Norcross, Ga-based solution provider & AT&T partner, agrees that solution a cloud deployment. Even if a solution provider or VAR doesn’t have a cloud consulting business, technology partners are well-suited for conversations around planning to deploy cloud applications and where the application will reside ‘said Tim Tidwell, director of Technical Services for ADCom Solutions.
“Once you get past the how, why and where questions, you can get into specifics, like how much bandwidth is this app going to consume?” Tidwell said.
While ADCom focuses on networking and connectivity solutions, cloud consulting companies are comming to ADCom looking for help on the networking side to ensure that the customer will get the most from its cloud stratergy, said Mike Champion, executive vice president of ADCom Sloutions.
ADCom plans to start its own cloud consulting business to complement its networking services and offerings heading into next year, Champion said. “There’s only a handful of companies that can handle the consulting and networking well, and that’s going be a focus of ours in the coming year,” he said.