So take a look at my musings on the event here: (if the video doesn’t show up, check here)
No time to watch – here is the 1-2 slide condensation (if the slide doesn’t show up, check here):
Want to read on?
No time to watch – here is the 1-2 slide condensation (if the slide doesn’t show up, check here):
Want to read on?
Here you go: Always tough to pick the takeaways – but here are my Top 3:
From DCs to Software and Services – CenturyLink has already since some time communicated the shift from owning and operating data centers to a more software and services oriented future business. This Ascend conference was all about getting the partners ready for that new future, where they don’t sell traditional ‘stovepipe’ – all things CenturyLink, but a CenturyLink service that spans across multiple cloud / IaaS providers. CenturyLink even previewed and talked about the just yesterday officially release Cloud Application Manager (see press release here). It also means CenturyLink needs partners in new categories, e.g. the vendor announced a new Software Alliances Program.
From DCs to Software and Services – CenturyLink has already since some time communicated the shift from owning and operating data centers to a more software and services oriented future business. This Ascend conference was all about getting the partners ready for that new future, where they don’t sell traditional ‘stovepipe’ – all things CenturyLink, but a CenturyLink service that spans across multiple cloud / IaaS providers. CenturyLink even previewed and talked about the just yesterday officially release Cloud Application Manager (see press release here). It also means CenturyLink needs partners in new categories, e.g. the vendor announced a new Software Alliances Program.
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| "Monster Fire" side chat with Douglas and Corbin |
Partners Wanted – CenturyLink (like all providers in the space) has relied on partners, but needs them even more with the new go to market offerings: It needs to understand applications better when positioning Cloud Application Manager, that takes time and requires a thorough understanding of what enterprises run, something that takes time and partners usually have that know how already. With the ‘carrot’ of cloud optimization becoming possibly real, it is also key for partners to understand that rival IaaS offerings of the past are the new partners of the future.
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| The new CenturyLink Software Alliance Program |
Big opportunity for partners – CenturyLink is offering a very different value proposition to its partners, who have to understand what CenturyLink now offers and then chart their strategy. Not an easy change, but doable. Easier to, as it is a change for the better, as workload portability, IaaS agnostic capabilities and multi cloud are highly desirable qualities that enterprises seek for their cloud deployments.
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| MultiCloud panel with Patel (VMware), Bosserman (Azure), Shacochis (CenturyLink) and yours truly |
MyPOV
A good partner kickoff for CenturyLink, that not only has a new value proposition for partners, but a mostly new partner / channel management team, that had to be introduced to the partners, share its ideas and vision going forward. CenturyLink did well on all accounts, as well as you can do when you have new leaders taking partners to terra incognita. Terra firma in these regards is CenturyLink’s networking offerings, which offer the opportunity to differentiate vendor and offering compare to other vendors who have made a switch to services and multi cloud.On the concern side, this is quite a transformation for both CenturyLink and its partner ecosystem, and while doable, needs to be successfully executed. The key new product, Cloud Application Manager is a new product and must prove itself and gain partner trusty. Customer show cases, case studies, road shows etc. are the tools in the arsenal to have partners gain trust in a new direction. Pricing has to be right, wasn’t shared but we are pretty certain CenturyLink will get that right.
So, it’s a new approach and strategy of CenturyLink, that was telegraphed earlier, but now taking shape in the real world of 2017. Partners are still orienting themselves. Now real revenues and real customers on a new product and service offering have to follow - we will be watching. Stay tuned.
Want to learn more? Checkout the Storify collection below (if it doesn’t show up – check here).
More Cloud related blog posts:
- Want to learn more? Checkout the Storify collection below (if it doesn’t show up – check here).
- Q4 2016 NextGen Apps Developments & Trends Shootout - read here
- New Analysis - AWS has now data centers in Canada. Or is it data centres? Speaks "Canadian" now. - read here
- Event Report - AWS reInvent 2016 - Growth at full speed - read here
- News Analysis - New IBM Bluemix Services Help Organizations Accelerate Data Migration to the Cloud - read here
- News Analysis - Microsoft announces SAP's choice of Azure to help enterprises transform HR - The SaaS land grab is on - read here
- NewsAnalysis - VMware has found AWS as its public cloud IaaS - read here
- Event Report - Cloud Foundry Summit Europe - Europe & Cloud - A long path - read here
- Event report - AWS Enterprise Summit 2016 Frankfurt - The German Road to Cloud adoption is ... long - read here
- Event Report - Google I/O 2016 - Android N soon, Google assistant sooner and VR / AR later - read here
- Event Report - OpenStack Summit 2016 - Austin - OpenStack matures - read here
- Event Report - Microsoft Build 2016 - A platform vision and plenty of tools for next generation applications - read here
- Event Report – Google Google Cloud Platform Next – Key Offerings for (some of) the enterprise - read here
Find more coverage on the Constellation Research website here and checkout my magazine on Flipboard and my YouTube channel here.