AppDirect Adds Aryaka to AppSmart Marketplace in SD-WAN, SASE Milestone

AppDirect added its first managed SD-WAN and SASE offerings to the AppSmart marketplace in the form of Aryaka Networks.

The newly announced commercial partnership lets AppSmart sales partners and their customers directly order Aryaka’s solutions. The agreement represents a significant expansion of how Aryaka goes to market in the channel. Moreover, it also represents AppSmart’s first SD-WAN/SASE supplier partner.

The AppSmart marketplace contains the offerings of more than 600 suppliers, but those tend to be SaaS offerings, according to Christopher Shubert, regional vice president of channel sales for the south region.

AppSmart’s Chris Shubert

“We’ve brought the power of marketplaces to the advisor community very successfully over the last three years with our software-as-a-service marketplace, really focused on Microsoft and Google and Amazon services and a host of other pure software-driven services,” Shubert told Channel Futures.

Shubert said SD-WAN services historically have not catered to a “click-to-buy” transaction. Customers can more easily buy SaaS, on the other hand, as individual products with their own SKU, he said.

So how Aryaka accommodate its offerings to the marketplace? According to Craig Patterson, Aryaka’s channel chief and vice president of sales, Aryaka’s recent portfolio update served as a catalyst. Aryaka last December unveiled three new product lines that cater to different customer sizes and needs. Patterson dubbed these “T-shirt sizes” that take a feature-rich and costly solution and rationalize it for a smaller customer with fewer requirements.

“Before, the number of SKUs Aryaka had was significant. By changing to the small, medium, large and extra large models, it was very easy for us to integrate into these marketplaces, because the SKUs were dramatically simplified,” Patterson told Channel Futures.

That update catered to smaller customers, whom Patterson said present a massive opportunity for Aryaka.

“The funnel creation we’re seeing in the marketplace right now is coming from customers that are in the SMB market. It’s coming from that are truly regional or domestic. They might not even have a location globally. It’s truly the mid-sized customers. That’s where we’re starting to see the volume of opportunities.”

Moreover, it’s these midsize customer who are looking for less complex solutions that they can purchase in a click-to-buy marketplace format.

Purchasing Trends

Shubert said software had dramatically shifted the way the channel and its customers transact. He added that SD-WAN similarly transformed the network purchasing experience.

“SD-WAN first came on the market several years ago as really just an MPLS replacement. That’s what everyone looked at as is. We’re going to cut some costs. We’re going to give you some redundant internet connectivity and allow you to use cable or low-cost broadband to fuel your network,” Shubert said.

This value-proposition stuck with many customers, but SD-WAN began to take on another life. First, customers began demanding more security built into the technology. Then the pandemic accelerated the the rise of secure access service edge (SASE), which combines advanced security features with SD-WAN, and in many cases, remote access technology.

“The security aspect has started to drive what SD-WAN and SASE can do. It’s more than just the redundant bandwidth and a great cost structure. It’s about building security into your network at the core and at the service edge,” he said.

Shubert said he views Aryaka as the first of many networking providers to join the marketplace.

“We feel like we’ve just barely scratched the surface of…… what we can offer in the SD-WAN space and eventually in different communication services as well,” he said.

AppSmart’s Renée Bergeron

AppSmart last month unveiled new self-service tools as part of a larger partner experience refresh. At the time, senior vice president and general manager Renée Bergeron said more than 3,000 partners use the AppSmart marketplace. More than half of those partners are using it on a weekly basis she said.

“Bringing Aryaka’s network offerings into the AppSmart marketplace represents an exciting first for our platform, adding critical network services to our growing portfolio of solutions,” Bergeron said. “As the way we do business becomes more dispersed, critical SASE offerings like these will play a vital part of every business’ digital transformation journey.”

Aryaka’s Channel

Patterson said San Mateo, California-based Aryaka is in the process of expanding its routes to market. For example, the vendor expanded its global channel program to accommodate reseller partners earlier this year. Patterson also said his team will be looking to forge relationships in the IT distribution community.

He said Aryaka’s pipeline creation has expanded by a factor of four recently.

“We’ve laid the foundation. Now we’re getting deeper and wider into each specific route to market,” he said. “The amount of opportunities and partners that are truly starting to embrace Aryaka is at historic high levels here. We’ve never seen this amount of pipeline before.”

The trend of vendors creating a wider tent for various partner models is clearly taking place in the channel. For example, Ingram Micro recently announced a partnership with Masergy and Fortinet around managed SD-WAN. And Cisco has embraced agent partners and seen many of its traditional VAR partners add a commission-based approach.