AppSmart: Customers Demanding SI, VAR, MSP, Agent Convergence
Customers want a single technology adviser who does what SIs, VARs, MSPs and agents previously did separately.
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AppSmart announced Jim Griffith as its new general manager of managed services.
Griffith most recently built a national MSP called NuMSP at the behest of a private equity firm. Under his leadership as CEO, the company made 16 acquisitions.
Griffith said 90% of enterprises that maintain legacy applications in the cloud will turn to external service providers for management and support.
“The pace of this momentum is exciting, and I’m delighted to be joining the technology-focused AppSmart team to help prepare technology advisers and their end users to navigate the ever-increasing demands for agility and provide support for complex digital environments,” Griffith said.
AppSmart also unveiled its Energize tool, which helps partners deliver energy services to their customers.
AppSmart Energize uses artifical intelligence to automate the procurement and support process. Agents can create and manage utility bundles for customers.
AppSmart highlighted Global Communications Group (GCG), which recently signed as an exclusive commercial partner.
GCG is a Denver-based consultancy. It signed on with AppSmart’s Invest program, which provides upfront capital and residual payments to qualifying partners.
CEO Joel St. Germain founded the company in 2002.
“With AppSmart, GCG furthers its mission of delivering the best experience, the most advanced technology and the most complete catalog of technology solutions to its customers and technology advisers,” St. Germain said. “I couldn’t be more excited to continue leading GCG through continued explosive growth in the industry.”
AppSmart enjoyed a busy 2020, which included a significant amount of M&A.
The group acquired Georgia-based MicroCorp last December. MicroCorp joined CNSG, Telegration and WTG as master agents that have joined AppSmart.
AppSmart enjoyed a busy 2020, which included a significant amount of M&A.
The group acquired Georgia-based MicroCorp last December. MicroCorp joined CNSG, Telegration and WTG as master agents that have joined AppSmart.
AppSmart executives urged partners to get on board with digital technology and digital commerce.
Renée Bergeron, senior vice president and general manager of the AppDirect division, said during AppSmart’s Unleash event Tuesday that the world is shifting toward digital commerce. Bergeron, a former Ingram Micro executive who joined AppSmart a year ago, said COVID-19 helped speed customers’ migration to purchasing through digital channels.
AppSmart’s Renee Bergeron
“Now that the investments have been made, businesses have permanently removed some of the pre-crisis bottlenecks to virtual interaction, and there is no going back,” Bergeron said.
Bergeron said the shift to digital commerce comes alongside a shift in the technology. Specifically, she said mobility and cloud services are gaining traction in the market. She cited a Gartner study finding that mobility spending is increasing in the single digits every year. On the other hand, fixed data expenditures are sitting flat, and investment in fixed voice is falling.
Thus, partners must diversify their portfolios. Bergeron said partners who don’t cross-sell cloud solutions miss more than half of the ICT market.
“If your business is predominantly based on selling fixed connectivity solutions and you have not pivoted to including mobility and cloud solutions, then you’re not maximizing your growth potential,” she said.
Convergence
Bergeron also added that digital transformation is creating consolidation between technology advisers. Previously, customers needed to work with multiple technology advisers to handle different layers. They might consult a system integrator for the business application layer, a VAR or an MSP for the infrastructure layer, and a telecom agent for connectivity. However, more and more businesses would like to reduce their number of partners.
“As a result, businesses are looking to work with fewer technology advisers that can deliver a broad range of technologies,” Bergeron said. “Businesses are looking for a single adviser to build an end-to-end solution for them, and we’re starting to see technology advisers embrace this new trend.”
However, Bergeron said the supply chain for these advisers hasn’t evolved to match the consolidation. She said distributors focus too much on software, while master agents focus too much on connectivity.
Bergeron highlighted a variety of tools on AppSmart’s platform that partners can use to more effectively embrace digital technology and digital commerce. That includes automated marketing campaigns, a geo-locating tool that gives customers connectivity options, and multiple financial tools. For example, AppSmart teamed up with Stripe to automate commission deposits in a manner that Bergeron said removes human error.
Bergeron also highlighted SmartSupport, a fee-based service that agents who lack in-house technical expertise can harness. AppSmart also offers a premium version of the service.
Check out the slideshow above to learn about other topics that AppSmart and its partners discussed at AppSmart Unleash.
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