Google Apps Reseller Program Hits the Road

Google may dominate the online world, but the search giant is attending regional face-to-face events to evangelize the Google Apps Reseller program to potential partners and VARs. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

Jeff Ragusa, a developer programs evangelist at Google, described the Google Apps Reseller program to the Carolina IT user group on March 11. The VAR Guy pinged Ragusa to see how the event went.

Ragusa’s reply:

Culminis is a major IT organization that also includes a solution provider network. Assuming Ragusa succeeds in evangelizing the Google Apps Reseller program to Culminis members, Google could quickly build a next-generation SaaS (software as a service) IT channel.

Gaining Momentum?

Hmmm. The VAR Guy must concede: He wasn’t sure whether VARs would embrace the Google Apps Reseller program when it launched in January 2009. And Channel Insider raised a concern about the Google program lacking deal registration to protect VARs from direct sales conflict with Google.

Still, The VAR Guy believes the Google Apps Reseller program is gaining significant momentum.

True believers include Allen B. Falcon, CEO of Horizon Info Services, a solutions provider that offers a range of Google Apps to its customers.

One Man’s Opinion

By the way, Falcon will describe his experience with the Google Apps Reseller program during The VAR Guy: Live webcast scheduled for April 15. Details will be announced soon. For the early scoop, email theVARguy [at] ninelivesmediainc.com.

In the meantime, The VAR Guy continues to watch Google’s Ragusa closely for more hints about the partner programs’ evolution.

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