TC 100 Profile: AppDirect Spearheads Cloud Service Commerce With Two CEOs

Nicolas Desmarais and Daniel Saks started AppDirect out of a San Francisco apartment in 2009, both of them only 23 years old at the time. Five years later, the cloud service marketplace and management company ranks 74th on the 2014 Talkin’ Cloud 100, boasts more than 200 team members and has raised over $60 million in venture capital from several investment firms — all thanks in part to the efforts of Desmarais and Saks, the company’s co-CEOs.

The AppDirect co-CEOs’ joint vision was to create a global network that would enable businesses to buy cloud applications from local trusted providers. And to achieve their goals, AppDirect had to not only develop a technically superior platform but also spearhead an entirely new space in the cloud industry — cloud service commerce.

What is AppDirect?

Building a platform that enables businesses to purchase and use software can take years, but with the AppDirect platform, companies can launch a web-based storefront that offers software from providers within a matter of weeks.

AppDirect offers a white-label cloud services marketplace and management platform that is designed to help businesses find, buy, use, manage and monitor cloud services.

Saks told Talkin’ Cloud that AppDirect’s platform powers marketplaces, billing and distribution and reseller services for companies across the globe and unites distributors, developers and consumers of cloud services as well.

Highlights of the platform include:

Saks said AppDirect has been transforming the cloud services marketplace for years, and many businesses worldwide have already taken notice. Between 2011 and 2013, AppDirect recorded 2,000 percent revenue growth, Saks said.

Also, AppDirect recently started offering CSPs the ability to resell their cloud services, the ability to create or empower reseller networks to sell cloud services or both on the AppDirect platform via its Reseller Management Service, aka the company’s channel program.

As an extension of the AppDirect platform, the Reseller Management Service enables users to simplify and automate all the tasks associated with reselling cloud services, such as onboarding and sales and customer management. The Reseller Management Service represents just one of several ways that AppDirect is working to improve its platform and extend its reach, too.

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AppDirect eyes self-service, automation tools for CSPs

AppDirect powers the cloud services marketplaces of myriad globally recognized brands, including:

And to meet CSPs’ needs, AppDirect is working with distributors and developers to launch new features, capabilities and innovations for its platform to enhance the experience of selling, distributing and buying cloud software.

Saks said CSPs should expect to see a variety platform upgrades in the future — everything from self-service tools that streamline and automate selling in the cloud to full omni-channel capabilities.

“We’re ensuring distributors and developers have the tools and capabilities to enable an easy transition to the cloud for their business and customers as well as responding to the need to offer access to these services from any cloud, sales channel and device,” he said.

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