Tech Data plans to launch a new cloud computing initiative, including an education program for VARs, to bring its cusotmers new cloud-based revenue streams.
The distributor's TDCloud and TDCloud Academy includes solutions, services, support and training from Tech Data around private, public or hybrid cloud architectures, according to Joe Quaglia, senior vice president of marketing at Tech Data.
“We’re on a mission to connect end-customer demand for alternative IT computing and consumption together with the most robust IT Vendor solutions that are selling today to ensure our VARs can profit from this transformational shift occurring in our industry – right now. “ Quaglia said in a statement. “TDCloud and TDCloud Academy are our first steps in accomplishing this mission."
TDCloud includes three offerings for VARs, based on the VARs' own expertise and cloud focus: Cloud Builder, Cloud Provider and Cloud Reseller. Tech Data announced the offerings at its TechSelect conference in San Antonio on Thursday.
The Cloud Builder program includes access to the products to help VARs build a private cloud for customers, including servers, storage, networking, virtualization and security. Cloud Provider assists VARs who have built or are interested in building their own cloud infrastructure to offer to end users and Cloud Reseller leverages existing public-cloud infrastructures under a white-label branding and packaging program for VARs, according to Tech Data.
Tech Data plans to partner with third-party vendors on the cloud solutions, but it did not name the vendors in its release.
For VARs just beginning their cloud strategy, Tech Data's TDCloud Academy is a tiered training program where which provides solution providers with the assistance they need to get started.
“Tech Data does more than just put the right products in our customers’ hands,” Quaglia said, “We provide our reseller customers with end-to-end support—from initial assessment and vendor-focused training, certification and authorization, to system configuration and final delivery to the end-user.”
