Softchoice Gets Google Cloud MSP Designation In Big Multi-Cloud Play

‘[This is Google’s] highest designation for advanced solution providers. That depends not only on Softchoice having proven unique capability and capacity for delivery, but you actually have to prove that you’ve been able to deliver it to customers with successful outcomes in their business,’ says Chris Woodin, vice president of Softchoice’s Cloud Business Unit.

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MSP and Google Cloud channel partner Softchoice Wednesday said it has received Google Cloud Managed Services Provider designation as part of the Google Cloud Partner Advantage program, making it one of a handful of companies worldwide to be recognized in that way.

It is a significant achievement for Softchoice, said Chris Woodin, vice president of the Toronto, Ontario-based MSP’s Cloud Business Unit.

“[This is Google’s] highest designation for advanced solution providers,” Woodin told CRN. “That depends not only on Softchoice having proven unique capability and capacity for delivery, but you actually have to prove that you’ve been able to deliver it to customers with successful outcomes in their business. And so it’s the demonstration of that customer evidence and our customer success that leads to this very rare designation.”

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In Softchoice’s experience with a lot of other certifications, it’s not too hard to demonstrate a given capability or capacity to deliver it, Woodin said.

“The hard part is showing that you’ve delivered it for many customers, all with successful outcomes, as reported by the customer,” he said. “And that’s where a lot of partners struggle to achieve this level of certification. And it’s there for the experience that we’ve had delivering these outcomes for customers that enabled the recognition.”

The designation means two things for Softchoice, Woodin said.

First, it shows that Google has objectively recognized the company for its ability to build solutions on Google Cloud, which is an area for which there is unprecedented demand, he said.

Second, it shows that Softchoice has a strong multi-cloud strategy. Woodin said Softchoice already is an Expert MSP for Microsoft Azure, which is that cloud provider’s highest designation, and already has a strategic collaboration agreement with AWS starting last fall that should lead to gaining advanced certifications from AWS as well, he said.

“We are now objectively one of the most established multi-cloud solution providers,” he said. “Anyone can say they do multi-cloud. But having this designation is proof.”

Softchoice has no plans at this time to get similar designations from other major public cloud providers such as IBM or Oracle, Woodin said.

“We focus on Azure, AWS and Google Cloud Platform as well as on hybrid cloud,” he said. “We’re seeing a huge demand for hybrid clouds, especially with partners like VMware and Red Hat.”

Woodin said VMware Cloud and Red Hat OpenShift work across all three of the major hyperscalers.

Softchoice is also working with vendor partners such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies and NetApp building private clouds and linking them to public cloud environments, Woodin said.

“Softchoice is building on both sides,” he said. “Most partners focus on private clouds or public clouds. Few work with both. And partnering with all three major public clouds is very, very rare.”