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By David Dyson, Director, Partnerships

November 30, 2021

In recent articles I have attempted to explain and define the value of partnerships when it comes to designing and building cloud solutions. Finding a managed service provider you trust, combined with your partner being an accredited cloud platform partner (such as Azure), are all important steps on the road to a successful cloud migration.

But the previous focus has generally been on the value that a company working with cloud management partners can create. There are also some important benefits to be found when different partner organizations come together to create services that are greater than the sum of their different parts. Partners working closely with other partners to deliver a better solution to the client.

Why would companies do this?

It’s important to accept that not every company offers every possible service. Sometimes there may be gaps in the service offered by one company that can be complimented by working with another.

When managing cloud-based systems there are many different skills and services that will be required: design and architecture skills, the ability to install infrastructure, security, and specialized software systems. All this needs to come together to create the system that the end client will ultimately use, but the software provider (for example) may not have the skills or be interested in doing infrastructure. Some partners cannot deliver the complete solution because they are more focused on one particular area.

Partner to Partner Relationships

WatServ is a managed service provider and, while we do have a wide range of services, sometimes a project requires a particular service that we don’t have the resources to offer. On these occasions we always turn to other partners in the WatServ partner ecosystem and figure out how we can work together to deliver the best solution to the client.

We believe that this approach gives us multiple advantages. First, the client gets a better solution because the best expertise is deployed, rather than assuming that all the required skills and services will be available in-house. Second, it means that we can focus on what we do best, rather than claiming that we can always deliver any service – no matter which technology is being used.

Working with partners has other advantages too. We often help each other to locate new business. When a potential client asks us about a project and we know that it’s not the right fit for WatServ, then we talk immediately to others in the ecosystem – we know who to suggest based on our experience of working together.

This is a more collegiate approach to business, and it works. It helps us to build better relationships with other experts inside the Microsoft ecosystem and this means that we can offer better solutions to our clients. I’m always happy to hear from potential partners. When other companies complement our skills at WatServ then I’m always ready to consider working together. WatServ is an active member of the IAMCP (International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners) for exactly this reason – awareness of, and access to, some of the best complimentary partners in the world. 

Best-in-class solutions come from the best specialists. The best partners are those that are prepared to work with others to deliver the best services. Building teams from different partners with complementary skills is essential to design and manage modern technology systems – no single partner can know everything and offer every possible service, so partnerships are essential.

Want to discuss partner to partner relationships further? Or how WatServ can help digitally transform your business through cloud technologies and managed services? Contact our team today and we will help you get started. I also invite you to follow WatServ on LinkedIn where we post our latest thought leadership pieces and industry updates.

About

WatServ is an IT solutions provider that helps organizations digitally transform through cloud technologies and managed services.

Serving clients as a trusted advisor since 2006, WatServ provides experience-tested, strategic solutions across all stages of the digital transformation journey. Clients choose WatServ to migrate infrastructure and applications to the cloud, secure critical data, implement disaster recovery, deploy virtual desktop, enable data-readiness for productivity solutions and manage IT environments.

Our clients span a broad range of industries, and we’re a global supplier of IT services for many Brookfield Portfolio Companies. To help our mid-size clients, we provide scalable offerings that simplify cloud adoption and drive business optimization. For enterprise clients, we co-create cloud solutions that enable stability and efficiency for complex IT tools and processes.

With more than 15 years of experience, WatServ has a track record of delivering quantifiable business results and a superior client experience. Ranked as one of Canada’s Top 100 Solution Providers for the last three years in a row, WatServ is always on.

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