From 17th February, Ingram Micro’s significant base of service providers and resellers will have the opportunity to sell Zynstra’s new O365Connect appliance, developed in partnership with Microsoft and HP. The solution provides SMBs who are looking to embrace Microsoft’s Office 365 productivity suite with a managed hybrid IT solution. O365Connect provides a seamless integration with Microsoft Office 365, giving the end user complete control over the management of their data, backup and print services as well as employee access to local and remote applications via Single Sign On. It provides all the comfort and control of on-premise IT but with the economics and service levels typically associated with public cloud services.
In July last year, Zynstra launched its hybrid cloud service which enables local IT resellers or Managed Services Providers to deliver a complete solution to their SMB customers on an “as-a-Service” basis. This enables the channel to fully own the customer relationship and provide ongoing support, while the customer has the ability to adopt cloud services on their own terms and timings, via managed server appliances that are familiar and reliable.
“Hybrid is rapidly becoming the de facto standard for cloud implementations, and is predicted to make up nearly half of all enterprise cloud implementations by 2017,” said Apay Obang-Oyway, General Manager of Advanced Solutions at Ingram Micro. “The SMB market has been crying out for a hybrid solution that is fit for purpose and O365Connect not only meets this need, it is also perfect for the channel. Zynstra is unique in the market as it has designed technology specifically for SMBs, and will enable our channel partners to target a large and untapped market.”
One of the first service providers to take advantage of the new Ingram Micro/Zynstra partnership is cloud specialists Perspicuity. The company’s Managing Director, Ben Gower, said: “As a technical VAR serving the small business community across the UK, we see the majority of our customers choosing a hybrid environment when migrating to the cloud. Being able to combine the Zynstra cloud managed server appliance with Microsoft Office 365 and Azure software provides the perfect solution for our business customers’ needs, especially as the technologies they have previously relied on – such as Microsoft Office 2003 and Small Business Server – are coming to their formal end-of-life. The timing of Zynstra’s entry into the market could not have been better for end users who are now looking for a reliable platform on which to build their IT services, knowing that this solution has the added benefit of being a future proofed platform.”
Andy Burton, Zynstra’s Chief Revenue Officer commented: “We firmly believe that at the heart of SMB IT decision making is a trusted relationship between the end user and their local IT supplier, typically a business that understands their needs, understands the current IT environment, understands the market and is accessible when needed. The key to success in this increasingly hybrid IT market is to have a collaborative, trusted and symbiotic partner community, who enable the end user to access the IT they need when and where they need it. We are delighted to be launching our partnership with Ingram Micro, to empower the reseller community with compelling IT services on commercial terms that make the transition to hybrid IT attractive and at a time when they face sourcing decisions to replace the technologies that are going end-of-life.”
Andy Burton