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Channel forecast good as cloud opens through Bell Micro partnership with SaaSplaza; Safe, flexible ordering and billing of software services through the cloud Best of breed proposition and channel credit facilities unlock new margins(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Chessington, Surrey --Specialist value added distributor Bell Micro and global SaaS platform provider SaaSplaza have partnered to announce the launch of a multi vendor Enterprise Application Store (EAS) to enable the provisioning of white labelled software services through the cloud. The EAS will be populated with online solutions initially including Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, Online Backup and MXsweep Security Services. To avoid the associated frustrations of moving into a rapidly growing market, all the available software is provisioned through a single SAS 70 Type II certified panel, which serves to eliminate the need for multiple contracts and manages liabilities, support contacts, service levels, metering and billing systems. Ben Abraham, Divisional Leader, Services, Bell Micro said, The problem facing resellers is that most cloud providers are engaging customers through direct sales models and when the channel is given some consideration, usually in the form of a bolt-on option, it is typically an afterthought. Critically however, no processes have been established to extend credit to partners, instead payment is expected up front and this simply does not suit the cloud utility model. By partnering with SaaSplaza, Bell Micro is able to extend to its reseller partners cloud provisioning capabilities that have been designed from the beginning with the channel in mind, and which measures up to the high standards that customers will expect. Bell Micro can also further support partners by extending to them an established credit process and systems which will enable those seeking to embrace the margin rich channel proposition that cloud represents, quickly. This co-operation offers resellers the best opportunity to benefit from a highly strategic growth market, added Martin Hartman, Market Maker at SaaSplaza. The SaaSplaza availability guarantees start at 99.5% on a 24 hour, seven days a week basis as well as offering resellers a single point of contact for all technical support. EAS services may be ordered and billed through Bell Micro with supporting credit facilities and can be terminated at any time, without notice, taking the risk out of selling new cloud propositions and extending much needed flexibility to customers balancing their IT demands with constrained budgets. About SaaSplaza SaaSplaza is a global SaaS platform and Microsoft certified S+S Incubation Centre. On a daily basis, SaaSplaza runs more than 120 partnered business solutions delivered over the Internet to +1.000.000 end-users in 50 countries. SaaSplaza has an excellent track record in delivering mission critical business solutions to both small medium businesses and large international organizations. References are available in all industries. The multi-tenant service-oriented architecture is highly scalable and guarantees top class availability, reliability and security. Compliance is an essential requirement in todays international market. SaaSplaza was in 2006 the first European SaaS hosting provider to receive SAS 70 type II certification. For more information on SaaSplaza please visit <http://www.saasplaza.com> www.saasplaza.com About Bell Micro About Bell Micro Bell Micro is a global, specialist distributor of a wide range of high-tech products, solutions and services, including storage systems, servers, security, software, computer components and peripherals, as well as integration, maintenance and professional services. An industry-recognized specialist in storage products, this Fortune 1000 company is one of the world's largest storage-centric value-added distributors with revenues of over 1.3bn in Europe and $3bn world-wide. Bell Micro is uniquely qualified with deep technical and application expertise to service a broad range of information technology needs. From design to deployment, its products and services are available at any level of integration, from components to sub-system assemblies and fully-integrated, tested and certified system solutions all designed to enhance its partners. Bell Micro operates through three channels to market industrial, commercial and enterprise each of which offers a wide range of services and products from major IT vendors. Bell Micro is the trading brand for Bell Microproducts Inc. More information can be found at: www.bellmicro.eu <http://www.bellmicro.eu/> . ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) (c) 2010 M2 COMMUNICATIONS |