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Google Cloud Platform Partners: SaaS Initiatives, Specializations Emerge

Multiple Google Cloud Platform partner initiatives surfaced Monday as a warm up for the massive Google Cloud Next 2018 conference in San Francisco.

Among the key moves...

1. More SaaS partner support: The SaaS partner effort includes a co-selling program; engineers to keep SaaS partner solutions up and running; marketing development funds (MDF); and an online community for those partners to share best practices.

2. New and Expanded Integrations: this involves companies and solutions like:

  • SAP applications;
  • Deloitte Invoice Management Solution for SAP;
  • Deloitte Visual Inspection Solution for inventory management;
  • Cisco Systems developments in the AI (artificial intelligence) and container sectors;
  • Distributed ledger technology (DLT) frameworks on GCP with launch partners including Digital Asset and BlockApps. More details will surface at a DLT Partnerships session late this week
  • High-performance cloud guidance in collaboration with Intel and Appsbroker.
  • New NetApp Cloud Volumes and a new VMware vRealize Orchestrator integration.

3. New partner specializations: Including security, cloud migration, location-based services, enterprise collaboration and education services. Partners in those specializations include:

Specialized Area and Designated Partners Medium

All of those efforts surfaced today during a partner day ahead of the formal Google Cloud Next 2018 later this week in San Francisco.

Google Cloud Platform and MSP Partnerships

Google also is working more closely with MSPs -- though the competitive landscape is intensifying. Microsoft last week unveiled an Azure Expert MSP partner program, and Amazon Web Services has an extensive MSP partner ecosystem.

Anecdotal evidence suggests Google Cloud Platform is growing rapidly. Revenue from the various cloud services topped $1 billion per quarter in Q4 2017, though the search giant has not publicly discussed updated figures since that time.

Perhaps that will change this week at the massive conference, which is expected to attract 20,000 partners, developers and customers.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.