Channel partner programs, CSPs

Google G Suite, ResellerClub Ink Channel Partnership

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Google G Suite (formerly Google Apps for Work) is now available via ResellerClub. The reseller relationship, which targets web designers and web hosts, also includes Tier 2 technical support and training resources.

Although customers often purchase G Suite directly from Google, plenty of resellers and integrators support the G Suite market. True believers include Cloud Sherpas (now owned by Accenture) and Sada Systems (a G Suite and Office 365 partner).

ResellerClub adds an interesting new wrinkle to the G Suite channel ecosystem. The company manages over 6 million domains through a network of more than 200,000 direct and indirect resellers located across the globe (in 150+ countries), including China, the United Kingdom, Russia, India, Brazil, Germany, Turkey and Indonesia.

ResellerClub's parent, Endurance International Group, established a G Suite relationship in 2014. The effort has included promoting G Suite to customers on Bluehost, Domain.com, iPage and HostGator platforms. The suite in 2015 launched on some of Endurance's largest international brands -- including BigRock in India, Bluehost and HostGator in Mexico and on HostGator Brazil earlier this year.

Google has spent the past year or so striving to re-energize and re-focus its G Suite partner program. The search giant enjoyed early channel momentum around 2010. At the time, Google aggressively attended MSP-centric conferences for SMB partners. And the company's partner program offered partner billing management capabilities -- a big advantage over early Microsoft Office 365 offerings. But gradually, Microsoft closed the competitive feature gap and Office 365 has likely leapfrogged G Suite in enterprise and midmarket accounts, ChannelE2E believes.

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.