Today’s technology services are consumed by organizations in many ways. This leads to some uncertainty on whether clients are ultimately getting true value for their money in the delivery model being used.

So how can an organization balance the cost-to-benefit ratio of as-a-service? The Jolera Interview Series welcomes in Jolera’s Chief Revenue Officer, Chris Black, who brings real-time insights into the costs associated with the as-a-service model.

In this video interview, Black speaks to how the delivery models have changed substantially over the past decade.

“What has changed is the movement away from the traditional selling model of [finding] the right hardware and software, integrating them into an environment, and then walking away,” he said.

With the integration model in the rearview mirror, many managed services providers (MSP) and channel partners have had to refocus their business into a ‘Netflix-style’ experience for IT, as Black calls it. Customers are no longer interested in how it all works or how the IT comes together. They are rightfully more interested in the outcome they want to achieve for their organization so that they can focus on and prioritize their business.

This shift has created large waves, requiring MSPs to adapt to this model quickly or risk disappearing from the marketplace, Black added.

 Now, in the marketplace, there is a critical alignment between customers and channel partners/MSPs that never existed before.

“Customers now come to the table asking good IT questions [and] clear outcomes in mind. So, the partner now must come to the same table fully prepared,” Black said during the Jolera Interview Series.

In the past, IT was a black box for customers. Mainly, they sourced a trustworthy and reliable vendor, and if that vendor told them they needed an IT upgrade, they just accepted it for the most part.

With this new alignment, customers and partners are building stronger relationships. From the perspective of a cost-benefit analysis, clear outcomes and clear inputs to achieve those outcomes get better, more competitive relative cost and value chain across the board, according to Black.

Another added benefit of the IT-as-a-service model is an elevated level of service delivery quality. With older models, most MSPs just set it up and leave the responsibility of the IT system on the customer to figure it out. Today’s new as-a-service model is more proactive, expertly managed, always-on, and easily recoverable if a potential failure occurs.  

“[Purposefully designed], It’s also highly secure so you’re getting the best of all worlds,” Black concludes.

IT-as-a-Service is here to stay, and Black describes the evolution that the Jolera channel will undergo to adapt over the next few years to be the best service for clients and partners.

By Paolo Del Nibletto