Fujitsu extends as a services options with Cyxtera

Fujitsu has taken further steps to de-risk the move to as a Service for those partners that are still adapting their business models.

The firm has been adapting its managed service partner support levels over the last 18 months and has responded to a clear demand for more help for those in the channel that have traditionally been based around selling hardware through a capex model.

The latest innovation from the vendor is to team up with Cyxtera to provide Nutanix Enterprise Cloud on PRIMERGY as a service, making it possible for a partner to offer collocation services without having to invest in the hardware upfront.

Resellers will get access to the CXD platform, which is operated by Cyxtera, removing the need for partners to invest any capital in hardware, software, network and data centre infrastructure.

There are significant number of customers that are looking for public cloud like features on a private cloud or in a colo environment and Leigh Schvartz, head of product innovation strategy at Fujitsu UK&I said that its own research from earlier this summer had indicated the majority of customers were operating with a hybrid infrastructure.

“We have stepped up out models and offerings and in the feedback from the channel they definitely see demand in the customer base. But there are challenges for some partners that have been selling hardware and for those that are having to change their compensation models,” he said.

“With this offering it can be consumed on a per month basis so they can pay-as-you-go and there is no risk,” he added.

Graham Bromham, head of cloud & managed service provider sales at Fujitsu, said that the partnership with Cyxtera would start operating out of a UK datacentre but would be extended to Amsterdam and Frankfurt locations soon.

He added that it had started reaching out to MSPs in May last year on a recruitment drive but the door remained opened to those channel partners that would be attracted by its latest offering: “We would like to use this as an opportunity to work with service providers”.

“We have spent a lot of time over the last 18 months developing the ecosystem and have been looking at the breath of partners and running co-creation events to drive joint thinking and co-creation of opportunities,” he said.

Fujistu is also encouraging its existing resellers to increase their as a service options because they are able to exploit current customer relationships.

“Customers want to work more closely with existing partners and want to work more with embedded partners,” said Bromham.

“Fujitsu PRIMERGY on Cyxtera’s on-demand data centre platform provides channel partners a cost-effective way to service customers who lack capital budget for infrastructure build-out,” said Tina Gravel, vp, channel sales for Cyxtera. “It also enables partners to facilitate cloud-first initiatives with flexible, dedicated infrastructure in Cyxtera’s secure data centres.”

Added to recent moves by HPE to offer its entire portfolio as a service by 2022 it is becoming clear that vendors are starting to move in that direction.