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Westcon-Comstor adds private Cisco listings to AWS Markeplace
Distributor moves quickly to flex status as valued partner of public cloud giant
Westcon-Comstor has been given the opportunity by Cisco to list the vendor’s technologies on the AWS marketplace.
The distributor has a long-standing relationship with Cisco, and has also been building its position with AWS. It will now be able to privately list cyber security, observability and networking, plus collaboration-focused software products, on the cloud giant’s AWS Marketplace.
The move should provide channel partners with another method of obtaining large chunks of the Cisco portfolio, and meeting in their chosen location those customers looking to buy through the marketplace.
Given its decades-long relationship with Cisco, it’s perhaps no surprise the vendor is one of the first to be added to Westcon-Comstor’s AWS Marketplace programme. The distie has been building on the recent Designated Seller of Record (DSOR) agreement it gained from AWS.
Westcon-Comstor was recently awarded the DSOR agreement with AWS, which gives the distributor the opportunity to privately list its vendors’ products on AWS Marketplace and share quotes with channel partners.
David Grant, CEO of Westcon-Comstor, said it made sense to start to ramp things up with Cisco.
“End-users increasingly want to procure in AWS Marketplace thanks to the flexibility and pre-defined budgets it offers, and we’re committed to enabling partners to sell where their customers want to buy,” he said. “In giving our partners access to Cisco’s exceptional technology portfolio and equipping them with a simplified and streamlined route to transacting Cisco products on AWS Marketplace, we’re creating a new platform from which to drive growth and scale across the value chain.”
Strengthening relationship
From a Cisco perspective, the vendor already has a strong relationship with AWS, and viewed the latest development with Westcon-Comstor as strengthening that involvement further.
“Fresh off being announced as AWS’s global ISV of the year, we’re accelerating our engagements with Cisco partners and distributors,” said Andrew Sage, vice-president of global distribution and SMB sales at Cisco. “We’re excited about the opportunity ahead with Comstor, and the ability for our distributors to serve more customers through the AWS marketplace.”
Speaking last month after gaining DSOR status, Grant shared the rationale for the distributor’s involvement with Marketplace: “End-user buyer behaviour is evolving rapidly, and this agreement with AWS is all about enabling our partners to sell where their customers want to buy.
“In building a bridge that allows our partners to serve their customers directly in AWS Marketplace, we’re strengthening the position of the channel in the cloud marketplace ecosystem and creating new growth opportunities for our partners and vendors.”
The distributor shared analyst views of the benefits of being on Marketplace, with Forrester recently revealing those channel partners that were selling on those platforms could close deals up to 50% faster, and Canalys has predicted global sales of third-party vendor software and services through cloud marketplaces will hit $45bn by 2025.
The distributor is holding an event next week to share more details of its involvement with AWS Marketplace with resellers.
