New Distribution Route Makes SD-WAN Services Frictionless for Resellers

SD-WAN services are the new opportunity frontier, but it’s not always easy for value-added resellers (VARs) to capitalize on this prospect — that is until now. For the first time, Masergy is offering its SD-WAN services, including 24/7 network and security management, through a distribution sales route. As a channel-first company, we teamed with Ingram Micro and Fortinet to deliver frictionless indirect sales that include SD-WAN services tailored specifically for resellers and managed service providers (MSPs). This is just the beginning of what will become a new series of reseller offerings available in our Masergy Guardian Portfolio^TM. Here are the key problems solved and why our new sales route is a win for the broader community.

Partner Blues: Time is Right for SD-WAN, but the Support is All Wrong

As hardware and software become cheaper, more intuitive, and require less technical expertise, channel partners are watching their profits erode. Under pressure to move beyond transactional licensing to a rich set of services and subscriptions, they need to act fast, because the timing for IT services couldn’t be better:

• 92% of IT leaders are expected to adopt SD-WAN by 2026 ^¹
• 75% of SD-WAN buyers prefer managed services over a do-it-yourself approach ^²
• 87% of companies experience security staffing shortages ³, thus requiring services

But today’s ripe market doesn’t equal a smooth path. Many partners are lacking a distributor marketplace with combined solutions for managed hardware and services. Nor do they have the resources to build and scale their network and security service operations to meet market demand without the challenges of overhead.

Jerald Murphy, SVP, Research and Consulting, at analyst firm Nemertes put it best. “Resellers need to be able to offer compelling solutions, but they cannot afford to develop services with every vendor. To move beyond selling boxes, they need complete solutions that are also easy for them to implement and maintain,” he said.

Here lies the crux of the problem. But in breaking down this barrier, Masergy knew it couldn’t go at it alone. The channel community is an ecosystem with many interdependencies. In order for the solution to serve all — partners, distributors, and hardware manufacturers too — it had to be co-created.

It was time to partner up.

Unleashing SD-WAN Growth through a Frictionless Sales Route

Masergy launched its Guardian Portfolio to showcase reseller offerings available through a distribution sales route. These tailored solutions make it easier for partners to sell, deploy, and support IT services of all types. The first offering in this new series combines Fortinet FortiGate SD-WAN with managed services from Masergy that make 24/7 NOC and SOC management a snap for resellers—particularly those that do not have their own network and security operations teams or have limited expertise and resources in these service areas. Watch the video. For now, the solution is available only in the U.S. and through the Ingram Micro distribution channel, but those are just the starting points.

Partners Gain MRR without All the NOC & SOC Work

Generating monthly recurring revenue, the offering helps reseller partners expand their service portfolio without all the upfront investment. When standing up around-the-clock services can come at a prohibitive cost for partners, Masergy’s 24/7 NOC and SOC teams act as an extension of their own service departments, representing an entryway to new markets and empowering them to sell what may have otherwise been out of reach.

What’s more? Partners can tell Masergy how to interact with their clients simply by selecting from two service options — fully managed SD-WAN services (provided entirely by Masergy) and co-managed services, (where the reseller/MSP takes on the Tier 1 and 2 client support). This service flexibility is genius, because it gives resellers the freedom to choose their preferred service model. So, offerings actually complement the way their business works.

Partners Can Expand Services with the Confidence of Client Loyalty

Many partners want to hold their clients tight, nurturing relationships as the lifeline of their business, and protecting this harmony was critical when Masergy designed our service-focused solution. The co-managed service option allows them to preserve their relationships as they gain more share of wallet. Another bonus: Partners do not need to complete complex technical certifications in order to sell, and zero-touch implementation capabilities make the solution easy to install.

Upside potential continues to unfold. The same way partners can select from two different service options, clients can customize their SD-WAN solutions with add-ons for secure remote work connectivity and security threat response services. Explore the solution and learn how to start selling today.

And the co-creators win too.

Overcoming Sales Hurdles for All: Fortinet, Ingram Micro, and Masergy

While selling services might sound like just another day in IT sales, making a menu of multi-vendor services available through a distribution channel is an innovative step forward for the industry. In fact, companies have tried to do this before and failed. That’s where the tenacity of our teamwork is trailblazing solutions that work for all parties involved:

• Ingram Micro is reducing time-to-market while increasing deal size and revenue
• Fortinet is unlocking SD-WAN sales by addressing the required technical installation and ongoing management
• Masergy is able to reach a wider market of customers, tapping into resellers and their strong end user relationships

When solutions work for everyone, why sell anything else?

Wider Engagements Pave the Way for the Future

This is just the beginning. While our new sales route is opening Masergy to a much broader segment of trusted advisors, we are also eager to widen our engagements with more go-to-market partners and more international channel partners. Plus, we will be adding a bigger variety of IT services to our new portfolio of reseller offerings. In leading with the needs of others, we aim to unfold a constellation of opportunities, welcoming new conversations that drive co-creation.

Co-creation is the future of the channel and a trend gaining steam in the IT industry. Today, SD-WAN, security, and AI are converging technologies, and as a result, the communities around them must also come together. Interconnections will be even more pervasive in the years ahead, and the work we do today to blur intersections or even erase interdependencies will help lay a foundation for shared success and for the digitally powered future.

Learn more about Masergy’s Guardian Portfolio

Resources

¹ Nemertes MSSP Buyer’s Guide: What to Look for in a Modern Managed Security services Provider, by John Burke. November 2021.
² IDG 2020 IDG SD-WAN Market Trends Report: ‘New Normal’ Puts SD-WAN Digital Transformation in the Fast Lane, by staff writers at IDG. 2020.
³ Altman Solon 2021 State of SD-WAN Study, as published by staff writers at Masergy. 2021.