Eric Buck, director of commercial partners and global distribution at Google Cloud, joins Larry Walsh to talk about the role two-tier distribution models and distributors play in aiding cloud service providers in engaging channels and supporting partners.  

Technology is increasingly being delivered via the cloud and sold through subscription payment models. End customers — from SMBs to enterprises — appreciate the ability to acquire and utilize computing resources hosted in public cloud infrastructure and available from virtually anywhere.  

The digitalization of computing infrastructure and resources has many channel pros questioning the necessity of selling cloud services through traditional two-tier distribution models. Without physical products that require warehousing and logistics support for fulfillment, cloud services seemingly negate the need for working with distributors to reach the channel and end customers.  

Yet cloud service providers and cloud-based technology companies have discovered that bypassing distribution isn’t necessarily the wisest choice. Distribution continues to play a vital role in helping vendors reach and influence partners, provide access to sales and technical support services, and enable transactions. From the perspective of partners, distribution is an aggregation point for different cloud resources, and distributors provide direction on what services to sell and how to make them work together.  

Changing Channels asked Eric Buck, the director of commercial partners and global distribution at Google Cloud, to explain why even the hyperscale cloud service providers such as Google are working with distributors, the value and support they receive from distribution, and how vendors can measure the efficacy and return on investment they get by engaging a two-tier model.  

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Episode Resources 

Host Larry Walsh: https://bit.ly/3beZfOa 

Guest Eric Buck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-buck-6213211/ 

In the Margins: https://tinyurl.com/2sun9z5s