Google Apps Makes Inroads in the SMB Channel

The company has a vision for engaging the channel, and so far, its SMB solution provider partners are pretty thrilled with the result.

By Alison Diana

By forming a partner program and forging relationships with solution providers, Google is further spurring SMB adoption of Google Apps and other Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technologies.

Google's reseller program, unveiled in January, is open to all--from multinational global integrators to small VARs, says Stephen Cho, director of Google Apps channels. SMB VARs, he says, are essential to meeting the company's business and channel design goals. "The smaller firm is being served by the smaller VAR or IT consultancy. That is where they go for advice and implementation," notes Cho. "Some of these smaller companies might know about Google Apps and proactively want to migrate to it on their own, but we believe they would do this only under the advice and guidance of a company they trust."

To help SMB partners successfully sell into, implement, and support their clients' SaaS efforts, Google's program includes a Web portal with business and technical information, online discussion groups, sales and technical training, and customer marketing materials. Reseller tools also help VARs set up customers and provision users. Management functions and integration APIs for directory synchronization, migration, and single sign-on are available as well, according to the Mountain View, Calif.-based developer.

FEEDBACK FROM PARTNERS
"Google is a great company to work with," says Eran Gil, vice president of business development at Atlanta-based Cloud Sherpas, which targets midsize and enterprise clients. Gil's company has worked with other large organizations, and knows how the channel model works. But Google is different. "They have their own concept of how to run the channel. They provide a lot of touch points into the organization and are open to allowing the channel to engage with [them]," he says.

Google's willingness to communicate is one of the company's biggest strengths, says Irfan Khan, chairman of Agosto Inc., a Minneapolis-based MSP and integrator. "One thing Google does well is listen," he says.

While partners know the program is evolving, they say it needs more work. Solution providers want deal registration, for example, which is not currently offered, says Khan, adding that the company should also expand training and enhance marketing and channel communication tools. "They haven't, in my opinion, put a lot of energy into the channel," he says. "But the good news is they're changing. I would expect, in a year, a lot of those things will be rectified."

Google confirms that its program is a work in progress. "We're at the beginning," Cho says. "For us, it's really [about] making sure we keep the momentum going-that in a world of constrained resources we continue to deliver the things our partners need to be successful. I'm encouraged by what I see going on around the company. There is not a pretense that we have all the answers. At the same time, we are doing things differently."

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