CloudBolt: powering growth through the right relationship

In an era where digital transformation is reshaping industries and revolutionising business operations, the importance of choosing the right partner has become a priority over choosing the perfect solution. Because, let’s be honest, there is no perfect solution. Nothing will tick all your boxes, all the time, over time. At least that’s what I believe. And I’m a Product Manager, so I’ll trust my gut on this one.

This is a story about choosing the right partner to support us, Giacom, as a Cloud Distributor.

If you’ve ever sold Azure, you probably came across issues like monitoring usage and being able to show your customers their own spend (and include their own margins). A Cloud Management tool like CloudBolt could solve these. But so could others. So why CloudBolt?

Working with big vendors has its perks, but unless you’re equally big, it often feels like whatever business you do with them is just a drop in the ocean of Enterprise revenue they can get direct. And that extends to communication: strength is in numbers, if you want to make ripples, either you spend big or you count on many SMBs asking for the same.

I already work with Azure, which is a beast of a product, and I wanted a Cost Management vendor Giacom could make a difference with and make a difference to. I wanted to create ripples and see those ripples extending far into their development roadmap and marketing choices. I wanted responsiveness everywhere across their teams and I wanted to feel they cared about what we wanted. I didn’t want the short-lived moment of a “perfect” solution, I wanted the relationship that would enable us to grow together and make the solution tick all our partners’ boxes, most of the time, over time.

From the get-go, CloudBolt have consistently given us a dynamic collaborative space to continuously push forward cutting-edge technology which we consider a must-have for us and our partners. I asked Will Norton, Senior Director of GTM at CloudBolt, how the partnership has changed CloudBolt’s approach, “Giacom helps us see things at scale. We expose ourselves to various scenarios faster than ever rather than taking months as we used to. This accelerates our need to deliver value.”

The partnership wasn’t a game changer for Giacom only. By joining us, CloudBolt took a significant step which opened the door for them to the UK channel market.

Will adds, “The UK operates on a tighter knit community than the US. Word of mouth is vital. Connected conversations count because they build relationships rather than just business transactions. We feel like part of the Giacom team, learning together. We engage in client conversations, observe market trends, and understand what your partners need. These insights fuel our growth and product development. It’s an intimate relationship.”

And that it is. From our multiple calls to look at technical aspects, to our bi-weekly updates which occasionally get interrupted by a child saying hi or a baby crying somewhere in the house, it truly feels like we are in this together. And neither of us are slowing down.

“Over the past year, we have spent considerable time understanding the differing needs of direct partners and MSPs. The UK channel now underpins much of our business strategy,” says Will.

“We aim to offer our other products similarly to how Giacom offers our Cost Management platform. The channel teaches us the importance of efficiency and value delivery over simply reselling.”

Choosing the right partner has serious implications on the future of a commercial strategy. Giacom’s and CloudBolt’s joint focus on a more value-based and outcome-based approach aims to offer partners the hypercare they need to grow their business knowing their feedback actually does make ripples, and that Giacom does listen.