Network-as-a-Service “Forming” in the Channel

Regular readers might have noticed that my last few posts have had a definite channel focus – something that is a deliberate choice on my part, and not a trend I’ll be stepping away from any time soon.

At the start of this year, I talked about the four digital transformation trends that were key to empowering enterprises in 2022 – faster digitization, a shift to simplicity and automation, a network renaissance and IT’s move from operators to innovators. Boiled right back, what all these trends add up to is a desperate need for additional support as companies struggle to align their operations to today’s rapidly evolving environment.

As I’ve talked about before, we believe this has created somewhat of a perfect storm for Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) and the flexible, budget friendly support it offers. But so too has it thrown a spotlight on the channel to deliver it.

As we hit the mid-year mark, NaaS is more front of mind for partners than ever before. Case and point, it was the key topic of conversation during one of our partner meet-ups last month – both in terms of the official agenda but also during breakouts. Time and time again I heard that partners are firm in their belief that NaaS is where the market is going – for them, the question is how to get there fast and first.

Beyond anecdotal evidence, our own research also backs up the increased relevancy of NaaS, with 86% of the 5,400 IT leaders we spoke to last year admitting that NaaS was already being discussed in some capacity within their company.

The opportunity remains clear. But the transformation to NaaS is not one that can happen overnight. For both Aruba and our partners, NaaS is a long-term strategy – but one we must get started on now if we want to set ourselves up for success in the coming years. To borrow from that well-known team building phrase, 2022 is about the forming before the storming.

So how is Aruba making it easier for partners to form their NaaS approach?

The most obvious answer to this lies in how we’ve designed our own NaaS solution – HPE GreenLake for Aruba NaaS, which is a suite of eight standardized offerings that have been specifically optimized for sale by our channel partners.

Most partners have some managed service capability to use as a jumping off point – so their priority is to complement this with a NaaS approach that matches their particular business and expertise. With a host of offerings to choose between and additional opportunities to sell their own value-added services on top, we are making it simple (and therefore quick) for partners to create and deliver a tailored NaaS proposition.

Having the ‘what’ determined is only part of the answer, of course. For NaaS success, you must be able to sell it. And that is a priority that is coming through loud and clear from partners – how can Aruba help sales teams to educate themselves and their customers on NaaS.

Here, we recognise that vertical solution messaging is going to be key – and we’re working hard on developing end-user-focused sales materials that enable customers to imagine the specific outcomes of NaaS for their industry.

?But we’re also committed to education on our side. As we initiate NaaS conversations with our customers, we need to understand what our partners (and the broader industry) are offering so we can select the right one to continue the discussion. In this regard, listening is going to be hugely important to us throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond – asking the right questions, encapsulating feedback, and adapting our products and approaches accordingly.

As I hope is reflected in everything we do, Aruba is trying to be as open as possible with partners about the transformation needed on both sides so we can succeed at NaaS together. At the end of the day though, this is about providing choice to our customers on how they accelerate their digital transformation journey and being flexible to support the business outcomes they need to drive.

Our ask of you? Get on board! Let’s pilot some approaches this year, test new waters, roll with the bumps and do some magic!