At Nerdio, our mission is to empower Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to build successful cloud practices in Microsoft Azure and one of the major investments we make as a company is to partner with high-quality, best in class cloud distributors. Working with the distribution channel was a major investment of Nerdio and it has paid off in a big way. Together with our distribution partners, we have been able to grow the MSP market for cloud services and expose Nerdio to a much broader set of partners than we ever could have done alone as a SaaS company. 

For other SaaS vendors looking to break into the MSP ecosystem, here are three good reasons to seriously consider partnering with cloud distributors: 

1. You will achieve breakthrough growth. 
   As a SaaS startup, Nerdio really started to take off astronomically after we established strong relationships with cloud distributors.  The reach we achieved, and breadth of market distribution is unparalleled and something that is quite difficult to realize by going at it alone.  Most cloud distributors have long-term relationships with MSPs; ones that in some cases they have maintained and grown through several iterations of various technologies.  Being able to tap into a distributor’s network of partners can allow you to scale your business much more quickly than hiring many more of your own salespeople in the early days of your company’s growth.  
   
2. Distributors have the pulse of the market. 
   Because of their broad and deep relationships that in some cases have been in place for decades, cloud distributors maintain a strong pulse on the market.  As a cloud vendor, we certainly believe we are deeply ingrained into what is going on with MSPs when it comes to their journey to the cloud with Microsoft Azure, but what we are less aware of is what else is going on with other cloud vendors, what trends we should be aware of, and how others are navigating this generational shift to the public cloud.  Our distribution partners play a big role in advising us as to the latest trends and market shifts so that we can react more quickly and provide the best solution for the broadest set of MSPs possible. 
   
   Have questions about cloud distributors and what the next steps are? Contact us and we’ll help guide you!
   
3. You can leverage sophisticated cloud marketplaces. 
   All cloud distributors have either stood up sophisticated cloud marketplaces, or if they have not, are in the process of doing so.  A cloud marketplace allows an MSP to come to the distributor, and by using one “portal”, gain access to the latest cloud technologies to help grow their business and move their customers to the cloud. MSPs love this because they have one place to go to consume and be billed for cloud services. In the case of Nerdio, our MSP partners enter a specific cloud marketplace and gain access to the key building blocks they need to build their practice—Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and Nerdio Manager for MSP. This friction-free way of purchasing cloud services is the new norm in the MSP ecosystem and short of using the various Microsoft marketplaces is the most efficient way to accelerate your move to the cloud. As a SaaS vendor, integration via APIs into your cloud distributor’s marketplace is a necessity and provides you with a huge advantage relative to your competitors. 
     

At Nerdio, we believe that building strong relationships with cloud distributors is not only a great way to grow your business but is a requirement when it comes to accelerating your MSP partners’ move to the cloud.  We are hugely appreciative of our distribution partners and look forward to much success together in the marketplace.