Stacking  Up   MS  versus  Google  Reseller  programs  for  the  SMB  cloud  market  

1

Microsoft  Apps  for  partners  are  based  on  Win  8  OS  and  O365  platforms.  Microsoft  is  moving  toward  Mobile  first,  Cloud  First  Strategy  and  the  Go  Digital  Initiative  centered  on  devices.  Customer  experience  is  delivered  via  cloud  and  touch  based  user  interface.    

2

Google  Biz  Apps  has  recently  come  of  age  and  has  always  been  a  cloud-­‐based  model.    Google  Apps  have  been  traditionally  focused  on  consumers  but  is  now  actively  catering  to  the  SMB  segment.    

MICROSOFT  ONLINE  SALES   GOOGLE  APPS  RESELLER  Size:  6000  partners  signed  up  online.  2000  are  active  sellers.  200  are  in  SMB  cloud  Champions  Club.  Microsoft  Partner  Network  (MPN)  has  ~430000  businesses.    

Apps,  Sales  Strategy  and  Solutions  for  the  21st  century  sales  force  

 Size:  6000  partners  signed  up  online  and  actively  selling.  Over  4M  businesses  use  Google  Apps  and  about  5000  sign  up  every  day.  

Partner  onboarding:  Easy  to  sign  up  portal  and  a  quick  confirmation  of  partner  registration  status.    

Advertising  and  Promotion:  Free  basic  listing  on  MS  Pinpoint  portal  to  reach  the  entire  MPN  partner  ecosystem  and  “get  Found”  search  directory.  Additional  paid  services  for  sponsored  messages  and  participation  in  MS  Worldwide  

Advertising  and  Promotion:  Free  basic  listing  on  Google  +  pages.  Google  Worldwide  Partner  conferences  are  not  available.    

Champions  Club:  Opportunity  for  about  10%  of  resellers  to  migrate  to  the  SMB  Cloud  Champions  Club.  Additional  sales  and  marketing  support  for  Club  members.    

Premier  Reseller:  Must  demonstrate  both  sales  and  deployment  competencies  to  become  part  of  this  program.  Additional  sales  and  marketing  support  for  premier  members.    

Partner  S&M  collateral  Portal:  MS  Action  Pack  provides  access  to  MS  Software  Suite  and  extensive  access  to  S&M  collateral  and  lead  generation  to  post  sales  support  tools.  A  one-­‐time  fee  of  $475  is  required  to  subscribe  to  MS  Action  pack.  

Partner  S&M  collateral  Portal:  Google  Partner  Connect  portal  provides  extensive  access  to  S&M  collateral  and  lead  generation  to  post  sales  support  tools.    

 

Partner  onboarding:  Easy  sign  up  on  MPN  Portal  but  takes  about  14  days  for  partner  status  confirmation.      

Reseller  Training:  Extensive  training  program  with  CPE  credits  that  count  toward  final  certification.  CPE  credits  are  fee  based.    

Reseller  Training:  Google  Apps  Certification  program  provides  certifications  for  both  sales  and  deployment.      

Conclusion:  MobileForce  concludes  that  MS  offers  robust  Enterprise  Grade  solutions  with  sales  tools  and  education  that  is  better  professionally  structured  than  those  of  Google.  While  MS  solutions  are  time  tested,  Google  is  a  new  entrant  and  typically  plays  in  the  lower  end  of  the  SMB  market,  where  it  has  enormous  goodwill  and  social  network.  MS  solutions,  however,  may  be  expensive  for  a  start-­‐up  firm  that  does  not  want  to  incur  upfront  costs.  However,  if  you  play  in  the  Connected  Devices  business  or  require  CRM/BI  tools,  you’d  have  to  go  with  Microsoft.  Also,  for  customers  that  cannot  migrate  to  Chrome,  upsell  opportunities  remain  with  Microsoft.  

 

MICROSOFT  ONLINE  SALES   GOOGLE  APPS  RESELLER  Partner  Program  Pricing:  Free  to  sign  up  as  a  partner  and  for  basic  tools.  Requires  fees  to  be  paid  to  gain  certifications  and  access  to  advanced  S&M  collateral  and  tools.  Fees  can  also  be  paid  for  additional  advertising  push.  

Apps,  Sales  Strategy  and  Solutions  for  the  21st  century  sales  force  

 

Partner  Program  Pricing:  Free  to  sign  up.  Reseller  agreement  offered  only  upon  signing  up  of  25  Business  Apps.    To  gain  additional  S&M  resources,  there  is  no  fee,  but  requires  additional  customer  acquisition  and  deployment  capabilities.  

Solutions  on  offer  for  resale:  Office  productivity,  Google  Cloud  Platform,  File  Storage,  Maps,  Ads,  Voice  &  Messaging  Collaboration  Tools  ,Enterprise  Search,  Mobile  Device  Management,  Mobile  Data  Analytics,  Corporate  Social  Network,  Website  Development,  Tablets  for  Education,  Chromebooks  for  Education,  16TB  Cloud  Storage  for  Gov  Employees  

Market  Development  Fund  and  Trade  Financing:  Windows  Accelerator  program  provides  MDFs,  Proof  of  Concept  devices,  and  Working  capital  financing.  

No  Market  Development  Fund  and  Trade  Financing  Program  

 

Customer  Showcase  Program:  SMB  Platinum  Customer  Evidence  Program    -­‐    a  structured  program  to  take  advantage  of  valuable  customer  testimonials  that  results  in  high  lead  conversion  rates.  Requires  a  paid  subscription.  

Premier  Reseller:  Must  demonstrate  both  sales  and  deployment  competencies  to  become  part  of  this  program.  Additional  sales  and  marketing  support  for  premier  members.    

Campaign  Design  and  Management  Tool:  Marketing  campaigns  can  be  designed  on  an  extensive  program  called  Get2Modern.  Digital  Marketing  Solutions  are  offered  via  

Marketing  Campaign  Management  and  Digital  marketing  support  is  not  offered.    

 

Solutions  on  offer  for  resale:  Office  productivity,  CRM,  Cloud  Infrastructure  Management,  Mobile  Device  Management,  Embedded  Solutions  for  Connected  Devices,  BI  tools,    Voice  &  Messaging  Collaboration  Tools,  Corporate  Social  Network,  Advanced  Database  and  Query,  along  with  Professional  Services  and  Consulting.    

Customer  Showcase  Program:  SMB  Platinum  Customer  Evidence  Program    -­‐    a  structured  program  to  take  advantage  of  valuable  customer  testimonials  that  results  in  high  lead  conversion  rates.    

No  structured  customer  showcase  program.  

 

Apps  Marketplace:  MS  Apps  Marketplace  along  with  Windows  Azure  cloud  infrastructure  management  solution.  Windows  Intune  MDM  solution  also  offered.    

Apps  Marketplace:  Google  Apps  Marketplace  along  with  Google  Cloud  Platform  Infrastructure  Management  solution.  MDM  solution  also  offered.    Consumer  focused  Apps  also  available  for  SMBs.  

For  further  information  and  business  inquiries  please  visit  MobileForce’s  website  at  http://www.digitalmobileforce.com