“Channels are a fantastic way to solve customer problems in a scalable motion”: Cloudflare’s Suchanda Mandal on the benefits of partners
The new VP of APAC partnerships speaks to CRN Australia about how the company is aiming to become 90 percent channel.
Looking at partners and the IT channel ecosystem, Suchanda Mandal, VP of APAC partnerships at Cloudflare, believes they are vital to solving customer problems.
Speaking to CRN Australia, she said, “Channels are a fantastic way to solve customer problems in a scalable motion.”
Cloudflare is on a journey to become 90 percent partner, and with this strategy Mandal believes partners will be an extension of the company on the field.
"They will bring the story, they will solve the problems all the way from implementation to managing, continuous upselling, and iteration. Now that journey only a partner can do, so, understanding the problem, bringing the right solution,” she said.
Mandal noted when a partner thinks of a solution, they're thinking end to end for the customer, not just the vendor.
“They're not thinking just Cloudflare, they're not thinking just one product. They're solving it, and they're earning trust, and they're implementing [the product] and managing it,” she said.
“The customer, they get what they want, they have a trusted advisor, and we provide the solutions behind to help manage it, that's very appealing to me.”
Mandal called the partners leaning in with Cloudflare, “hungry and innovative”.
"They are willing to work together in a collaborative fashion, and they can bring the scale which we can't and with multiple partners, your scale multiplies,” she explained.
“As an organisation, we will never invest in that kind of a scale. But what partners can do for us is a game of continuous innovation, scalability and bringing the best for our customers.”
Preparing to be predominantly channel-first
With Cloudflare aiming to 90 percent channel globally, Mandal noted that most of their business needs to go through channels.
“The leadership team, we are all aligned. We are all ready to implement and we are working towards it so there is no looking back at,” she said.
Mandal explained that to grow the channel, first, they need to be ready and their partners need to be ready.
“Internally we are investing a lot on people, process technology to help our partners make it easier to do business with us,” she said.
To continue this investment in the channel, Cloudflare has begun hiring new talent for the channel.
“We are investing in partners, we are investing in programs and discounts, specifically for ANZ. You've seen Pat Breen has joined us as the head of ANZ. I am hiring a channel leader locally as well,” she said.
Mandal noted that lot is going on from Cloudflare’s end to ensure they are ready to help partners.
“On the partner front, definitely, we want to work with partners who can bring business to us so partner initiated opportunities,” she explained.
“That is where the true success of a partner business is they take us to customers that we can't and we don't have the scale to build.
“In return, we are investing in them. We are changing our discount programs, our tools enablement to partners from presales to post sales, helping them represent us adequately on the field.”