Pax8 and Google Cloud launch collaboration in ANZ as agentic demand grows

Collaboration with the cloud giant launches in Australia first before hitting other markets.

Pax8 has announced a new collaboration with Google Cloud, bringing the tech giant into its marketplace as the company aims to reach the NFP and education sector.

The GCP offering is only available in ANZ markets for now and eventually will be launched globally. Lindsay Zwart, EVP and GM APAC at Pax8 told CRN Australia the Google offerings will expand across Asia and then other regions.

“We decided to start in the ANZ region, because [it’s] smaller, easier to test the waters, a great opportunity to test and learn in in the ANZ region,” she said.

“It was a market that was that's been asking for Google. It's also a market that has only currently got Microsoft and have been asking for an additional hyperscaler in region.

“I was excited to be able to bring Google to market and deliver, deliver an additional option for our MSPs in market.”

The marketplace platform has launched Google Cloud offerings to its partners including Chrome OS, Chrome Enterprise Premium, and Gemini Enterprise.

In a few weeks, Pax8 will launch Google Workspace and Cameo.

Zwart said Google gives them access to industries they haven’t had worked with before, like the education and not-for-profit space.

“NFP is significant in the SMB space. A significant number of SMBs sit in the not-for-profit space, and I think they've been neglected,” she said.

“Google's very strong in that space, and we can help them.”

The marketplace will also be offering Google Cloud educational courses in its Pax8 Academy.

Pax8 houses now two of the three hyperscalers, when asked if AWS would enter the Pax8 ecosystem, Zwart answered, “Keep watching”.

Impact of GCP

Ryan Walsh, channel chief and chief strategy officer at Pax8 told CRN Australia there is a “significant” impact of the Google brand to their ecosystem.

“We can have opportunities that partners haven't seen before,” he said.

“Multi cloud services taking advantage of the uniqueness of Google Suite with Gemini running through it, that's going to open up some doors.”

Walsh said this partnership helps Pax8 become more "more robust”, to add that to what is evolving to be an AI commerce marketplace focus for the company.

“It amplifies that focus, because AI runs core through the Google Suite, and they're built with infrastructure to support it,” he said.

“I would say that's not to be diminished how important that is to have all of that lineup on top of what Zwart referenced, with regards to the ecosystem expansion.”

Partner reaction

Zwart has been encouraged by the support from partners. She said after the announcement webinar, 10 new partners signed up the next day.

“Brand new partners who we never had. We're attracting brand new partners into our ecosystem,” she said.

Her existing partners are now bringing their Google ecosystems across to Pax8 now.

“We want them to bring the rest of their business over to us and bring the whole ecosystem across our business, so that we can look after their full portfolio of business and support them,” she said.

Agentic opportunities

This partnership also coincides with growing demand of agentic AI tools. Walsh said the growth in demand from their partners has been “ridiculous”.

He said that the agentic demand changed Pax8’s mission to become an AI commerce marketplace.

“The extension of that is, how can we help the small medium sized business take advantage of a digital workforce, and the agentic toolset is going to run forward to that,” Walsh explained.

“The demand and how that blends with what we currently offer is going to be what we talk about and what we got our partners through. We've coined it, a managed intelligence provider.

“The cool thing about what that means for Pax8 is we go to market with partners who get to decide what dimension or angle do they want to take advantage of that future, agentic tools.”

Walsh explained they are using stories and examples from partners who have already begun their agentic journey to nurture and guide those who are just starting theirs.

"This is what's informing how we're guiding our partners going forward. There's a there's a bidirectional thing happening right now, because we can see a distinction between those that have really made the move and those that haven't made it yet,” he said.

“It is pretty strong that this is the future, and it's we're not turning back.”

Message to partners

Zwart wants to let her partners know that there is a “great opportunity” for partners to expand their practice by adopting Google.

"Our message is this is not a replacement. This is a growth opportunity, and the opportunity is to expand your workloads by looking at what Google can do for you.”

Walsh added, “For any partner interested in flexibility in terms of how they architect, design, sell and deliver AI solutions to the market, this represents a great opportunity for them with a powerful tool like this, with Gemini rooted in the middle of all of it.”