23 March 2021

Delivering value through channel alliance partners – interview with Ramon Gonzalez

Part of the DE-CIX partner program extension was to strengthen the partner team and to introduce a new program component for channel alliance partners. Ramon Gonzalez, Alliance Manager Enterprise Business, joined the DE-CIX team last summer to look after our new partners who work with customers outside the telecommunications industry to deliver added value and to bring the benefits of interconnection to a variety of sectors.

We spoke to Ramon about enterprise digitalization and growing interconnection needs, our extended partner program, and how our partners can deliver value to their enterprise customers. 

What kind of enterprises can benefit from interconnection services?

Many enterprises from all sectors are currently on their journey towards digital transformation. This involves both the way we work with each other as well as completely new business models that are based on new innovative structures.

Globalization is also a factor that is playing an increasingly important role, especially in the field of digitalization.

No matter whether you look – at the continuously growing demand for cloud-based business solutions, coverage of legal regulations, or the cloud fundamentals under development within the GAIA-X project – the trends are clear. There is no way to get around using a professional solution to connect to and access multiple network environments in a highly secure and efficient way.

We are committed to supporting enterprises in their digital strategy regardless of the industry. We want to help enterprises achieve success together with partners.

Are we focusing on specific sectors?

The current circumstances accelerate an active integration and aggregation of the most varied data, applications, and users. This leads to the fact that more and more different sectors are interacting more frequently with each other. We can see this currently in how the healthcare and logistics sectors are coordinating in developing and delivering vaccines in a very short period of time. Just-in-time manufacturing means that data generated by factory the Asia-Pacific region must processed almost instantly by an ERP in e.g. the US. Large businesses with multiple physical locations must be able to communicate internally as if they are all in the same building. Not to mention the new reality of vast swathes of the global workforce working remotely.

Though separate until recently, IT and telecommunications are merging more and more. Cloud architectures are building a bridge between these two fields and creating added value for enterprises; platforms like DE-CIX make this possible.

In light of these new demands and opportunities, we are available as a constant and reliable alliance partner to enterprises regardless of the industry.

It’s actually really satisfying working on creating solutions for businesses. That is what I really like about our channel alliance partner program; it supports our partners in extending their portfolios and makes our services available to their customers; ultimately helping many more businesses advance their digital transformation.

Tell us about the extended partner program, who are the typical channel alliance partners?

In order to optimize our market position and to reach new business segments, we are creating a network of experts within the Value-Added Reseller (VAR) sector.

We address solution and cloud-oriented consulting firms, system integrators, and highly professional managed service providers who are able to deliver the best interconnection services and guarantee the digital success of their customers.

What about partners who are not familiar with networking or interconnection – how does DE-CIX support them in becoming expert advisors for their customers?

Success is not only the result of having access to the right contacts. In depth knowledge about the solution, positioning, and the underlying technology is equally important.

We offer all of our partners training and we have optimized our certification program to ensure that channel alliance partners are thoroughly prepared for selling and positioning the DE-CIX interconnection solutions on the market.

How does a company become a DE-CIX channel alliance partner?

To become a channel alliance partner, we provide a strong foundation that allows you to participate in the growing market of global interconnection services. Partners have the ability to directly set up many of the additional services offered by DE-CIX without needing to invest a lot of time and resources. It is a very quick and easy way of extending your own portfolio of services.

We realize that not every partner level is suitable for every organization. Therefore, our alliance program is consistent around the globe and currently covers two different levels of cooperation:

  • Referral Alliance Partner
  • Reseller Alliance Partner

We will provide overall support and agree on a business plan with each partner individually. On top of that, we will subsidize related advertising activities and run joint marketing campaigns. It is this flexibility that makes us the ideal alliance for our partners.

What are the benefits of becoming a DE-CIX channel alliance partner?

DE-CIX is an excellent platform for a large number of infrastructure services, such as connectivity to multiple and complex cloud environments like Microsoft, AWS, IBM, Oracle, etc. Our secure and reliable platform is also designed to deliver seamless and private interconnection, such as Closed User Groups.

In the era of big data, IoT, automation and global cloud usage, a collaboration with DE-CIX is the ideal opportunity to enrich and extend existing portfolios and services. Together we design, develop, and deliver technological architecture to accompany and support enterprises on their journey to digital innovation.