Why Infrastructure Providers choose to partner with DSP
As our business grows, we’re seeing more and more demand for our services through partners. So in our simple approach to things, we assess IT Solution Providers that choose to send their customers our way, or integrate our services into theirs.
Basically, our business has three core offerings:
DBA and Application Managed Services– The support or outsourcing of the management of either Oracle, Oracle E-Business Suite or Microsoft SQL Database
MS SQL or Oracle Technology Services – The implementation and consulting of new Oracle or MS SQL environments; including Db-as-a-Service, RAC, Always-On and other custom or specific HA, Performance, DR, database environments and its’ related infrastructure
Business Solutions – Around either Oracle E-Business Suite, some SharePoint and MS Dynamics and Agile Software Development
These offerings are quite specific. Our skills and expertise are concentrated in these areas and we find ourselves often turning away business that is not core to us – as we’d rather do what we do right, than risk doing something we don’t do wrongly!
So what? What do IT Reseller, Infrastructure Providers/MSP’s and Cloud Providers care?
I’ve listed a few of the types of partners we work with, and why they use us.
dsp for IaaS/Cloud and Managed Service Providers (MSP’s)
These guys typically have a Cloud or an Infrastructure Managed Service offering. They look after the client’s datacentre, network, storage, virtual environment and the Operating System layer. They typically don’t venture into the Database or the Application Layer.
Why dsp? – These guys love our Managed DBA Services. They like the flexibility of how it ‘plugs’ into their offering so that they can provide a single point to their clients. It also enhances their monitoring platform – enabling the Infrastructure Provider to ‘pre-empt’ spikes and impact to the infrastructure before it becomes an issue.
For instance, dsp monitors CPU, Storage and trends within the Databases. This has a direct impact on a Cloud service ensuring both the customer and infrastructure provider can proactive provision more compute before downtime occurs.
DSP for Independent Software Vendors (ISV’s)
Why DSP? – ISV’s typically engage us to specify the data platform and the infrastructure required for their software. Their business is based on the application’s functionality and their capability usually stops when it comes to the data platform. This is why typically, an ISV will have their minimum specs based on Microsoft or Oracle’s published specs (and usually not based on real world usage), and sometimes over-specify the infrastructure to ensure a performant platform – raising the overall project cost.
DSP usually comes in to Consult on real-time usage based on the customer’s specific metrics and future plans. Then SolutionDesigns and Architects an appropriate Data Platform and Infrastructure.
This usually results in a saving in Oracle or MS SQL licensing and an IaaS operational saving if in a cloud infrastructure. it also ensures things like Recovery Point Objectives and Recovery Time Objectives are adhered to in relation to Application availability – not just infrastructure availability.
Infrastructure Resellers and Licence Providers (LARS)
Organisations providing On-Premise Solutions such as SAN’s and Virtualisation including VDI, use dsp to implement new MS SQL and Oracle environments to complement their existing portfolio.
For an infrastructure provider, they know the data platform dictates what infrastructure is required, and therefore want to ensure their solutions are fit for purpose.
Licence Resellers – use dsp mainly to either leverage Free Consultancy offered by Vendors, or offer Value Add services to their customers’ to reduce their licensing bills. We do this by technically assessing environments to ensure licences are either utilised correctly or specified correctly in the first place. With SQL Server 2014 costing 16k and Oracle Enterprise costing 32k each, this is a big saving/value to customers.
Risky though, using a partner? dsp will surely steal our customers…
Au Contraire – we actually like working with partners! Because dsp only has three services and these are concentrated around MS SQL and Oracle, we find customers either
a) Desperately need our services and are thankful we’re engaged
b) Might need us in future but that’ll be a few years down the line; or
c) Doesn’t need us at all and MS SQL or Oracle is not something they’re concerned with
Therefore, the best approach for us to partner with other organisations that are in day to day contact with columns a) and b).
The customer wins because they keep their existing relationship. The partner wins by achieving extra margin through our partner discount scheme and we win because we end up doing what we do best – which is Database and Application Services!!
As a technical service with quite specific skills – we prefer to be the ‘fries’ to a partner’s ‘burger’ as it ensures both dsp and our partners we don’t go off-piste in areas we don’t understand… But together we’re a powerful asset to any organisation!