12 01732 759725 INTERVIEW TR: AI is such an open-ended discussion that, it must be challenging for MSPs to scale and make money from those sorts of engagement. JY: Absolutely. It’s about giving people tangible, real life business cases. That’s what we are trying to do with Copilot, because if the enablement isn’t done correctly people will summarise in PowerPoint and Teams, but they won’t get true value out of it. First and foremost, it is really important to make sure the data structure and security are in place, but then it is critical to address the enablement of the users. What we’re seeing with both Microsoft and Adobe is that AI genuinely is allowing people to move away from mundane, menial tasks and do something more productive and ultimately more satisfying. That process requires people being on board, which is why we’re trying to get it down to quite specific use cases. TR: What other priorities do you have for 2025? JY: We’ve established our team, the partner program and a proposition that is structured and programmatic that we can take out to partners consistently, so for us, it’s now about scaling, raising the profile of Exertis Cloud and explaining what we’re doing for SMBs, above and beyond what more established competitors are doing. That’s the strategy. Tactically, we’re just embarking on a service with Microsoft, called the Cloud Migration Factory, where Microsoft engineers essentially migrate legacy workloads and infrastructure to Azure on behalf of SMB resellers, enabling them to keep their customers up-to-speed with digital transformation. Microsoft is prioritising five key pillars this financial year, of which migrations is one. There’s a lot of focus on Copilot and security, but they recognize there’s a huge legacy base that they need to work on. That’s going to be something to keep an eye on. If we can get some momentum behind that, it could be quite exciting. TR: What for you has been this year’s highlight? JY: Trying not to sound too cheesy, it’s having the team in place with the right balance between distribution experience, partner experience and vendor experience. We brought the final leaders into the commercial team in October and being able to close out the year with that team in place, ready to hit the ground running in January is a real positive. We feel we’re in a really great position. ...continued CLOUD Hunting for profit MSP Cloud Live delivers actionable insights for Giacom Partners Giacom, which through its Cloud Market gives more than 6,000 technology providers a platform where they can buy and manage comms, cloud, hardware and billing services from leading vendors and service providers, recently united its partner community and leading vendors for MSP Cloud Live at CodeNode, situated in the heart of London’s Tech City. Designed to empower channel partners to better support small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across the UK, the forum for learning and networking attracted close to 150 partners. The event opened with a keynote from Giacom Chief Operating Officer Nathan Marke, Hunting for Profit: How to Find Profitable Growth Serving the Dynamic SMB Technology Market. In it, he explored the UK SMB technology landscape, highlighting a market spend of $56.6 billion in 2024, with significant growth in cyber security (7.4% CAGR), business applications (11.6% CAGR) and managed services. Marke provided actionable insights into how MSPs could capture opportunities in emerging markets, create differentiated propositions and add value through bundled solutions and enhanced crosssell strategies. He also emphasised the importance of operational efficiency, recurring revenue models and leveraging AI-driven advancements to drive profitability and increase business valuations. Also included in the day’s agenda were a series of expert-led sessions, offering attendees deeper insights into key industry topics: Securing Tomorrow with Barracuda, SkyKick and Acronis explored the latest cybersecurity trends and threats anticipated in 2025; a panel discussion on Multi‑layered Defence for SMBs with usecure, Bitdefender and OpenText highlighted strategies for managing sophisticated cyber threats and keeping customers protected; while Microsoft’s FY25 Partner Power-Up session focused on strategies and growth opportunities aligned with the tech giant’s FY25 vision, delivering essential guidance for partners aiming to capitalise on the growing cloud market. There were also sessions on critical topics such as the role of AI in business transformation and strategies for minimising operational disruption and financial loss. In the exhibition area, Giacom partners had the opportunity to engage with leading vendors, including Microsoft, Acronis, Bitdefender, Barracuda, Exclaimer, Webroot, usecure, SkyKick and CompTIA, who were showcasing innovative solutions designed to enhance SMB operations and mitigate risks. James Baker, Managing Director – Cloud, said: “Our aim with MSP Cloud Live was to create a platform for collaboration, learning and innovation. The cloud industry is growing rapidly, and it’s vital for MSPs to develop sticky, differentiated propositions for SMB customers. Together with our vendor partners, we are committed to equipping resellers and MSPs with the tools and insights they need to achieve this and deliver exceptional value to their customers.” As SMBs increasingly turn to MSPs for packaged managed solutions to navigate the complexities of modern technology, MSP Cloud Live reaffirmed Giacom’s role as a strategic partner, enabling resellers and MSPs to seize market opportunities, achieve growth and enhance their customers’ cloud capabilities. You can watch edited highlights at https://vimeo.com/1031577420. www.giacom.com Nathan Marke James Baker
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