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Building Customer Relationships & Recurring Revenue with D&H Cloud Solutions [1:00:15]

D&H Cloud Solutions - A more simplified cloud experience.

Information technology is evolving quickly and D&H's Cloud Solutions Program is positioned to help you take advantage of this ever-changing industry. Join Matt Allison and Bill Hersh as they discuss what CSP is, the ways you can take advantage of this technology, and how D&H is leading the way with an SMB-centric cloud platform model. Stay ahead of the technology curve and demonstrate your continuing value to your clients as you assist them into the future of computing.

Make D&H your partner in the cloud!

Learn more about D&H Cloud Solutions!

Cloud got you curious?

I don't really get how these other vendors (Plum Choice and BitTitan) can make a positive difference in my business; can you clarify, please?
BitTitan makes tools available to make moving to the cloud easier, while Plum Choice can actually do the work for you, acting as an extension of your organization. This enables you to move seamlessly into cloud services while you learn on the fly, instead of having to get up to speed while learning or before transacting.

How can I compete against other VARs selling Office365 and Azure? Aren't all of our prices the same?
First, yes, your prices are all going to be on a level playing field. Second, we recommend that you don't sell Office365 or Azure; we recommend that you sell your services, which we think should include cloud-based email, team collaboration, and instant messaging, as well as traditional Microsoft Office applications. The one thing that no one can directly compete with is your personal service, which is honestly what you're used to selling anyway. If you sell business services, price becomes much less relevant.

How do I sell Azure? It's confusing to me.
We recommend that you start off by getting an idea what parts of a customer's business make the most sense to move to the cloud. If they have a network-intensive LoB application, that should likely stay nearby on-premises. If, on the other hand, they have some LoB application that is more compute-intensive, especially something SQL-based, that may be a good candidate for Azure. You can use the Azure Pricing Calculator to get an idea of what a given Azure use case will cost your customer and compare that to what an on-premises solution will cost them.

I don't want to give up my on-premises business.
Okay, so don't. There's no either/or clause to the cloud business and nobody forcing you into it. At the same time, your customers are moving there, some faster than others. Most end-users are not going to use two separate IT teams, so if someone else gets their cloud business, chances are that their on-premises business will move there, too. More importantly, someone else may be giving your customers bad advice on either cloud or on-premises IT; don't you want to be the one advising your customers? If so, you need to get there ahead of your competition.

My customer does not have access to high-speed internet or has inconsistent connectivity, would they still make a good candidate for cloud services?
No. Not all customers are going to be good candidates for cloud services and a strong internet connection is absolutely a prerequisite. However, that doesn't mean that perhaps cloud-based backup or other services that do not require a 24-hour connection could not work for that type of customer.

I have a customer who recently opened their doors and are currently looking for hardware quotes from me for their new datacenter. Is a cloud-based datacenter something I should consider for this customer?
Absolutely! Customers that are quickly expanding their IT or those that are seasonally influenced and require more people/computers during times of high activity are PERFECT candidates for cloud computing. In Azure, for example you can create Availability and Scale sets allowing for high availability and scalability respectively. Concerning the scale sets, these allow you to add multiple VMs and resources into a single group that works in tandem so if a server was under a high workload and was part of a scale set, you would be able to add more resources to help reduce that burden.  Same thing applies if the seasonal uptick is over and your average workload is reduced; you can remove resources and thus save money.

Does it cost me anything to sign up for D&H Cloud Solutions and become a Cloud Solutions Provider?
It does not. This program is 100% free to sign up.

Is PlumChoice monthly billing?
Yes. PlumChoice support is attached to standard subscriptions representing the level of support offered and therefore is billed along with those regular license purchases. In other words, you would have the option of purchasing an Office 365 Business Premium with or without 24/7 support.

How do you handle Office 365 E3 for non-profits?
No. MSFT non-profit O365 licenses are not sold through distribution.

Isn't the Office 365 E3 $20.00 each?
ERP is $20 for O365 E3, yes. However, of course, your cost is less.

Do you have any go to market webinar/white paper material to get a brand new VAR in CSP started?
Yes we do. If you're looking for marketing material, we have templates available thru our Partner Services - www.dandh.com/partnerservices/. We also have available instructional material which will guide you through different processes such as creating a customer account, determining your product offering and margins. Contact CloudSolutions@dandh.com for more information.

Do you have any additional marketing collateral for cloud solutions?
Yes, marketing material is available thru our Partner Services - www.dandh.com/partnerservices/

How is the monthly purchasing handled - does it tie up my credit or can you link it to a card?
Your monthly purchases are handled in exactly the same way your standard purchases thru D&H are handled. Each month a prorated total of all subscriptions and changes made therein is created and charged to your account by whatever terms you currently have or choose to use. This means you can use your credit card or your net terms with D&H if you wish; whatever is more convenient for you.

Does D&H have any plans to start offering Dropbox?
No, we do not.

Can we mix and match Open Licensed Office/Exchange Online with CSP-provided? I have existing clients who would benefit from the flexibility to add one, remove one, add 2 for 3 months, etc.
Yes, you can. Once the Open licenses start to expire, you can permanently move them over to CSP as well without interrupting your customers' experience.

This is the first I am hearing about "Consumption Hours". What is this? How does it work? I thought we were charged a flat amount per user per month?
Consumption hours actually only apply when referring to Microsoft Azure. Office 365 is based on a dynamic billing system as well, but up to the day in which the license was added or removed; not to the hour. Conversely, Microsoft Azure is billed up to the consumption hour and therefore usage can be thoroughly managed.

Are you guys working in the same timing as Microsoft's Cloud Business Ready workshops?
We are not. The Cloud Ready workshop series is a longer-running series of trainings, whereas our service/feature rollout schedule is on a faster-moving timetable. That being said, the Cloud Ready series is excellent training and preparation for making the most of your D&H CSP relationship.

If we are already using one of your competitor's Cloud Services, why would I use D&H Cloud Services?
There are many reasons to choose D&H over the competition but to summarize, I'd start with our already proven track record of working with the SMB market. Every effort we make towards this program will have the Small to Medium business in mind. Therefore, the vendors we bring on and the platform we continue to develop, will have a specific focus on the needs and wants of the SMB customer. With that in mind, we understand that a lot of this information can be brand new to our customers, so therefore it is not our intention to provide the platform without any support of any kind. There is a learning curve with new technology and we are prepared to help walk you through the entire process of from setting up your marketplace, to placing your first order. Of course, there are many other reasons for choosing D&H over the competition and to fully illustrate those, we recommend you contact us at CloudSolutions@dandh.com and ask us questions.

Does the monthly billing go on my existing D&H Net 30 Terms account?                   
Yes, it can if that is your wish.

What level of support does Plumchoice provide? What specific services will they do for the customer?
Plumchoice offers two levels of support; basic and premium. Basic support is included free of charge in most of our Office 365 SKUs and includes basic email support. Premium support is added to a subscription with the notation of "with 24/7 support" at a nominal charge and provides 24/7 technical phone support. Plumchoice's intention when working with you or your customer is to remain invisible; similar to D&H. They will act as an extension to your support offering and will never identify themselves by anything but the generic "My Cloud HQ".

Are the Business and Business Premium SKUs available in this program?
Yes. Office 365 Business, Business Premium and Business Essentials are each available through the CSP program.

Is there a template that D&H can provide or does Microsoft have to compare on premise to CSP like you showed in the presentation?
Contact CloudSolutions@dandh.com.

So I am paying Microsoft and billing my Customer direct? Is that correct?
You are billing your customer direct, yes, but then you are paying D&H. This arrangement is a typical two-tier distribution model where you purchase from distribution and mark it up for your resale.

Where can I find the Plumchoice SKU?
Plumchoice services are added to existing qualifying subscriptions with the notation of "w/ 24/7 support".

Can we bill them on an annual basis?
Yes, you can bill your customer any way you see fit. Your billing from D&H still arrives monthly on your D&H terms schedule.

Do we need to maintain a certain level of Microsoft competencies in order to participate in the CSP program through D&H?
No you do not. Competencies can be attained thru CSP purchases like a normal open license would, but no competency is required to participate.

Can I provide cloud services support for a non-profit that is using TechSoup?
You can provide whatever services you wish, however, you are unable to sell additional support, such as that offered by D&H with Plum Choice, without also selling the corresponding licenses.

If we already have our CSP through another distributor can we switch it to D&H?
Yes, you sure can. Contact us at cloudsolutions@dandh.com for details on that process.

When managing the client's Office 365 account, is it done through the D&H portal or through the Office 365 portal after the account is set up?
Actually, either or both. Everything that is done on the D&H portal (user creation/deletion, subscription activation, etc.) is instantly synced with the Office 365 portal.

What is the timetable for the Credit Card support launch?
It is too early to give a specific date at this time. We are currently hoping to have credit card support added by the start of our fiscal year (May 1st).

How do we migrate clients already set up through the Microsoft Advisor model to CSP?
Simple! There is no way to "move" the subscription over but once the Advisor license is near its expiration, you can simply activate a new subscription thru the CSP portal, cancel the old license and the end user will not see any interruption in their service.

Can you expand on the future option to have end users pay with a credit card? Do we get the same margin as we would if they paid us? Is the customer invoiced from D&H?
The credit card payment option will be available on an upcoming feature to our portal which at this time we're referring to as the Agent model. This will be an end user facing portal which with proper login credentials will allow your customers experience a unique interface that has a shopping cart and their credit card information stored. The portal is being designed to have an Amazon-like online shopping experience. However, pricing on this site will not be adjustable by the reseller and all prices will appear at ERP without any unique services provided by the reseller. This makes your margins very basic and fixed on this site. 

Customer direct payment using the customer's credit card is difficult because it reveals markup. Will your CSP portal reveal mark-up on their billing?
The standard Customer Control Panel interface you can provide your customer will reflect the specific pricing and SKUs you decide to offer on your CSP portal. The system will not reveal markup.

Is there a minimum monthly for the CSP service?
No minimum monthly requirement of any kind.

If customer doesn't pay, will D&H still bill us? For example, payment bounces back for a month. Is that our risk?
Yes, this business is at your own risk. You are only ever billed for the product that was consumed the previous monthly bill period. It is then your responsibility to receive payment from your customer just as a typical transaction would occur.

Are there any differences in Office 365 SKUs for local government, for example, Open Value vs Open Government?
Government CSP SKUs are sold at a discount. Otherwise, there is no difference.

Do you provide us with a detailed export file each month that we can use to reconcile your billing with our internal accounting system? We would need detail for each customer.
A detailed report can be provided to you upon request - cloudsolutions@dandh.com.

What is the price per user for BitTitan migration?
Varies depending on product/service.

Do you have plans to allow us to purchase licenses through the Connectwise Cloud Console product?
We have been discussing contracts with Connectwise now for months while this platform has come off the ground. We are still in negotiations with them and hope to see something in the future. That is all we can comment on that at this time.

Can you use the Office 365 admin mobile app with the CSP platform?
Yes. All Office 365 features are available thru the CSP product.

To clarify...the CSP/monthly subscription can be cancelled at any time without further charges, or, is the subscription an annual commitment paid monthly?
The initial license order requires the creation of a "subscription". That subscription is open and valid for a 1-year period, during which you can

When using Plumchoice support, how is that support ticket generated?
You can create a ticket by calling the 800 number or email.

How many devices can you install Microsoft Office apps on with an Office 365 Business Premium license?
The licensing for Office365 Business Premium gives installation rights for Office productivity applications to be placed on up to five (5) desktop or laptop PCs, five (5) tablet devices, and five (5) mobile devices (cell phones), so a total of fifteen (15) devices.

Feel free to contact the Solutions Lab team at solutionslab@dandh.com or contact Solutions Lab team members individually at their contact information below:

Bill Hersh
Bill Hersh, Solutions Coordinator

whersh@dandh.com
800.877.1200, Extension 7626

Trevor Schubert
Trevor Schubert, Solutions Specialist

tschubert@dandh.com
800.877.1200, Extension 7976

Chris Phillips
Chris Phillips, Solutions Specialist

cphillips@dandh.com
800.877.1200, Extension 7976

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