Wraparound services Q&A

Wraparound services help businesses to access leading-edge technology on a subscription basis, with the benefit of flexibility of usage as well as expert management, optimisation and maintenance provided as part of the package.

1. What types of solutions suit wraparound services?

Whether for cybersecurity or network management optimisation, as two primary examples, wraparound services can help the channel add value to their offering, in collaboration with vendors.

This model enable businesses of all size to benefit from the latest technology solutions in an affordable and flexible manner, without having to invest in costly in-house resources.

2. What wraparound services might a reseller or MSP consider add to their offerings?

The line between resellers and MSPs is gradually blurring, at pace with the demand for IT-aaS, spurred by the need for business to conserve capital. If resellers can offer expert consultancy and service optimisation to suit their target customers, they add an element of differentiation, adding value to their offering.

3. Why is this important for end customers?

End customers benefit from wraparound services by being able to access leading-edge technology solutions in a flexible manner, outsourcing the maintenance of complex IT tools and platforms, rather than having to invest in costly in-house resources.

4. How can vendors and/or suppliers support their partners to enhance their portfolio with wraparound services?

Vendors can partner with VADs in helping resellers, small and medium sized ones especially, widen their service offering through the provision of platforms that can be white-labelled by resellers.

As an example, Infinigate has been delivering the benefits of Alluvio Aternity from Riverbed, through its DX Insights Service, in collaboration with key channel partners. Alluvio Aternity Digital Experience Management platform enables organisations to increase their productivity and improve the user experience of their workforce whilst driving down cost, through early discovery and proactive, auto remediation of software issues. Infinigate’s DX Insights service includes onboarding and quarterly reviews to insure it remains relevant to customers IT strategy.

Infinigate also partners with vendors like WatchGuard to provide Security Operations Centre (SOC) as a service as a white labelled service out of the box. The service is focussed on spotting anomalies and potential threats, preventing breaches before they become a problem. Infinigate has a rich portfolio of IT security vendors providing managed SOC and MDR services, enabling partners to select the most suitable option based on their customers’ requirements.

The functionality covered includes important areas such as: risk analysis, IT security posture, security tools deployment and maintenance, security alerts and penetration testing.

Not many businesses have the resources or can afford to run their own SOC in-house. So a managed SOC is a good option for channel partners to offer to customers who prefer a cost-efficient, flexible solution. Outsourcing your SOC secures high-quality support at predictable and manageable costs. The consumption model of SOC varies depending on the different vendors offerings.

As part of the digitalisation process, Infinigate also offers a platform, enabling Managed Service Providers [MSPs] access to a faster, more responsive and efficient way of managing their MSP business, with access to a range of differentiated services, supplied in partnership with several technology vendors.

One of the major challenges and barriers to entry to the MSP model for small and medium resellers is the costly administrative overhead necessary to process and manage transactions. As a distributor, we can remove some of the complexity through optimizing the billing process and reducing administrative effort to a minimum. the MSP portal also provides tools and services, including business insights, training and technical support, to support partners in delivering optimal services and support to their customers.

5. Case studies of projects where resellers/MSPs have delivered greater results for a customer through adding on a wraparound service.

Infinigate has been delivering the benefits of Alluvio Aternity from Riverbed, through its DX Insights Service, in collaboration with key channel partners.

One notable example has been with a key NHS customer in England, the Kent Community Health. They were able to reduce systems crashes occurrences equating to 425 lost clinicians hours by one fourth, which translates into making time for over 600 extra patients each month.