With so many third-party dependencies in the enterprise network, it's unfortunate that customers only find out about their monitoring shortcomings after something goes wrong. That's why channel partners have a unique role in changing this dynamic and educating customers about this risk. And those who have invested in building out a practice specializing in Webex or SD-WAN (Software-defined Wide Area Network) can significantly benefit their customers with ThousandEyes.
To get started, take advantage of the resources outlined in this blog post for a robust use case that is sure to deliver recurring value.
Inexact Assumptions and Customer Education
On average, you see an enterprise customer use at least 120 SaaS (Software as a Service) applications, maybe more. There has also been a shift in other critical components and infrastructure into the cloud.
Many company leaders believe that because they are moving workloads to the cloud and adopting SaaS, those providers will take responsibility for their applications. Partners: don't let them assume someone else will do the monitoring of externally hosted apps for them simply because they do not own the asset.
There are so many third-party dependencies now that the Internet is your new enterprise backbone. And unfortunately, it's not until customers have an issue that they know they've failed to monitor adequately.
Partners should ask customers, "within your four walls, do you monitor your critical apps and infrastructure?" If they do that on-prem, then why not in the cloud? So many companies are in that middle spot right now where some haven't gone all in with cloud and SaaS monitoring. And the truth is that customers underestimate how much they're responsible for in these new Internet-enabled environments. So partners would do a genuine service in educating them.
Market Opportunity
The double-digit growth that ThousandEyes is having presents a challenge: we need to provide stellar experiences for both our growing customer base, as well as service new cool programs that Cisco has implemented. It's one thing to sell a platform. It's another to stitch it together into your existing ITSM product or your current monitoring solutions.
There is immense opportunity for partners to not only introduce ThousandEyes and demonstrate its value but also service during and after ThousandEyes adoption to bring recurring value to customers.
In fact, ThousandEyes currently has a promo offer for existing routing customers. Partners, ask your Cisco account team about pricing for SD-WAN customers with the purchase of a DNA Advantage account.
How to Start Selling ThousandEyes
Start by educating yourself on the product and our target customers. Learn about the customer's pain points from our new ThousandEyes eBook for channel partners. And then come up with a package. It doesn't have to be a complicated one either.
An excellent way to begin is to pick a major application you're already selling and create a use case for monitoring it. If you've made huge investments into building out a practice specializing in Webex or SD-WAN, ThousandEyes can be a valuable addition, with a lot of value to add to your core services. Just remember to talk about what we do and how we align with your core services for improved business outcomes in your presentations.
We've made it super easy for channel partners to quote, configure and deploy ThousandEyes–all with the click of a few buttons. Using an automation tool we built specifically for the channel around core disciplines, you can simplify the customer journey to ThousandEyes visibility for Webex, Cisco SD-WAN, Office 365, and Microsoft Teams.
Value Observed
ThousandEyes is a Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM) platform that enables companies to monitor and troubleshoot Internet-enabled enterprise networks and business-critical applications. Our time to market and our time to value surpasses anything I've seen in my sales career, where I've sold over 1,200 products. It is so impressive that we can run Cloud Agents against a customer's website without having to deploy anything–just point and click.
A partner the other day brought us an opportunity where their customer was experiencing performance issues with a third-party SaaS app. In this case, the partner found an opportunity in the one problem the customer had. But before the sale even happened, they expanded it out to a bunch of different applications where DEM can make a difference in business outcomes.
The takeaway: If your customer has an application problem and is complaining about the network, your first reaction should be to deploy ThousandEyes and start running some tests.
ThousandEyes at Cisco Partner Summit
We are delighted to reconnect with our valued partner community at Cisco Partner Summit 2022, where we will deepen connections and share expertise by highlighting ThousandEyes in various use cases and applications. We invite you, our partners, to join us for both in-person and digital events, and attend the following:
Keynote Sessions:
- Transform Infrastructure
- Power Hybrid Work
Leader Insight Sessions:
- Security and Power Hybrid Work
- Transform Infrastructure
Business Impact Sessions:
- Own New Opportunities with Cloud Management for Catalyst
- TURBO Charge Your Profitability with Hybrid Cloud
- Software is eating the world, but managed services are eating everything!
- Accelerate Secure Connectivity
On Demand (Partner Launch Experience)
- Maximizing Growth and Profitability: A Conversation with ThousandEyes CRO and Head of Global Channel Sales