The answer is as clear as mud, according to those in attendance this week at the inaugural Cloud Café at CompTIA’s Annual Member Meeting in Chicago. Cloud/SaaS Community chair John Rice hosted this informal gathering of industry experts and those aspiring to become experts in the design, implementation and support of cloud services (check out an audio recording of the Cloud Café discussion). Modeled on a brainstorming workshop model, the Cloud Café agenda had one objective; share best practices and winning ideas for those building a cloud business.
The first session was a great success based on the number of attendees and the ideas they shared. With a who’s who of experienced solution providers, vendor and distributor executives and others interested in contributing to the channel discussion, the group shared observations that will help drive the greater community direction. Brainstorming is all about free expression and, with the varying perspectives of a disparate but channel-focused audience, it can take a while to find a consensus. By the end of the hour, the group did find some common ground for future discussions.
Issues covered in the Cloud Café included:
- Putting more focus on end-user needs, rather than continuing technology-centric dialogues.
- Assessing and building tools to help build cloud practices.
- Determining the best approach to support specific customers or vertical markets.
- Deciding whether any or all managed services best practices can be applied to cloud.
From direct sales competition to building an effective cloud strategy, identifying key focal points for the Cloud/SaaS Community is a key takeaway from these discussions. With more of these caffeinated discussions on tap, the group intends to drive a greater industry conversation to validate its continuing activities.
Interested in joining the discussion with a great team of cloud professionals? Attend the next Cloud Café April 9at the Ingram Micro Cloud Summit or contact John Rice or Ted Roller for details on future sessions.
