Steve Martin – Head of Channels
Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success.”
He was in the process of revolutionising the automobile industry when he said this and while the context may be different, the meaning rings true in the digital era, especially at NEXTDC.
In the data centre world, you can’t put a price on the importance of a thriving ecosystem comprising partners of all shapes and sizes. Gartner actively asserts that connected ecosystems will represent the keys to success in the new digital economy.
With many organisations embracing hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, it is expected they will double the number of partners they onboard in the next few years as part of their business IT strategy. As they seek to integrate more third-party services into their digital strategy and build on the number of digital services provided to their customers, it is becoming increasingly evident that all organisations need a more strategic approach to how they embrace and foster a diverse and collaborative partner ecosystem.
IDC predicts that by 2021, at least 60% of Australia’s GDP will be digitised, with growth in every industry driven by digitally enhanced offerings, operations and relationships. In our digital world, technology offers unprecedented opportunity to create competitive advantage through cost reduction, productivity improvement and superior customer experience.
Staying ahead of the curve requires savvy organisations to not only implement a digital platform that is supported by the right infrastructure, but to also implement a comprehensive partner ecosystem that offers immediate access to a dynamic network of digital services providers. This assists them to optimise outcomes from critical digital projects and empowers them to truly embrace an agile and flexible ICT environment that is ready to meet future disruptive challenges.
An ecosystem based on collaborative partnerships promotes a number of benefits. By substantially reducing operational overheads and creating important competitive advantages, partner ecosystems help organisations overcome technical, customer support and sales constraints that they’d never be able to achieve alone.
It allows them to refocus on their own core competencies and unique value propositions so they can take a more proactive approach to achieving underlying strategic business objectives.
NEXTDC’s hosts one of Australia’s most extensive and diverse partner ecosystems including public and private cloud providers, telecommunication carriers, integrators, outsourcers, managed service providers, as-a-Service providers and that’s just scratching the surface.
This wealth of innovation, diversity, specialisation and choice means our customers have the freedom and flexibility to leverage a broad range of nationally standardised, in-country services. It allows them to access and benefit from unified management to ensure the quality, consistency and reliability of their IT services at the same time as ensuring the sovereignty of their data – all from inside their always-on, power-efficient, secure and connected NEXTDC data centre space.
What makes NEXTDC unique, and part of the reason our ecosystem is home to over 500 partners in Australia is that we understand ICT providers don’t want to compete with their suppliers for business. Our business is built on a channel-first model and we are committed to our partnerships. We invest our time and resources that focus on supporting the needs of our partners and their customers, rather than competing with them.
NEXTDC’s extensive ecosystem is akin to the saying “1+1=3”. In other words, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. NEXTDC partners and customers today are connecting to an average of eight different services within our data centres and, as this number continues to grow, the value derived from this close connectivity is exponentially realised.
Passion runs deep at NEXTDC. We believe in our people, and in the value of fostering unity within our partner community alike. A big part of our corporate responsibility culture at NEXTDC revolves around the conviction that organisations can and should do more than just make money for shareholders. They should also give back to the broader community and use their success to improve society as a whole.
A classic example of the shared community spirit that resides within our digital ecosystem was on display when more than 70 individuals from NEXTDC and our partner network joined forces to create a team which competed in The Smith Family’s 2018 Around the Bay cycling event.
Not only did our partner community form an impressive, united peloton to ride a gruelling 210km course, they also actively used their networks to support our fundraising efforts.
As a team, we all worked together to collectively raise a massive $115,000 for underprivileged kids to help break the cycle of disadvantage in Australia. We are so incredibly proud of the partnerships we have forged and the true value that the power of our ecosystem offers our customers.
Back in the days when Henry Ford was building one of world history’s greatest commercial successes by turning personal transport and accepted manufacturing processes on their heads, he was also quoted as saying; “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said ‘faster horses’”.
That alone highlights the potential value of partnering and innovation. In this 4th industrial revolution where we find ourselves today, where data is the new oil, analysts agree the best way to lead change and create success is through vibrant, connected partner ecosystems.
Ensuring we have a thriving ecosystem of trusted partnerships that extends well beyond commercial relationships, delivers the winning formula for your business as you embrace your dynamically hybrid future.
Contact NEXTDC if you want more details on how to embrace our thriving Cloud Centre ecosystem of digital trailblazers.
