CHANNEL CHIEF
Less is more
ServiceNow’s Samih Moussly belongs to the school of
thought that channel partners should focus on one domain
rather than all aspects of the IT industry. By Arun Shankar.
Samih Moussly, Channel
and Alliance Manager
MENA, ServiceNow.
S
amih Moussly started his career
as a systems analyst working in
Kuwait selling content management
solutions. On a visit to Dubai he passed
the Internet City seeing the world’s biggest
technology companies centralised in one
location. “I knew this is where I wanted to
be relocated,” he reflects.
He later joined the tele-sales team at
Hewlett Packard, and worked his way up,
first as a Workstation Sales Specialist and
then as an Enterprise Channel Manager.
After seven years at HP, Moussly moved
to Juniper Networks, where he spent six
plus years managing the channel in the
Gulf region.
All this time, he had his eye on software,
and in particular, automation which is
when the ServiceNow opportunity was
presented to him. “As I learned more about
what ServiceNow is doing in machine
learning, and artificial intelligence, the
decision to join them was a no brainer,”
he mentions. In his career, the best advice
Moussly has received, “is to figure out what
you love to do, and then figure out how to
get someone to pay you to do it.”
60
Across his career, Moussly has two
achievements he is really proud of. The
first is winning a large contract with a
Kuwait oil customer, in spite of the odds
being very slim. The second is deciding
to join ServiceNow and being part of a
company that is leading the business
automation industry.
What he likes best about ServiceNow
is that it still feels like a startup, especially
here in the Middle East. “There is this
culture of supporting each other, and a
sense of pride and belonging which makes
work almost seem fun!”
However according to him, the biggest
challenge faced by regional channel
partners is changing customer buying
habits and the tremendous rate at which
technology is evolving.
“A partner’s long-term viability
hinges on them adapting their business
The best advice
Moussly has
received, is to
figure out what
you love to do,
and then figure
out how to get
someone to pay
you to do it.
models to account for these changes.
This is easier said than done as, for many
partners, the change means having to
pass up on low hanging fruit and walking
away from traditional revenue streams,”
elaborates Moussly.
He is part of the school of thought
that subscribes to the mantra of less
is more. Moussly sees a lot of channel
partners trying to cover all aspects of the
IT industry rather than trying to focus on
one domain. They should build a strong
practice around that space by partnering
with best-in-class vendors.
“I firmly believe that, particularly
in today’s hypercompetitive IT market,
partners will be able to drive long term
gains with this focused approach,” is
his recommendation.
Moussly admires companies that are
disruptive and not afraid to challenge the
status quo. The subscription economy
is growing along with changing buying
patterns. Everything-as-a-Service is
poised to grow exponentially over the
next few years. Partners will likely need
to rationalise their vendor portfolio and
acquire new skillsets as they move from
selling traditional systems and processes
to the new world of building APIs and
cloud-based services.
And it took Moussly a while before
he learned to appreciate the importance
of having a work-life balance. “Our jobs
are challenging and demanding so it is
important to make the time for yourself,
health, and family. I like to keep myself
grounded in my free time and enjoy
spending time with my family, reading,
exercising, and meditating,” he reflects.
Issue 15
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS