CHANNEL CHIEF
STEVE WILLIAMS is Channel Director Australia and New Zealand , Avaya , an American multinational technology company headquartered in Durham , North Carolina , that provides cloud communications and workstream collaboration services . The company ’ s platform includes unified communications , contact centre and other IT services . Williams talks about his current role and how he is working with partners in the Australia and New Zealand and the broader APAC region .
dDescribe your current job role and the parts that are somewhat challenging ? As Avaya ’ s Channel Director for Australia and New Zealand , my role involves managing a team with responsibility for channel strategy and partnerships in Australia and New Zealand . This encompasses our go-to-market strategy , as well as our localised channel programme . The challenge we face , as with most technology vendors , is keeping our partner updated on an ever-evolving technology landscape . However , in recent years , not only is the technology rapidly changing , but so too have commercial models – not just from CAPEX to OPEX , but from reseller to agency model . The challenge there is developing tailored strategies for legacy partners to transition , and catering to new agents under the agency model .
Can you explain how your company works with channel partners ?
We engage partners through Avaya Edge , our business partner programme tailored for each region . It provides an opportunity for partners of all types – including those wanting to establish a cloud communications play – to create differentiation through access to a comprehensive set of financial , technical , sales and marketing benefits . The structure of Edge includes defined reseller models , go-to-market models , a credentials programme providing training and knowledge management , as well as aggressive deal and growth incentives .
In addition , continuous communication with , and feedback from , our channel partners is core to our channel strategy . To enable this two-way flow of information , Avaya established the Avaya Partner Community Council ( PCC ) which allows partners to drive increased revenue and profitability . The PCC is a global non-profit organisation including nearly 300 partners and distributors , and is governed by a composite of partner executives , pre-sales and post-sales professionals .
How do you ensure channel partners flourish in a highly competitive market ?
Avaya enables partners to establish new , recurring revenue streams through differentiated and composable Unified Communications-as-a-Service ( UCaaS ), Contact Centre-as-a-Service ( CCaaS ) and Communications Platform-as-a-Service ( CPaaS ) capabilities under the Avaya OneCloud umbrella . This includes broad scope for value-added services so they can capitalise on the rapidly expanding cloud market .
We also provide every option / modality for cloud communications , no matter where partners or their customers are in their cloud journey , including hybrid solutions that bridge the migration from premises-based solutions to the cloud , and make the entire process easy .
For non-traditional channel partners – ie . networking , cybersecurity , retail specialists – this presents an invaluable entry point into
Steve Williams , Channel Director Australia and New Zealand , Avaya
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