Posted by The multi-cloud application services and security company, F5 is doubling down on its partner ecosystem in India as part of a strategic move to accelerate the digital transformation of Indian enterprise customers.
The company’s focus, as part of this strategy, according to F5’s senior executive will span traditional resellers and system integrators as well as emerging cloud-native players across regions and geographies. It has a very, vibrant ecosystem, which is a mix of a traditional partner including larger size, mid-level system integrators (SIs), resellers and distributors as well as cloud-born partners and hyperscalers.
Digital Transformation
“The way digital transformation is happening, infrastructure is moving from on-premises to the cloud, where we have been engaged in the last few years, with born-in-cloud partners and hyperscalers. So, we have quite a vibrant, diversified ecosystem of channel partners,” F5’s Director of Channels and Alliances, Munish Bhasin told TechHerald.in during a recent interaction.
Moving towards a Hybrid strategy
According to Bhasin, even the traditional partners are moving towards a hybrid strategy, where they traditionally serve on-premise (customers). And then will coupled with cloud environments to better serve in the cloud. And that’s a very positive sign for F5 because it has a strong, diversified channel partner ecosystem in India.
While enterprise customers are transitioning to the cloud, F5 is collaborating with partners to provide hybrid solutions that connect on-premises and cloud environments effectively.
On-premise and Cloud
Today, traditional channel partners, both large and mid-level ones, are transforming their services in the cloud with a hybrid strategy. That makes it easier for the company to offer both on-premise and cloud solutions to enterprises having a hybrid approach in the diverse Indian market.
“Cloud is very scaled out and so are our channel partners and the ecosystem,” stated Bhasin. He opined that the channel ecosystem graduates much faster than one thinks, and partners absorb technology solutions to drive go-to-markets. “Partners are very, fast in delivering the real crux and value of cloud to customers and the market,” added Bhasin.
“Channel is a good facilitator for us, to scale ourselves into this widely diversified market, which is into multi-cloud, hybrid, and many parts of the market are still on-premise,” emphasized Bhasin, who has a long experience managing and working with channel ecosystem.
F5’s Partner strategy
Most technology vendors and solution providers have traditionally focused on increasing their channel partner and distributor base to capture markets and drive growth. However, F5 Networks is not into pursuing the number game and recruiting more partners; instead, it relies on the partner strategy, which is centred on delivering quality, value, and alignment.
“We have partner-based growth that is very organic for us. And we do not go for an inorganic growth on partnership level,” said Bhasin.
“In terms of organic growth, where there’s a need – when we need newer age partners — partners born in the cloud or maybe partners spread across tier 2 and tier 3 cities, or particular verticals. There we recruit, build, train and deliver through those partners,” informed Bhasin.
However, traditional partners, according to Bhasin, are also graduating themselves and trying to help out the company.
“So purposely, it is not an effort to unnecessarily recruit partners, just to have the sake of partners with us. But have partners with whom we can provide value and vice versa. And I think we have a very happy, satisfied pool of partners with us and many of them are like nearly to what the existence F5 have in India,” said Bhasin.
Interestingly, given this unique business strategy with partners, F5 Networks might have less challenge compared to many of its competitors. “They might be in a very commoditised space or might be serving only one specific space like only on-premise, only cloud, or only on one particular cloud,” opined Bhasin.
Multi-cloud and Hybrid
What sets F5 apart in the market and against competitors is that it is a multi-cloud application service and security company. “F5 is actually across multi-cloud and hybrid, and we have the niche space of serving and delivering applications, making them perform and making them secured. And that is a very graduating field for any of the other partners,” explained Bhasin.
“So, we do not have that challenge of a larger golf course. Competition can be there, but we do not face that kind of commoditisation, where we feel or our partners feel suffocated, every time that there is a lot of competition and things like that,” added Bhasin.
Application and API security
And that’s the niche space for the company and its partners to engage and sell solutions rather than push boxes. The focus is to touch the customer’s business together, which is application and APIs, and make it perform and protect.
“Because today, the world is moving to an API economy, and very less vendors and OEMs are talking about application security, and API security that too in hybrid and multi-cloud. So we are in a very, very less suffocated and less commoditised space — fortunately for ourselves and our partners,” elaborated Bhasin.
Recently, the company chose India for the first time to host its biggest global event – App World, in Mumbai.
Through the App World event, the company brought its partners and customers together in India and exposed them to the capabilities of F5’s solutions for their business applications and APIs. “So, we are giving that kind of exposure to partners. We are building partner advocacy and they are very happy,” commented Bhasin.
Partner Engagement and Enablement Programmes
However, to drive and support this partner engagement in India, F5 Networks is investing heavily in delivering its enablement programmes. The NASDAQ-listed company is focused on partner enablement to serve the diverse needs of businesses, through online learning portals in India and comprehensive hands-on training with experts from abroad for partners. It also organises workshops for partners with a duration of 2 to 3 days.
“Majority of our partners are fully enabled to understand customer’s business requirements and positioning solution for it, and then delivering and maintaining that delivered solution to their customers. And then, we have L1, L2 and L3 tech support that is delivered to the customers,” noted Bhasin.
A majority of tech support, for the Seattle, Washington-headquartered company, is based in India, which not only serves the Indian market but also provides tech support to the Asia Pacific, Japan and China regions in different time zones. In a way, the India-based tech support serves worldwide markets.
“But that’s a, luxury that we have in India and it is a delight to our partners as well as to our customers,” concluded Bhasin.