Crayon invests in support-led distribution model

As part of its focus to do “distribution differently”, Crayon Asia Pacific (APAC) has adopted a strategy to deliver long-term value to its partners in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

This includes investment in a support-led distribution model designed to turn software resellers into trusted strategic partners, offering long-term value and not just quick licensing sales.

These changes come as the complexities of technology continue to rise and IT leaders are demanding more.

For example, 87 per cent of SMBs in the region planning to increase spending on third-party IT expertise, according to The Future Of Operations: Advancing AI-Driven Innovation and Cloud Agility For Small And Medium-Sized Businesses report from Forrester, commissioned by Crayon.

By bringing together enablement programs, revenue-generating services, deep technical expertise and scalable support, Crayon intends to build a “model that empowers partners to move faster, sell smarter and grow sustainably”.

This approach is reinforced by a strong focus on cost optimisation, helping partners and customers reduce waste and make smarter IT investments, said Crayon APAC executive vice president Rhonda Robati.

“We’ve invested heavily in building our expertise, so our partners don’t have to,” she said. “Our goal is to take the complexity out of modern IT.

“Whether it’s cloud architecture, cyber security, cost optimisation or AI adoption – our team is here to help partners move from selling software to delivering strategic value.” 

Robati previously said to ARN that “distributors have moved from that background logistics role, and we are part of doing it differently … becoming that ecosystem facilitator role.”

According to Robati, this helps partners facilitate and navigate all that is available to them.

This ensures that the distributor is putting the right expertise, solutions, products and services in place – whether that’s cloud, AI or security tools, especially at a time when the market is becoming overwhelmed by emerging technology.

This, Robati said, has led to uncertainty and overselling. To counter this, a human-first approach based on trust has never been more imperative for IT leaders.   

“If you align that to your core values with integrity, leading by example, transparency [and] education, that permeates in everything that we do,” she said. “That’s all about culture and having the mindset of treat someone like you want to be treated.”

It also ensures that Crayon brings a practical, ethical lens to AI adoption and support with cloud migration, ensuring meaningful outcomes are delivered rather than fleeting hype. 

At the heart of Crayon’s approach is the Enablement Hub, a dedicated platform that equips partners with timely market insights, on-demand resources and data-driven research.

This hub plays a pivotal role in enhancing partner capabilities across key areas such as cloud, cybercsecurity, cost optimisation and AI.

Crayon has also upgraded its Cloud-iQ platform, which consolidates global partner operations into a single, unified solution, setting a new standard for partner support.

It integrates billing, provisioning, reporting and cost control into one interface and provides automated provisioning, powerful commercial insights and multi-market scalability.

Cloud-iQ equips partners with the visibility and automation they need to optimise operations and scale efficiently across APAC markets. 

At the Crayon Risk and Resilience conference held in February this year, Robati said the tool had been rolled out, deployed and executed with its partners in Southeast Asia.

For Australia and New Zealand, its teams were starting to work with partners, asking for their help with the platform.

This is bolstered by an expanding suite of services, including Essential 8 cyber security assessments, cloud security checks and a soon-to-launch AI-driven tool.

Crayon SVP channel Warren Nolan said partners want more than margins; they want purpose and clarity.

In a previous interview with ARN, Nolan said that disruption is all around, but it was also an opportunity.

That disruption is something that confronts the whole industry and not just its “partners in the channel”.

“You need to be open to change and changing expectations of our customers in terms of what they require from us,” he added. “Their business has changed and their customers … whether it be a retail business … or how they go to market.”