Advanced channels energy on moving SMEs to the Cloud

Advanced has launched a new partner programme – TruePartner – to help resellers of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software accelerate their SME customers’ transformation to the Cloud. While appetite for Cloud technology is growing, only 33% of organisations admit to being experienced in the Cloud. Advanced believes some vendors are neglecting the needs of SMEs keen to reshape themselves for the 4th Industrial Revolution, leaving this backbone of British business in danger of being left behind.

The British software and services company plans to win over new partners keen to address the needs of the SME market but who aren’t getting the right support from their existing vendors – a move it hopes will generate an additional £1 million in revenue over the next 12 months. Its new Cloud-based ERP solution, Advanced Business Cloud Essentials*, is designed exactly to boost this opportunity for this reseller community.

The Advanced TruePartner programme will help resellers change their traditional business models as well as recognise what the Cloud is, and what it isn’t. Some vendors, for example, promote products as Cloud-based – when they are actually not true Cloud solutions – and there’s a danger of creating confusion amongst SMEs who rely on software resellers to guide and advise them.

Janette Martin, Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships and Alliances at Advanced, sees this as both a threat to the channel and a barrier to the Cloud becoming mainstream:
“Resellers have an incredible opportunity to adapt their business model to embrace Cloud technology. They have the chance to bet their business on those vendors that deliver genuine Cloud solutions and are willing to support them on their transformation, otherwise they risk losing traction, customers and revenue.”

The channel, particularly smaller resellers, have become used to the revenue from upfront licences, a traditional financial management model where it is easy to manage revenue against forecasts. However, monthly subscriptions for Cloud services are disrupting that financial model and resellers will need to adapt quickly if they are to realise the benefits that this can deliver in recurring revenue.

Janette added: “We understand that moving to a Cloud-first approach isn’t straight forward, but we are seeing interest from businesses for the benefits that the Cloud can deliver. Together, we can make a difference and I believe it’s up to vendors like Advanced to develop long-term strategic channel partnerships, demonstrate the Cloud as the number one driver for business continuity, and provide resellers with the right ongoing training, support and marketing so that products can be sold and supported in the Cloud effectively.”

Some of the key features that Advanced is providing with its new TruePartner programme include:
- Close collaboration and support with resellers to develop market and sector insight that enables truly focused software solutions to be delivered to customers.
- Onboarding, training and marketing support for partners to sell solutions that provide real world-context and immediate business benefits.
- Comprehensive accreditation and generous financial rewards, at every level, helping to achieve sustainable business growth for both resellers and customers.
- Confidence that resellers will be providing SMEs with genuine cloud solutions, like Advanced Business Cloud Essentials, and working with a vendor that cares.

The new TruePartner programme is built around five levels of partnership: Reseller, Service, Alliance, Advisor and Software. For more information, visit www.oneadvanced.com/TruePartner.

*Advanced Business Cloud Essentials is a cloud-based ERP system which delivers a single, fully-integrated platform for businesses to use financials, CRM, stock control, supplier and logistics management, payroll and dashboard reporting. The platform is delivered as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) so it is easily accessible through any web browser and the pricing model allows businesses to scale their usage as required.

-ENDS-

Note to editors:

About Advanced

Through our enterprise and market focused solutions we positively impact millions of people’s lives through continually investing in our people, partnerships and own technologies to stay focused on our markets’, customers’ and their stakeholders’ needs.

We enable our customers to drive efficiencies, savings and growth opportunities through focused, right-first-time software solutions that evolve with the changing needs of their business and the markets they operate in.

True partnership is the defining thing that makes us different from the competition.

We pride ourselves on delivering focused software solutions for public sector, enterprise commercial and health & care organisations that simplify complex business challenges and deliver immediate value.
Advanced is a Sunday Times Top Track 250 Company 2016 and was ranked in the Deloitte UK Fast 50 which recognises the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the UK and a winner of the Tech Company of the Year in PwC’s UK Tech Awards in 2014.
www.oneadvanced.com

For further media information, please contact:

Andrea Hounsham, Firework PR - email: andrea@fireworkpr.co.uk or call: 07783 535928
Clare Wall, Firework PR – email: clare@fireworkpr.co.uk or call: 07974 161127