Next-Gen Partners Dish On How To Create Cloud-Savvy Businesses

"If you can't train your people fast enough, than look to hire," he said.

Begin said hiring trends have really shifted away from people with rack and stack expertise to application architects with a bit of background in operations that understand DevOps, continuous integration and deploying infrastructure as a code.

For existing staff, Begin recommended having them acquire cloud knowledge by attending conferences and DevOp days run by small, rather than large, corporations.

The cloud has also forced Cumullus Global, of Westborough, Mass., to modify its operations since many of the cloud services requested by customers aren't yet available through distributors, according to company CEO Allen Falcon.

Cumullus has relationships with D&H and Synnex, Falcon said, but these distributors are only able to support some cloud services.

Therefore, Falcon said solution providers that are serious about offering cloud services should develop internal capabilities around deal registration and managing upwards of six vendors. Efficient management infrastructure is vital for partners looking to make a buck off cloud services.

"No one here has built a vacation home off the [cloud] licensing market," Falcon said.

For the longest time, customers have seen technology expertise as the differentiator when deciding on a cloud partner, according to David Hoff, co-founder and chief technology officer at Cloud Sherpas, No. 115 on the CRN SP 500.

But a fundamental shift has taken place recently, Hoff said, meaning that clients today are far more likely to ask partners how the cloud can better facilitate business processes such as loan origination or investment management.

Cloud Sherpas' expertise around certification management processes attracted the interest of Accenture, No. 2 on the CRN SP 500, which acquired the Atlanta-based solution provider last month.