L-R: Michelle Marlan (8x8) and Ron Jarvis (Bluechip Infotech)
Cloud contact centre and communications solutions provider 8x8 has chosen Bluechip Infotech as its first distributor in Australia, a move aimed at helping the vendor expand its market presence in the country.
It is hoped the new partnership will underpin 8x8’s efforts to extend its regional footprint through a continuation of its channel-first go-to-market strategy and enable it to tap into new partners for growth.
For Bluechip, the addition of the 8x8 contact centre, voice communications, chat, and video meetings solution effectively rounds out the distributor's portfolio to support enterprise and public sector organisations with their requirements to enable hybrid work.
Bluechip Infotech plans to provide two routes to market for 8x8 solutions, the first through its traditional managed services provider reseller model.
The second route to market will see the distributor operate as a master agent, meaning it will also be able to offer flexibility to resellers in terms of the way in which they want to transact.
“We were attracted to the rich feature functionality of the 8x8 solution which is a future fit for the emerging hybrid work economy,” said Ron Jarvis, Bluechip Infotech sales director.
“8x8 gives us a complete, distinct and simplified portfolio with an industry-recognised integrated cloud contact centre and communications solution as well as enables us to provide billing flexibility as master agent.
“This is simply something we could not previously offer and will be particularly attractive to value-added resellers who are not currently in this market space but who are increasingly called upon to provide both IT and communications services and solutions as the worlds of IT and telephony merge.
“Moreover, being able to do brokerage will be a fantastic opportunity as it offers value and flexibility and meets demand in the market today for the way in which communications, collaboration and customer engagement solutions are being consumed as well as the strong involvement required by resellers,” he added.
For 8x8 Australia and New Zealand channels and alliances senior manager Michelle Marlan, the partnership with Bluechip Infotech represents an “incredible opportunity” for the vendor to build a national presence through the distributor’s master agent ecosystem.
“We are thrilled to appoint Bluechip Infotech as our distributor in Australia,” she said. “They are a strategic part of our growth in the region and we are a natural fit with their own broader product solution and go to market strategy.
“Their significant investment in our business and capacity to take on master agency makes this a winning combination to deliver great channel and customer outcomes."
The deal comes several weeks after Bluechip struck a deal to roll fellow IT distributor DNA Connect into its business, creating a new unified distribution powerhouse in the local market.
The merger of DNA Connect into Bluechip also incorporates Ingeniq, DNA’s partner services and training arm.
“The merger positions both companies to be stronger and accelerate growth by providing more solutions to a wider combination of channel partners and segments,” Bluechip managing director Johnson Hsiung said in March when the deal was announced.
