Westcoast's appointment as a tier-2 CSP in Microsoft's Cloud Solution Provider Programme gives resellers greater control over their relationship with customers and significantly expands cloud sales opportunities, according to the distributor's MD Alex Tatham.
Westcoast now provides direct billing, provision, management and support for Microsoft's cloud offerings, enabling partners to provide direct billing and sell combined offers and services.
"Westcoast owns the complete customer lifecycle, allowing us to sell Office 365 and Windows Intune subscriptions, as well as existing Open Licences," said Tatham.
"This means customers can take advantage of cloud services by owning the entire billing process and directly managing the support."
Tatham has witnessed increasing take-up of Office 365 through the IT channel in the UK and Ireland.
"Microsoft's CSP Program will enable all resellers to get involved in providing cloud services to their customers in a way that will enhance their own relationships to their end users," added Tatham.
"Over the coming months, resellers will see a range of different services and support options from Westcoast that are designed for channel resellers to rebrand, add to and resell."
Phil Sorgen, Corporate VP, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft, commented: "By joining the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program, partners will deepen customer relationships and expand business opportunities in the cloud."