ServiceNow consulting firm aims to combine regional partners (original) (raw)

Thirdera, formed from the merger of Evergreen Systems, Cerna Solutions and NovoScale, said it plans to acquire and integrate ServiceNow consulting firms; other IT channel news.

Veteran cloud services executives have banded together to launch Thirdera, a global consultancy solely focused on the ServiceNow platform.

Jason Wojahn, CEO, and Marc Talluto, chairman, will direct the company, which stems from the merger late last month of Evergreen Systems, Cerna Solutions and NovoScale. The combined companies provide a presence in the mid-Atlantic, Southeast and West Coast: Evergreen is based in Leesburg, Va.; Cerna in San Marcos, Calif.; and NovoScale in Miami.

Jason Wojahn

Thirdera's strategy is to acquire small, regional ServiceNow partners in the U.S. and eventually branch out to the Asia/Pacific and Europe markets.

"This isn't a one- or two-year path," Wojahn said of the company's acquisition plans. "This is a journey we are embarking on to create the most comprehensive partner dedicated to ServiceNow."

Wojahn has experienced a similar acquisition trajectory with other ServiceNow partners. He was vice president of Navigis, a Colorado-based ServiceNow consulting firm acquired by cloud advisor Cloud Sherpas in 2013. When Accenture acquired Cloud Sherpas in 2015, Wojahn became the professional services firm's global ServiceNow practice lead. He expanded that practice, through organic growth and acquisition, to top $350 million in annual revenue.

Talluto was previously CEO at Fruition Partners, a ServiceNow integrator acquired by Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) in 2015. CSC eventually became DXC Technology in 2017. At DXC, Talluto integrated regional ServiceNow partners to grow the ServiceNow practice.

Similarly, Thirdera plans to integrate regional partners, harmonizing on tools, practices and service delivery approaches, Wojahn noted. "We have to do things in common ways and be highly focused on automating our patterns of behavior and the way we work with clients," he said.

ServiceNow expects partners to play an important role in achieving its $10 billion revenue goal.

Microsoft aims partners at bigger digital transformation target

In a partner ecosystem update this week, Microsoft officials raised its valuation of the digital transformation market to $6.8 trillion.

The company in 2017 pegged the digital transformation opportunity at $4.5 trillion, making the new estimate just over 50% higher than the projection four years ago. The pace of digital transformation has picked up during the COVID-19 pandemic as organization accelerate their digital business initiatives.

Citing IDC research, Microsoft executives said 65% of global GDP will be digitalized by 2022. That pattern contributes to an expected digital transformation investment of $6.8 trillion from 2020 to 2023, according to Microsoft and IDC. Specific digital transformation opportunities related to the pandemic include remote work, business continuity, security and cloud migration, Microsoft noted.

The ecosystem update also cited an increased focus on the company's co-sell approach in the SMB sector.

Google partners launch job board

A newly launched job board aims to help Google Cloud partners find talent in a competitive labor market.

SADA, a business and technology services provider based in Los Angeles, and Appsbroker, a cloud consultancy based in Swindon, England, created the Partnercareers.com job board. About 20 Google partner companies thus far have signed up to participate on the job board, which launched Feb. 8. Postings will feature a range of Google Cloud-specific roles, from engineering to sales and marketing.

Tony Safoian

The idea for the job board began more than a year ago, when Google asked partners about growth inhibitors. "We thought, as a community, access to the best talent was something that could potentially limit us in our growth, because Google Cloud talent is not the most available in the marketplace," said SADA CEO Tony Safoian. "We are competing for the best talent with everyone."

Partnercareers.com is free for job seekers. Partners can post job openings for free until the end of June 2021. Beginning July 1, partners will pay an annual participation fee of $5,000. The fees will cover the cost of site design, development and maintenance, as well as customer service and content moderators.

Safoian said the fees are intended to "keep the lights on." He noted that the job board won't function as a profit center.

Other news

Companies are committing to hybrid cloud deployments and may tap partners for expertise, according to NTT Ltd.'s 2021 Hybrid Cloud Report. The report found that about 61% of organizations already use or are piloting hybrid clouds, while an additional 33% said they plan to take the hybrid path in the next 12 to 24 months. NTT, a technology services company, polled 950 decision-makers in 13 countries. Partners are playing a role as hybrid cloud advisors: 72% of the respondents said they work with systems integrators, and 58% work with specialized information security consultants or managed security services providers (MSSPs).
Secureworks, a cybersecurity vendor based in Atlanta, rolled out an MSSP track within its global partner program. The initiative supports MSPs that want to become MSSPs in addition to existing MSSPs, providing access to the company's Secureworks Taegis security platform. The track also offers financial incentives, training and an assigned partner success manager.
Digital Shadows, a digital risk protection vendor with headquarters in London and San Francisco, said 5x growth in its MSSP business has fueled a 67% year-over-year increase in fourth-quarter bookings. The company has expanded its MSSP roster to include more than 30 partners, including Optiv, Security HQ and Encode.
Accenture and VMware expanded their partnership, unveiling a business group that will focus on cloud migration, application modernization and cloud-based business models. The Accenture VMware Business Group represents a multi-million-dollar investment, according to the companies. About 2,000 Accenture cloud specialists trained in VMware products and services will support the group, which is part of the professional services firm's $3 billion Accenture Cloud First operation.
Leidos, an IT service provider based in Reston, Va., won a task order contract from the Federal Trade Commission valued at $162 million. The work will support the agency's Bureau of Consumer Protection and its Sentinel Network Services program.
ThoughtWorks, a software consultancy based in Chicago, launched VANotify, a tool that lets Department of Veterans Affairs' business lines send digital notifications to veterans. ThoughtWorks developed and rolled out the tool in partnership with the VA and the Office of Information and Technology.
Peak-Ryzex Inc., a digital supply chain and mobile workforce solutions provider based in Columbia, Md., disclosed deals with River Valley Foods and RB Express. The River Valley Foods partnership involves an upgrade to a new fleet of customized Zebra TC57 and TC77 rugged mobile devices with the MCL mobility platform. The RB Express project involves mobile workforce technology from Zebra.
BitTitan, a managed services automation vendor based in Bellevue, Wash., unveiled new MigrationWiz features that support Microsoft Teams. The features let MSPs migrate conversation history, channel structure, files and user permissions for individual teams and channels.
Central Networks and Technologies, an IT solutions provider based in Heywood, U.K., partnered with Horton Housing, a not-for-profit housing association, to provide free internet access to people in supported accommodation. Central donated the WiFi hardware for the deployment and related installation services. Horton Housing, meanwhile, manages the cost of the internet connection. A supported accommodation is rented housing in which the tenant receives care or supervision.
TBI, a technology distributor in Chicago, promoted Marco Sanchez to regional vice president of sales.
Automation platform provider Ivanti appointed Erik Randles as its senior vice president of global channels and alliances. Randles will launch Ivanti's global partner program later this year, the company said.

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