During Part 2 of the Sandler Partners Managed Services Webinar, focused on Managed Cloud, Eric Beller, SVP of Sales and Complex Solutions, and Andrew Rustad, Director, Sales Engineering – East Region, were joined by Provider panelists from Effortless Office, TierPoint, UbiStor, and Zayo to walk through what drives Managed Cloud Services conversations — not just where a client’s workloads run, but how they protect, connect, modernize, and manage them over time.

Here’s what sets those conversations in motion:

  • Clients rarely open with a direct request for Managed Cloud — the conversation usually starts with a hardware refresh, a VMware concern, rising infrastructure costs, resiliency gaps, or an AI initiative without a clear plan.
  • Those starting points don’t stay contained to a single issue. A Connectivity conversation can lead into security, and a backup conversation can uncover a broader Cloud strategy — especially when a client is juggling too many tools, vendors, and bills with no one clearly owning the outcome.

Why these Providers are the right fit to help:

Effortless Office:

A Managed Intelligence Partner offering full-stack IT and Cloud support — from security and compliance to disaster recovery, help desk, and AI-driven automation. Where they add value:

  • When a client mentions audits, certifications, or regulatory pressure, that’s a compliance-as-a-service conversation — a service in high demand right now, especially in healthcare, PCI, and government industries.
  • As clients replace physical seats with AI agents and automation, they need help managing, securing, and monitoring those tools — a new kind of Managed Cloud conversation Partners should be ready to have.

TierPoint:

A Cloud and data center Provider offering colocation, private and public Cloud, disaster recovery, storage, security, and advisory support. Where they add value:

  • Starting with what’s already there — a quick review of a client’s existing Cloud bill often uncovers 20–35% in savings, creating an opening built on measurable results.
  • Acting as the advisor who helps mid-market clients navigate Cloud complexity across disaster recovery, storage, and security when they don’t have the in-house staff to do it themselves.

UbiStor:

A backup and disaster recovery specialist providing cyber-resilient data protection and recovery-as-a-service through the channel. Where they add value:

  • Using immutable backups to keep client data protected even if ransomware compromises administrative credentials.
  • Guiding clients toward a documented, tested disaster recovery plan — closing the recovery gap most businesses don’t know they have until it’s tested.

Zayo:

A Connectivity Provider offering fiber, private Cloud connectivity, and managed edge services like SD-WAN, SASE, and Managed Cybersecurity. Where they add value:

  • Extending beyond the circuit with SD-WAN, SASE, and managed cybersecurity that keep a client’s network aligned as workloads, users, and security move to the Cloud.
  • Backing that approach with proven execution — a recent project moved 1,000 newly acquired client locations onto their network in 58 days, ahead of a 60-day deadline.

For Partners, the goal is to recognize these moments as they come up in a client conversation and know which of these Providers to bring in once they do.

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