In African markets where customer expectations, economic pressures, and infrastructure dynamics vary widely, the channel has always been more than just a route to market and has played a role as a lifeline to transformation.
By Gerhard Fourie, channel sales manager for SSA and IOI at Nutanix
Yet, as technology ecosystems evolve and cloud models become more complex, how we define success in the channel must evolve, too.
It’s no longer enough to close the deal. The real value lies in what happens after the signature on the dotted line.
Channel partners who thrive today are those who think beyond product. They’re building resilience into customer relationships, offering expert guidance, and becoming architects of long-term value. The opportunity is immense, but it takes work and it calls for a mindset shift from transactional selling to sustained partnerships.
From sellers to strategic enablers
In Africa, we see first-hand how organisations are leapfrogging traditional IT models. Customers are demanding scalable solutions that support growth, continuity, and local realities, regardless of whether these are intermittent power, bandwidth constraints, or hybrid workforce models. Partners have a critical role to play in helping them navigate this complexity with confidence.
But this role cannot be fulfilled through product sales alone. The real differentiator is in the services wrapped around those solutions, which include advisory, integration, support, and training. Partners must position themselves not only as resellers but as trusted advisors. This includes understanding vertical-specific pain points and tailoring offerings to create relevance at every stage of the customer lifecycle.
At Nutanix, we’ve long understood that simplicity, flexibility, and performance matter in resource-constrained and price-sensitive markets like Africa. Our channel strategy reflects this, empowering partners with the tools, training, and programs they need to deliver outcomes, not just infrastructure. But our partners carry this vision into the market, adapting it to each customer’s unique context.
Value creation is a journey
The customer journey doesn’t end at go-live. If anything, that’s where the real work begins. To build stickiness and drive mutual growth, partners must continue to add value well into the post-sale period. This includes helping customers optimise their environments, adopt new capabilities, and stay ahead of security and compliance challenges.
For example, a partner that assists a financial services firm with its initial hybrid cloud deployment can go on to support workload migration, cost management, or data resilience. These are technical services as much as they are business enablers. The deeper the understanding of the customer’s strategic goals, the more relevant and long-lasting the partner’s role becomes.
Innovation also plays a key part. Partners who stay curious and proactive can introduce customers to new technologies and consumption models as they emerge. That means tracking market trends, investing in skills, and building ecosystems that extend beyond a single vendor. In doing so, they move from supplier to collaborator — a trusted source of future readiness.
The African opportunity
Across the continent, digital transformation is reshaping economies. Governments are digitising services, SMEs are modernising operations, and larger enterprises are preparing for AI and data-driven growth. Yet the journey is uneven. Many customers still lack the in-house capability or clarity to make the right technology choices.
This is where the channel steps in and acts as an implementation arm, an advisor, an educator, and a partner. The most successful players are those who understand the pulse of their markets. They recognise where cloud makes sense and where edge computing may be a better fit. They’re bridging the skills gap by offering managed services, and in doing so, they’re unlocking recurring revenue streams that ensure sustainability on both sides.
More importantly, they’re making technology human. In a region where trust and relationship are paramount, partners who show up consistently, listen actively and stay engaged long after the sale are those who win the long game.
The African channel future
The African channel is poised for growth, but it will be a different kind of growth that is more service-led, more consultative, and more anchored in outcomes. We must move past the idea that value is created at the point of sale. True channel success lies in the depth of the relationships we build, the services we deliver, and the problems we help our customers solve.
As a vendor, Nutanix is deeply committed to supporting partners on this journey. Ultimately, it’s the partner ecosystem itself that must lead the charge beyond chasing the next deal and creating value that endures well beyond it.