Channel partners in France eye cloud growth but must upskill to seize opportunities, finds Westcon-Comstor
Survey of nearly 900 partners across France and seven other countries reveals a desire to develop cloud capabilities amid strong customer demand
PARIS, France – 11 March, 2025 – Channel partners want to develop their cloud capabilities but some feel they lack the technical skills to meet customer needs, according to new research by Westcon-Comstor.
The global technology provider and specialist distributor surveyed almost 900 partners across eight countries for its Mastering the Maze report and found that 68% of France-based respondents see developing a cloud practice as a priority. That’s set against an international average of 85%.
The desire to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the rapidly growing cloud market is consistent across all markets where the research was conducted: Australia, France, Germany, Indonesia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the UK.
More than two thirds (67%) of France-based partners said their customers are looking for specialised cloud skills.
Partners in France are the most confident in their ability to provide these skills, with just 35% of respondents describing technical skills as a challenge against an international average of 43%.
A lack of technical skills and FinOps expertise – along with associated hurdles around hiring and talent – emerged as one of the main obstacles facing partners as they strive to meet end-users’ cloud requirements.
Leveraging cloud provider programmes to full effect is another major challenge for partners, with 67% of France-based respondents (international average: 58%) highlighting this as one of the biggest barriers they face when advising their customers on cloud cost optimisation. Meanwhile 58% of those in France (international average: 65%) pointed to issues around understanding cloud pricing models, with the often complex nature of these models making it hard to give customers certainty over costs.
Just 28% of French partners highlighted the pressure to outperform rivals by delivering better, faster solutions. That’s set against an international average of 40%, suggesting market competition is less of a concern in France than in other countries.
Other barriers to cloud success include meeting customers’ cloud security needs.
Looking across all countries, the research also reveals that:
- Partners say half (50%) of customers are choosing hybrid cloud solutions, with 27% pursuing full migration amid a cautious approach to migrations overall.
- A quarter (25%) of partners describe themselves as born in the cloud, while 23% say they are developing a cloud practice having previously been focused on on-prem solutions; and
- Nearly half (46%) highlighted training and enablement when asked how distributors can support the development their cloud capabilities.
Meanwhile, internationally 75% of partners see cloud hyperscaler marketplaces as an opportunity rather than a threat and are actively using them.
The publication of the research comes as Westcon-Comstor doubles down on its cloud strategy. In late 2024 it became an authorised Amazon Web Services (AWS) distributor for Europe, adding to an existing distribution agreement in Asia-Pacific.
That followed Westcon-Comstor's acquisition of specialist AWS consultancy Rebura and the launch of the distributor’s AWS Marketplace programme, which is designed to accelerate AWS Marketplace growth for partners and vendors.
“Our research shows that the channel is poised to grasp the huge growth opportunities presented by the cloud market, but is facing certain gaps around skills, capabilities and expertise,” said David Grant, CEO at Westcon-Comstor. “Partners around the world are at different stages of their cloud journey, but there is a common thread in their desire to expand their cloud capabilities and meet their customers’ needs. It is incumbent on distributors to support, enable and empower partners in pursuit of these aims by harnessing and deploying their own cloud expertise.”
“Embracing the cloud is a springboard for innovation, growth and productivity gains for partners and their customers,” said Aaron Rees, Founder and CEO at Rebura, a Westcon-Comstor company. “The channel, however, still has some way to go on its journey to mastering the cloud, with many partners still developing their own skills as they work to satisfy customer expectations. Our findings suggest that partners know where they need to develop their cloud capabilities - the challenge is finding the right support to help plug those gaps.”
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