AppDirect is expanding its hyperscaler marketplace footprint with the acquisition of Tackle.io. The CDPQ-backed commerce platform will acquire Tackle’s cloud sales capabilities for an undisclosed sum, the companies said in the Dec. 1 announcement.
Tackle offers go-to-market services for independent software vendors that transact on Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure marketplaces. ISVs use the platform to identify customer prospects and analyze pipelines in the various digital storefronts. Tackle has reportedly facilitated more than $10 billion in marketplace transactions by ISV clients such as HashiCorp, Verint and PagerDuty.
The move aligns with AppDirect’s profile as a company that plays friendly with the cloud heavyweights, despite offering its own marketplace many channel partners use.
“The acquisition of Tackle strengthens AppDirect’s position as a single, integrated platform that natively connects advisor-led channel distribution with AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and other hyperscaler marketplaces and ISV ecosystems,” an AppDirect spokesperson told Channel Dive in an email. “Rather than treating hyperscalers as an ‘add-on’ SKU, we’re building hyperscaler marketplaces into the core of our commerce stack so that advisors can help co-sell, and transact while still leveraging the full power of the TSD model.”
AppDirect counts more than 1,000 ISVs and telecom carriers among its provider partners and more than 14,000 sales-focused TA partners. It is striving to be the glue holding various go-to-market models together.
“AppDirect is positioning itself to unify fragmented procurement channels into a single platform that supports distribution and transaction capabilities across direct, channel, and hyperscaler marketplaces for ISVs, technology advisors, MSPs, and enterprises,” Omdia Principal Analyst Devan Adams wrote in a blog post.
Multi-pronged approach
AppDirect has refused to be pigeonholed to a specific channel model.
Many of the company’s earliest customers used its platform to build their own marketplaces. Vodafone, Comcast Business, Deutsche Telekom, and other carriers enlisted AppDirect to help them add SaaS offerings to their billings.
AppDirect also developed a marketplace and accompanying channel ecosystem. It acquired several tech services distributors, establishing agency contracts with service providers and recruiting a base of technology advisors to evangelize its marketplace to IT buyers.
AppDirect’s cloud marketplace has been growing as well. The company built out its hyperscaler reseller business, expanding its sales volume with Microsoft and more recently AWS. In October, AppDirect reached Advanced Tier Services Partner Status with AWS. Mejeticks CEO Robert DeVita said the company is earning 7% margin on AWS rebilling and paying TAs more on those deals than any other vendor in their ecosystem.
“AppDirect is doing all the right things to open up the hyperscaler spend to the TA market,” DeVita told Channel Dive in a LinkedIn message. “The acquisition of Tackle continues to show they are serious in the space. This is a key differentiation point for them.”
AppDirect declined to comment on margin percentages in an email Tuesday.
“What we can say is that achieving AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner status reflects a deeper level of technical expertise, proven customer success, and joint investment with AWS — and it does enable more attractive and flexible commercial constructs than what’s historically been available to technology advisors through legacy vendor or carrier programs,” the spokesperson said.
TSDs are moving to offer their own access to hyperscalers, rather than delegating vendors in their line card as intermediaries. Intelisys recently added an AWS Consulting Partner Private Offer, which allows TAs to earn a commission on AWS Marketplace transactions.
