Announcing New Management Tools for Google Apps Resellers

Prior to founding BetterCloud, a number of team members were working at a large Google Apps reseller. It was there that we learned the specific needs of each party in the Google Apps ecosystem: end users, admins and resellers.

Once we founded BetterCloud, we initially set out to meet the needs of IT admins, which we felt were the most pressing. Admins were asking for everything from user management, Drive security and much more, so we delivered this functionality with FlashPanel.

To help broaden the distribution of FlashPanel, we began working with Google Apps resellers from around the world. We spent a considerable amount of time training resellers on FlashPanel and ended up speaking with dozens of deployment and support specialists regarding the application’s functionality and Google Apps account management in general.

Through these interactions we realized that many of the needs we ourselves had back in our reseller days were still prevalent. In fact, as the resellers’ businesses matured over the years – specifically in the number of domains they were managing – the needs became even more urgent.

So about six months ago we began building our newest product, the FlashPanel Reseller Console. Just as with FlashPanel, we went to future customers, including many of our Preferred Partners, to outline product requirements, prioritize the problems resellers needed solved and gain feedback on early stage wireframes. Using input from these partners and our own reseller experience, we quietly built and launched the Console in beta four months ago as a perfect complement to FlashPanel.

The product is now in use by over 100 Google Apps resellers and I’m pleased to announce that today, we’re opening up the Console for use by all 6,000 Google Apps resellers around the world.

The Console gives resellers the ability to:

• Manage offline customers
• View a dashboard showing upcoming account renewals and top customers based on domain size
• Allow customers to self add Google Apps licenses

And, for customers who also have FlashPanel installed, our Console alerts resellers if and when particular accounts are running low on Google Apps licenses or storage.

We’ve dedicated a team of developers to the Reseller Console and we’re extremely excited to see more resellers install, explore and give feedback on the product. Overall, we hope that our newest product can help resellers save time on back office processes, gain better visibility into customer activity and identify opportunities to engage with their customers

Resellers interested in exploring the Console can register at bettercloud.com/reseller-tools.

For more on today’s announcement, see the full press release below.
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BetterCloud Launches Management Console for Cloud Services Brokerages

The FlashPanel Reseller Console Provides New Generation of VARs with Unmatched Tools

NEW YORK, August 21, 2013 — Today, BetterCloud launched the FlashPanel Reseller Console, which gives cloud services brokerages focusing on Google Apps the ability to streamline and automate management of their customer accounts while also further enhancing the Google Apps experience for IT administrators, an item core to BetterCloud’s philosophy. The free product, released in beta four months ago, is already in use by more than 100 resellers around the world and BetterCloud is now opening up the platform for use by all 6,000 Google Apps resellers worldwide.

BetterCloud first began working with cloud services brokerages to gain broader distribution of its flagship product, FlashPanel, which streamlines management and security tasks in Google Apps for IT administrators. Throughout this process, BetterCloud discovered a need among cloud brokers for more granular tools to manage and oversee customer accounts.

“Similar to what we heard when speaking to IT admins about the Google Apps Admin Console, resellers expressed a need for more robust tools to help engage with and manage their customer accounts,” said David Politis, Founder and CEO of BetterCloud. “VARs are core to the success of Google Apps and with the Reseller Console, we’re hoping to automate and simplify a lot of the back office tasks they must see to on a daily basis.”

The FlashPanel Reseller Console helps cloud brokers to:

• Easily setup new accounts, even those with special pricing terms
• Proactively monitor customer accounts and add storage and licenses where needed
• Identify training opportunities based on below average Google Apps usage rates
• Receive notifications regarding upcoming customer account renewals

“As we continue to scale our business, the Reseller Console has proven to be truly invaluable,” noted Thomas Blade, Senior Google Apps Deployment Specialist at Agosto. “The Console allows us to save resources, time, and most importantly, to better serve our customers.”

While the Reseller Console provides unmatched benefits to resellers, the application also further enhances the experience for Google Apps administrators. Customers who use FlashPanel while their reseller uses the Reseller Console have the ability to:

• Purchase additional Google Apps licenses: The FlashPanel Reseller Console is currently the only product on the market that allows customers to self-add Google Apps licenses, amending an overly complicated and time consuming process. Brokers who use the Console can choose to enable this service on an account by account basis, with the ability to set seat purchasing limits for accounts where the functionality is enabled.
• Give their reseller access to FlashPanel to provide remote support: In the future, the Console will allow resellers to manage settings in FlashPanel on a customer’s behalf with that customer’s consent. This will greatly cut down on Apps management time for system administrators and add to the benefits working with a reseller provides.

“The Console is a true value add. It makes the experience, not only for Cumulus as a reseller, but for our customers, much more seamless,” noted Allen Falcon, CEO of Cumulus Global. “The ability for a customer to purchase their own Google Apps licenses is huge and something both customers and resellers have been searching for basically since the launch of Google Apps.”

“We’re constantly working to improve the operating experience in and adoption of Google Apps,” added Politis. “The Reseller Console is a unique offering that solidifies more meaningful reseller – customer relationships.”

Resellers interested in exploring the Console can register at bettercloud.com/reseller-tools.

About BetterCloud
BetterCloud is the leading provider of cloud management and security tools for Google Apps. FlashPanel, its flagship product, installed by over 20,000 companies and 13 million users worldwide, is a directory management and Google Drive security application that empowers Google Apps administrators by providing added controls, visibility, automation and more. BetterCloud also powers Ask the Gooru, which provides free Google Apps training videos and aims to further the adoption of Google Apps. The company’s newest product, the FlashPanel Reseller Console, gives cloud service brokers tools that streamline and automate management of customer accounts. For more information, visit blognew.staging.wpengine.com.

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Media Contact:
Gail Axelrod
BetterCloud, Inc.
press@bettercloud.com