Some of the most impactful insights come from engaging, thought-provoking discussions among technology industry professionals.
Richard Tubb, a former MSP business owner, captures these in his “TubbTalk” podcast, where he offers actionable advice for managed services providers and IT consultants. Recently, he welcomed Sergio Farache, TD SYNNEX’s Chief Strategy & Technology Officer, on Episode 173: StreamOne®: Transforming Cloud Management for MSP Success and Growth.
With over 30 years of experience in startups and Fortune 500 companies, Sergio has spent the past two decades at TD SYNNEX understanding the evolving needs of MSPs. Based in Miami, he’s also a passionate cyclist and coffee connoisseur.
During his conversation with Richard, Sergio provided valuable insights into StreamOne®, TD SYNNEX’s cloud management platform, and our comprehensive value stack that distinguishes us in the market. He also emphasized our unique role in helping MSPs grow their cloud business. Read on for the key takeaways from their discussion.
This article is a transcript of an interview conversation. The content has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Could you offer a brief overview of StreamOne® as a cloud management platform? What are its key features, and what makes it stand out?
Let me start by saying that StreamOne® isn’t just a marketplace. It’s a complete engagement platform designed to help MSPs and partners automate every step of the journey for their end users. From onboarding to purchasing, management, delivery, and fulfillment – StreamOne® covers it all.
In the past, distribution focused on adding value through direct interactions with partners or MSPs. But we quickly realized the real value comes from enabling MSPs to pass that value on to their end users. That’s why StreamOne® is more than just a marketplace. It’s a full platform, and the marketplace is just one part of it. We’ve integrated everything needed to help partners serve their customers from start to finish.
StreamOne® is already used in over 80 countries, and the platform supports multi-vendor and multi-currency functionality. One of our key innovations is something we call “normalization.”
As MSPs work with different cloud providers and vendors, each has its own processes and transaction models. Instead of replicating them, we standardized software, lifecycle, and infrastructure management. This ensures that no matter the provider – whether Microsoft, Amazon, Google, or anyone else – the experience stays simple, consistent, and efficient.
StreamOne® automates the entire process, making it easier for MSPs to manage and deliver services. Our ultimate goal is to boost operational efficiency and drive growth for our partners.
We have a global audience, and many MSPs use different Professional Services Automation (PSA) platforms. Which ones does StreamOne® integrate with?
Essentially, PSA systems are a key part of the MSP lifecycle, and StreamOne® serves three main areas:
- Traditional platform website delivery.
- Commercial and white-label capabilities for end users.
- Headless commerce.
In headless commerce, we use connectors to integrate with systems like ConnectWise, Autotask, and soon, ServiceNow, with more connectors planned for the future. These connectors make it easy for MSPs to synchronize services, customers, orders, and products.
Our billing reconciliation engine resolves data inconsistencies early, streamlining MSP workflows. Another important aspect of headless commerce is our API stack. Since we can’t cover every platform, we make it easy for MSPs to access all StreamOne® capabilities via APIs. We also provide Swagger, a tool that lets partners test and see how each API works before integrating.
We’re putting significant effort into headless commerce to ensure MSPs can work seamlessly with both connectors and APIs.
Let’s discuss Software as a Service (SaaS) Lifecycle Management. MSPs help clients choose, implement, monitor, and eventually phase out SaaS apps. How does StreamOne® support MSPs with this process?
We’ve done several things right, starting with laying the right foundation, just like building a house – without it, everything falls apart. That’s why we emphasize our platform’s foundation.
A key feature is our synchronization engine. We realized that changes happen both inside and outside the platform, and without alignment, inconsistencies arise. For example, your inventory may not match the hyperscaler’s inventory. To address this, we built our platform to synchronize with vendors every 30 minutes, ensuring real-time updates. Whether changes happen in our platform or the partner portal, they are reconciled so you always have the most up-to-date information. This level of synchronization is a major value, and very few platforms offer it.
Lastly, we made deployment easier. It’s not just about buying licenses – you can deploy them within your architecture. You can track license status, update, downgrade, and manage everything, with real-time visibility of your usage and inventory.
With these features, we’re expanding dashboard capabilities to make everything more intuitive, but we already offer significant value today.
Reporting is key for MSPs. They need a simple way to view client data. What reporting features does StreamOne® offer?
This is a great topic. We’re focused on continuous improvement in this area, and here’s what we currently offer. Our platform features a tailored dashboard with customizable widgets to help partners access the most relevant data. It includes notifications, quick links to frequently used pages, and training tools for managing data.
The platform also provides analytics at both individual and consolidated levels, offering insights into usage, spending trends, and provider-specific breakdowns. Budget management tools allow partners to track spending and customize reports based on key fields. All this data is accessible via APIs and can be exported in CSV or PDF formats.
Looking ahead, we’re focusing on two major enhancements. First, we’re using AI to simplify processes, enabling partners to ask questions and quickly get actionable insights.
Second, we’re enhancing reporting layers to allow cost allocation by consumption or subscription at a granular level, including assigning costs to specific cost centers, adding significant value for internal reporting and budgeting. We’re committed to making these tools even more intuitive and valuable for our partners.
You’re rolling out some new features for StreamOne®. Can you tell us about them?
Absolutely, we’ve been working on some exciting updates to the platform that will make a real difference for users. Here’s a preview of what’s coming:
- Advanced Search and API Improvements – We’re introducing a new search feature to make it easier to find exactly what you need. Plus, we’ve expanded our API capabilities to allow partners to create and integrate custom products or services, including importing products from hyperscaler platforms via marketplace syndication.
- Security Solutions Dashboard – We’ve introduced a limited release of our security solutions dashboard, which lets you take action, like updating a customer’s security posture directly (with their permission). It also suggests products to address any issues, turning it into a proactive security tool.
- Upcoming Price Management Enhancements – Soon, we plan to release updates to simplify pricing management on the platform, which will make this area more flexible and easier to use.
We’re excited about these new features and believe they will enhance the MSP experience in StreamOne®.
This recap marks the first installment of our coverage of Sergio and Richard’s insightful conversation. We’re excited to share even more compelling insights in part two of our Newsroom article series – stay tuned!
Interested in learning more? Uncover how StreamOne® can transform your cloud service management and take your capabilities to the next level.
