In this Partner Spotlight, the Crayon editorial team sat with founder and CEO of Cytrack Intelligence Systems, Nick Milan to explore his channel growth objectives as a Microsoft Gold ISV and how these are supported through Crayon’s ISV Innovation Hub program.
Nick Milan, Founder and Managing Director, Cytrack.io
Founded in 1995, Cytrack is a mature Independent Software Vendor (ISV) that offers a modular suite of software, API’s and services that build upon and extend the capabilities of cloud telephony platforms. Its mission to enable businesses of all sizes to deliver exceptional customer experience has established Cytrack as a leader in telephony integration and omni-channel contact centre technology.
Cytrack has been successful at growing its business through integrations with world leading vendors. Its products are OEM’d and distributed by industry giants such as Ericsson-LG, Panasonic and Avaya in over 25 countries. In parallel, Cytrack is pursuing a channel development strategy by building relationships with the IT and MSP partner community. Specifically, Cytrack aims to raise its presence with partners in the Microsoft channel. The Crayon ISV Innovation Hub program presented Cytrack with a clear route for achieving this goal.
We identify ourselves as a focused Microsoft ISV and were honoured as a Microsoft Australia Partner of the Year award winner for Platform Innovation & Excellence.
Cytrack has sponsored and exhibited at many annual Microsoft Partner shows both in Australia and US, we had successful integrations with Skype for Business that we built into Microsoft Teams.
We published our solutions into the Microsoft Teams store and Marketplace. However, we were still not getting traction with the Microsoft channel.
While the Microsoft Marketplace is an amazing resource, it requires thought and planning to get flexibility and a great outcome for partners and customers.
We felt that we were inexperienced in marketing our business and how to approach it.
Crayon’s ISV Innovation Hub offered us a way to engage through a team that is deeply experienced in working with Microsoft, and a way to connect with an existing network of Microsoft specialised MSPs and resellers.
I have worked with quite a lot of distributors over the years in various countries and what stuck out was despite Crayon being such a big organisation, we had awesome access to the right people who ensure there are dedicated resources available. Our account lead for the ISV Innovation Hub is an absolute star!
Crayon’s experience working with the Marketplace has been instrumental in helping us to offer smooth and easy processes for our customers and partners. They have been prepared to deeply look at certain challenges in backend processes even if it involved their own changes.
They actively market our business internally to their account managers and to their channel partners. We have been involved in many innovative and interesting partner events that have driven engagements on many exciting opportunities. The whole team put a lot of effort into making our relationship a success for us, for them and most importantly for their partners.
One thing I have observed as well is how happy their partners are with Crayon and the relationships the account managers have with those partners. That’s a really important indicator for me and gives me the faith that this will be a tremendous success for us too.
Through the program, we were able to connect with the right people in Crayon to build a flexible and smooth process for the partner and customer that extends from the Microsoft Marketplace to the Crayon partner portal.
We get access to industry professionals who know the Microsoft channel including IT and MSP partners. Having access to that deep experience and guidance on what’s important to Microsoft sellers, how they like to work and what works best means we can sound out ideas and get to the best solution quickly.
As mentioned, the marketing support has been key. Being involved and exposed to many marketing and informative events has enabled us to build a very engaged partner community.
Well, first of all – get involved! The ISV Innovation Hub team will take you on a well-planned journey of best practice for your business and it offers defined outcomes for success.
I do advise others to consider Microsoft’s resources about how to get your products on the Marketplace and also the blueprints they provide on the type of seller and deployment guides you should have in place, and the best practice processes to follow. Microsoft gave us excellent support on that journey and that set us up very well for our engagement with Crayon.
More and more businesses including partners are leaning into online Marketplace’s so integrations with distribution platforms such as Crayon’s PRISM plays a crucial role in modern business engagement. Partners can be assured of cost efficiency, convenience, reliability and trust and streamlined commercial transactions.
This makes it simpler for MSPs, IT resellers, systems integrators and others in the channel to provide their customers with exposure and access to innovative solutions such as Cytrack.io – that’s good for the partner and that’s great for us.
Crayon partners can now take advantage of a comprehensive range of solutions from Cytrack, which build on and extend the power of Microsoft Teams. This includes competitive and flexible Microsoft Teams Calling Plans, CRM integration, voice recording and compliance and reporting and analytics.
Cytrack’s partner program provides a wide range of resources, including sales tools, promotional movies, e-learning modules, PowerPoint presentations, and more—designed to help partners effectively market and deploy their solutions.
Cytrack also offers Not-For-Resale (NFR) license programs, allowing partners to use their products for demonstration and internal training purposes.
To further support our partners, the Cytrack Assist program provides comprehensive project management, deployment assistance, and training. Whether you’re looking to upskill your team or streamline your product offerings, Cytrack’s resources and Assist program deliver the guidance and tools necessary to help partners drive growth and deliver value to their customers.
Sales and Marketing
Business leaders don't live in the tools. They live in the outcomes. The metrics they care about most are not always limited to compliance and risk. So how do you connect data protection to the big-ticket objectives, when they're less obvious? Our in-house pre-sales expert, Michael Brooke explains.
Guides and eBooks
As SMBs mature in the Data Protection lifecycle, they need help to optimise spend, reduce the compliance burden and ensure results align to business objectives. The third installment of our Data Protection Playbook series provides practical guidance for partners on how to address emerging pressure and connect ongoing investment to measurable business value.
Training
Copilot Agents: what are they and how do they differ from AI assistants and chatbots? Our in-house Copilot expert Ksenia Turner explains the use cases and service opportunities for partners.
Blogs
Fragmented data protection systems and processes create compliance proof-gaps for SMB customers. Scott Hagenus, Director, Cybersecurity here at Crayon explains.
Sales and Marketing
Ever wonder why a pitch has some IT Managers leaning forward, while others glaze over? Michael Brooke, Cybersecurity Pre-Sales Lead offers some insight on how to tune your approach to chime with different technical mindsets.
Guides and eBooks
How can partners help their SMB customers to move from silos of security and continuity to a more cohesive, measurable and insurable data protection framework? The second edition in our Data Protection Playbook series maps out their journey, and yours.
Vendor Announcements
Copilot for Business has landed at Microsoft Ignite 2025, levelling the GenAI playing field for SMB customers. Learn all about it from our man on the ground, Andreas Bergman.
Press Release
Press Release
Blogs
As cybersecurity and continuity converge in platforms and in practice, partners need new playbooks to address modern Data Protection standards. Our in-house cybersecurity pre-sales lead, Michael Brooke explains why.
Guides and eBooks
What triggers an SMB customer to begin exploring their need for better Data Protection? The first of our four Data Protection Playbooks for partners breaks down how to position and win in the Pre-Adoption and Exploration stage.
Insights
Data Protection priorities are shifting for SMBs. Ramp up your ability to respond with curated insights, articles and resources to help you guide every customer conversation with confidence.
Partner Spotlight
In this Partner Spotlight, Acceltech Managing Director Ivy Tarrobago shares how Crayon’s responsive support enhances client outcomes and business growth.
Whitepapers
Data Protection is a must for all SMBs but how can partners align solution investment with critical business objectives? Our latest paper shows you how.
Press Release
Crayon has been recognised with a huge double win at the CRN Channel Asia awards ceremony.
Insights
All the latest insights, articles and resources on M365 Copilot, curated into one place.
Insights
SMB customers are storing greater volumes of sensitive data in more places than ever. Secure backup and recovery practices are essential to how they protect it.
Partner Spotlight
Bigfish Technology saved AU$20,000 on its annual Microsoft licensing after one call with Crayon and has since built a strong partnership that enabled Bigfish to get access to Crayon’s expertise and vendor ecosystem.
Insights
Insider risk is a subtle and continuous challenge for SMB customers. Turn it into a manageable and quantifiable aspect of their Data Protection strategy.
Blogs
From rethinking backup to governance frameworks and behavioural analytics, what's involved in building a complete Data Protection strategy for SMB customers?
Insights
We explore the evolution of Microsoft's channel strategy over the past ten years, and what can be learned by viewing it through a Value Cycle lens.
Guides and eBooks
The Microsoft Fabric Partner Guide curates our recent articles, videos and resources to accelerate Crayon partner learning.
Guides and eBooks
Top insights from our latest eBook for ISV and SaaS partners.
Guides and eBooks
Scaling an ISV business is a journey. Our latest eBook unpacks common roadblocks and how to steer clear of them on the way to success.
News
Crayon expands its ISV Innovation Hub in Asia Pacific, offering APAC Independent Software Vendors unparalleled support in cloud readiness, AI integration, and market expansion.
Blogs
Explore ISV investment action across the region, and the role that vendor marketplaces play in their race to acquire fresh tech innovation.
Case Studies
Explore how Crayon worked with Independent Software Vendor, MID to migrate them to the cloud and gain significant cost savings in return.
Case Studies
Learn how our Cloud Managed Services team helped this ISV modernise its IT operating environment with Microsoft Azure.
Case Studies
Learn why Wise trusts Crayon to support its growth with expertise in cloud economics, DevOps consultancy, and Microsoft audit procedures.
