Rethinking Distribution in the Age of Acceleration

Rhonda Robati, Executive Vice President for Crayon APAC was recently interviewed by Australian Reseller News (ARN) for her insights into the changing nature of cloud distribution.

Here, Rhonda shares her insight and what it means to challenge the way things have always been done in our industry, and strive for distribution, done differently.

If someone had told me early in my career that I would one day lead a company like Crayon across Asia Pacific, supporting partners through the most significant shift our industry has seen, I would have smiled, thanked them, and returned to putting disks into envelopes.

Nothing about this journey has been accidental. It has been shaped by people who believed, who challenged, who showed up. I have always believed leadership is not about hierarchy. It is about impact. It is about helping others succeed. That is exactly what Crayon is here to bring: a true team player to channel partners.

The shift we are seeing

Across Australia, the transformation is already well underway. Cloud adoption is rising, legacy systems are being challenged, and the demands of security and sustainability are growing every day. The conversation has moved far beyond infrastructure. Now it is about resilience, value, and speed.

At Crayon, we are listening to what IT leaders are telling us. They are dealing with complex cloud environments, unpredictable costs, growing cybersecurity risks, and a lack of skilled resources. These are real pain points that require real answers.

We are meeting that need with an ecosystem of strategic and practical support. Whether it is helping businesses track and optimise cloud spend, secure their environments, or access technical talent they do not have in-house, we are focused on being the partner they can count on. Not just to move faster, but to move smarter.

Acceleration with meaning

The most exciting part of this evolution is not the technology. It is the people behind it.

Artificial intelligence is a good example. In Australia, we are not chasing buzzwords. Our partners are asking how to use these tools to solve problems and unlock value. That is the right approach. And it is why we are focused on creating actual AI accelerator packages that prioritise strategy over product.

We are seeing the same maturity in cybersecurity. With high-profile breaches affecting major institutions, the appetite for stronger protections is growing fast. New regulations, privacy frameworks, and business expectations are driving the need for better solutions. This is where channel partners shine.

Crayon is helping partners build secure, productive environments, offer assessments, and support their customers with confidence.

More and more, we are seeing partners play a central role in shaping customer outcomes. In fact, cloud providers have reported that partner contributions in our region have grown significantly in the last two years. That is a powerful shift.

We are proud to support that momentum. We are bringing in our architects, consultants, and engineers to work alongside our partners. We are helping them design offers, close deals, train teams, and deliver managed services they can build a business on.

This is not about selling more. It is about doing more for each other.

A new standard, and a push to “do things differently”

Vendors are being more selective. Programs are evolving. Expectations are higher. That may feel uncomfortable to some, but I see it as a reset. It is removing noise and lifting the standard for what it means to be a distributor.

Crayon welcomes that. We are not trying to be everything to everyone. We are here to add value, to bring substance, and to help partners move forward with clarity.

The distributors who thrive in this next chapter will be the ones who focus on people, relationships, and results. That is where we have always stood. And it is where we will stay. On our partners’, customers’, and employees’ side, always.

We do not see ourselves as a traditional distributor. We do not believe our role is to sit in the middle of a transaction. We believe our role is to sit beside our partners and walk the path with them.

That is what Distribution Done Differently means.

It means investing in people before products. It means building technical teams who can co-create, not just coordinate. It means offering support that is grounded in experience, not just contracts. And it means showing up when it matters to help close a deal, to solve a problem, or to bring clarity to something complex.

We are here to make things easier, faster, and more sustainable for the businesses we serve. But more than that, we are here to be a partner they can trust. A partner who sees their goals as our own. A partner who understands that growth is never just about revenue. It is about people, relationships, and shared success.

That is the Crayon way. And that is what Distribution Done Differently truly stands for.

Read the original article on ARN Australia here.