Telstra chooses AppDirect for cloud app store

Australian incumbent telco Telstra has selected AppDirect’s application marketplace technology to power its cloud app store. The platform will allow Telstra to offer a one-stop-shop for cloud-based apps for business users, and is going live initially with services offered by Box (cloud-based storage and collaboration) and Docusign (digital signing software).

Daniel Saks, co-founder and co-CEO of AppDirect told BCN that the company’s app marketplace service provides a proven monetisation and management platform for software vendors and customers, respectively.

The deal with Telstra marks AppDirect’s first foray into the Asia Pacific region, and is a sign of the growing popularity of cloud application marketplaces. Large incumbents like IBM and SAP have launched their own application marketplaces in recent months and are trying to attract ISVs to build services that integrate with their software.

AppDirect’s platform is vendor agnostic, however, so the company isn’t driving service integration as a raison d’être for being in the app store to begin with. But with the billing and service delivery technology firmly in place the issue with cloud reselling seems to be one of monetisation – is there enough in it for ISVs and service providers in a way that isn’t too divorced from how the IT channel functions today? Saks believes there is.

“We’ve also built a strong, connected ecosystem that unites providers and consumers of cloud services for incredibly easy access and engagement. This drives significant benefits across our network of marketplaces – software developers can integrate their applications once and be available in numerous marketplaces operated by different brands around the world and providers, such as Telstra and other worldwide leaders, can offer a rich selection of cloud services to their customers,” Saks said.

Telstra said it will continue to onboard more business applications over the coming months and migrate apps from Telstra’s previous platform in 2015.

“Telstra wants to help businesses be the best that they can be, moving to cloud based business and mobile apps gives them greater flexibility, enhancing the ability to work on the move and reducing administration, leaving them more time to work on what matters most – their core business,” said Will Irving, Telstra’s business group managing director. “Working with innovative providers such as AppDirect, we can deliver a simple online experience for our customers that will make it easy to find and use the right apps for their business.”

Telstra has been busy extending its cloud platform to new regions this year. In June the company announced it would expand its cloud platform to the East Coast US, and in September announced plans to bring these services to Hong Kong and Singapore.