Wasabi and Crayon Expand APAC Partnership

Forget oil. Data centres are the new black gold in Asia. A staggering US$10 billion investment wave sweeping across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region reflects an insatiable appetite for data. As the region prepares to generate an astronomical volume of data, there’s a rising demand for specialty cloud storage providers – especially those that offer cost-effective, secure, and scalable storage with lightning-fast, seamless data access. 

Covering new ground across southeast Asia 

Previously focused on the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) region, Wasabi’s partnership with Crayon has extended its reach to encompass Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. This expansion strengthens Wasabi's presence within the APAC region, enabling us to achieve broader market penetration and establish a deeper foothold.  

Partnering with Crayon, a company with an extensive network of over 4000 channel partners and MSPs (managed service providers) across the APAC region, further strengthens our reach to bring high-performance, affordable cloud storage to organizations across the ASEAN region. This partnership offers a significant opportunity for Crayon and Wasabi, particularly as countries like Malaysia and the Philippines emerge as data centre powerhouses. The substantial investments in these countries provide fertile ground for Crayon’s IT expertise and cutting-edge Wasabi cloud storage solutions. 

As Rhonda Robati, Crayon EVP of APAC states, “At Crayon, our partners come first. Extending our partnership with Wasabi to ASEAN means we can provide them with the best tools and solutions available. This collaboration helps our partners and their customers succeed in a cloud-first world. Additionally, Crayon's white-labeled services offer partners new revenue streams and enhance their competitiveness in the market. We are committed to supporting their growth and success.” 

Growing customer momentum 

In today's hyperscaler-dominated landscape, what was once seen as a limitation is now transforming into a vast opportunity. AI is driving the need for more flexible and cost-effective storage solutions, prompting businesses to look beyond traditional hyperscaler cloud services. While hyperscalers may initially seem convenient, lock-in and high egress fees often trap businesses and their data, making them costly for growing needs.  

This partnership marks a strategic leap forward for Wasabi. It allows us to deliver our innovative solutions directly to the dynamic APAC market. Here, we cater to both large enterprises and smaller organisations with niche needs. By joining forces with Crayon – one of the largest information and communications technology solutions distributors – we can address the diverse storage requirements of organisations head on. With access to our cost-effective cloud storage model, businesses can now explore, integrate, and scale AI with ease, which allows them to drive innovation and propel the APAC market towards a more competitive future.  

Warren Nolan, SVP of Channel at Crayon notes, “This partnership is a big step forward in supporting our partners and their customers. With Wasabi's top-tier hot cloud storage, our channel partners can meet their customers' needs more effectively.”  

Unlocking a suite of tools 

Crayon’s distribution networks make the entire Wasabi suite readily available, including CloudNAS, our surveillance solutions, Wasabi AiR Intelligent Media Storage, and our various account management tools, including Cloud Sync Manager and Wasabi Account Control Manager.  

This comprehensive portfolio caters to both MSPs and large enterprises, solidifying Wasabi's position as a leading contender in the cloud storage market.  

AI as a data catalyst  

Fuelled by AI’s insatiable data demands, we anticipate a surge in partner momentum. As digitalisation initiatives continue to expand, cloud services have significantly bolstered the demand for data centres.  

With 99% of businesses planning to adopt or already implementing AI/ML solutions, this tidal wave of AI adoption will inevitably trigger a surge in data volume and processing demands. More than that, AI thrives on massive datasets to continuously generate accurate predictions and insights. This ever-growing data pool requires robust storage solutions to house it all.   

Here's where an expanded partner ecosystem becomes a game-changer. Businesses gain access to a wider range of cutting-edge technologies and deep industry knowledge, accelerating their AI adoption journey. With access to the necessary scalability and efficiency to handle growing data demands, businesses can then confidently implement and manage their AI initiatives, unlocking the true potential of data-driven advancements across industries. 

Cloud storage costs should be transparent and accessible 

The surge in data is not the only challenge facing businesses. The 2024 Wasabi' Cloud Storage Index survey revealed a troubling trend: in 2023, over half (51%) of APAC businesses exceeded their cloud storage budgets. This was particularly acute in Singapore, where 66% of businesses went over budget. Yet, the issue goes deeper than simply exceeding budgets. Nearly half (48%) of these storage budgets were not even spent on storage – the service they are ostensibly paying for – but instead for ancillary charges they cannot predict and must abide by. 

Opaque pricing structures with complex and hidden fees create a compounding challenge for businesses. Not only is there a risk of exceeding budgets, but the lack of transparency makes it difficult to accurately forecast costs and optimise cloud operations. This ultimately hinders businesses from achieving the promised cost savings and maximising their return on investment – essentially negating the core benefits of cloud storage: affordability and scalability. 

By offering cost-effective, scalable storage, Wasabi empowers businesses to embrace AI without getting bogged down by hyperscaler pricing. Recognising the need for transparent and cost-effective solutions, Wasabi offers public cloud storage at prices up to 80% less than traditional competitors. Wasabi's pricing structure eliminates the worry of hidden fees; there are no egress fees, andno API request charges, just predictable, all-inclusive bills. 

Wasabi offers a compelling alternative by focusing solely on cloud storage. This singular focus allows us to excel – avoiding the complexities and overhead of a broader cloud service offering. This translates to a deep understanding of customer needs, enabling Wasabi to deliver solutions specifically tailored for storage in the APAC region.