Chris Nein is SVP Channel Sales at Zayo Group, a leading provider of communications infrastructure solutions. Chris has been at Zayo for two years leading new customer acquisition with a focus on their managed edge portfolio – a channel-centric offering – and joined the company as part of the QOS Networks acquisition. His new role will focus on fostering partner relationships, improve the customer experience, and allow partners to expose more enterprises to Zayo solutions more simply.

During the interview, Chris shared his career journey, highlighting his role at Zayo, the acquisition of QoS Networks, and the focus on integrating edge products into the company’s offerings. Chris also discussed the shift towards channel sales and the importance of managed services in connecting users to applications.

Chris also emphasized the need for Zayo to prioritize ease of business through a new partner portal, focusing on automation, AI, and data integrity to make it easier for channel partners to work with the company. He also discussed the industry-wide migration to the edge and the importance of application performance, while acknowledging the challenges and the need for trust in the process. Julian and Chris Nein discussed the challenges and opportunities of embracing new technology, particularly AI, in the context of channel partnerships. They emphasized the importance of trusting and leaning on vendors for support and guidance in navigating these new technologies.