TIP 4: Stare Into The Soul Of The Service Organization

Look deep into your potential distribution partner's eyes, and try to get a sense of what kind of business model really motivates its practice and what revenue approach is deeply felt within the company's soul.

Recognizing the critical differences between a service and a SKU is a good start, Paul said.

"Microsoft has the most desirable tech, the most recognizable tools and the most familiar applications, but it all comes down to support," Paul says. "The future of cloud services is in the hands of distributors and vendors who have consciously decided to be in the annuity business and make the investments to build a strong service organization."