Voice & Data Distribution MARKET REPORT
“We find resellers are continually reviewing their portfolios as technology continues to evolve. Gone are the
days of putting a phone system on the wall and plugging in ISDN or analogue lines”
Darren Garland of ProVu
Tom Maxwell, Head of Dealer Sales at Nimans
provide guidance and authority.
We have our own in-house
training academy combined with
technical and pre-sales skills sets
to ensure we can help a reseller at
every stage of the sales process.
is is complemented by highly
experienced desk-based account
managers.”
How are distributor portfolios
changing to refl ect current
market trends?
Will Morey says distributors
are evolving their portfolios
by introducing new products
their partners can easily scale,
customise and deploy across
their customers’ businesses.
“ e focus is on o ering
greater exibility to meet the
varying needs of customers, and
enabling the better use of big
data, AI and IoT technologies,
all while ensuring greater
collaboration, business e ciency
and seamless consumer
experiences.
We see a massive drive among
distributors to di erentiate their
product o ering by introducing
new value additions to both their
partners and end-users. ese
come in the form of plug-ins
and attachments that help users
make the most of the latest
>
develop many initiatives and
programmes designed to help
resellers extract more value out
of deals.”
Do distributors have the
skill sets themselves to help
channel partners put solutions
together for users?
Will Morey at Pragma says as
the uni ed communications and
collaboration market becomes
more of a buyer’s market, it is
crucial for distributors to better
understand the needs of their
end-users and develop usercentric
solutions.
“ ose who’ve anticipated
these changes have developed
the required skills and gained
access to insights to help their
channel partners put tailored
solutions together for end-users.
e rest, however, is divided. On
one side of the spectrum we have
distributors who are unaware of
these changes and on the other,
we have distributors who are
becoming more aware of this
shift and trying hard to hone
their skills so they can develop
tailored solutions for their
partners’ customers.
To sum it up, we believe
that these skills are vital for
distributors, and while all
distributors don’t possess these
capabilities, they will need to
catch up if they are to remain
competitive.”
According to David Watts
at Tech Data, resellers can’t be
expected to take all of this onboard
and meet the increasingly
diverse needs of their customers
without some support.
“ ey need to decide where
they are today, where they want
to be in the future, and then
map out a pathway to achieving
their goals. We see our role as
enabling them and supporting
them on that journey, providing
the information and learning
resources they need to develop
their own knowledge, and lling
the gaps with expertise and
services where that’s required,
along the way.
Tech Data has been
developing the resources to
do this for some time now
and these form a key part of
our Trusted Advisor ethos.
Tech Data’s Practice Builder
programmes, for example,
provide a framework for resellers
to develop their capabilities in
key areas such as cloud, analytics
and IoT, and security – and we
also o er structured support in
key vertical markets, such as
healthcare and manufacturing.
We bring our partners all of
the technologies and expertise
needed to formulate solutions
and take them to their end-user
customers.”
Hanspeter Eiselt at Nuvias
says it is the business model
for VADs to add value to their
channel partners’ businesses by
completing their o ering with
expert advice and consultancy to
help them scope, integrate and
tailor technology solutions for
business.
“As an example, Nuvias has
expert practices by technology
area, from cybersecurity to
advanced networking and
uni ed communications. We
also have a con guration centre
to help tune and customise
solutions for business.”
Tom Maxwell at Nimans
con rms that distributors
are a key conduit between
vendors and resellers and their
knowledge and skill sets are
crucial.
“Not only do we have to hold
all the accreditations, the highest
levels of internal expertise ensure
our customers always receive the
best advice.
It’s about value and assurance
so that when a reseller comes to
us with an opportunity we can
Tom Maxwell of Nimans
www.commsbusiness.co.uk January 2020 | Comms Business Magazine | 25
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