Lenovo XClarity Controller The Server Management Engine for Future-Defined Data Centers Lenovo XClarity Controller is embedded in every ThinkSystem server on a separate microprocessor, and is designed to help you standardize, simplify, and automate foundation infrastructure processes. A fresh and uncluttered experience coupled with improved responsiveness and Redfish compliant REST APIs can help you spend more time deploying agile methodologies and continual-delivery systems and ramp up infrastructure delivery.
Feature comparison across editions. Upgrades completed via Software Key. Core Features
Standard
Advanced
Enterprise
X
X
X
Standards-Based Interfaces
Out-of-band modernized & streamlined web interface
User Authentication
LDAP-based user authentication
X
X
X
Inventory Status & RealTime Monitoring
Collect hardware & environmental information for asset management, maintenance, health, performance, & diagnostics
X
X
X
Diagnostics
System diagnostics, log collection, and fault handling
X
X
X
X
X
X
In-band & out-of-band updates to UEFI, XClarity Controller, LEPT, and related driver packages for OS installation
X
X
X
Installation of Linux, Microsoft Windows, & VMware vSphere
X
X
X
X
X
Updates
OS Installation
Remote OS installation Boot capture
X
Replicate UEFI, XClarity Controller, & RAID settings to other servers
X
X
X
Usage tracking
X
X
X
Cloning
Energy
Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager entitlement
X
KVM and virtual media Remote presence
X
Collaboration across users within the remote session
X X X
XClarity Controller comes with all Lenovo ThinkSystem & Thinkagile Hardware Platform.
Mobile App available on:
©
Configuration
Lenovo 2019. All rights reserved. Lenovo and the Lenovo logo are trademarks of Lenovo.
CIM, IPMI, SNMPv3
CONTENTS
STRATEGIC VAD PARTNER
ISSUE 268 // MAY 2019
CALLING THE SHOTS Gareth Hansford, GM, Gulf Software Distribution (GSD), on empowering channel partners to take the lead on customers’ digital transformation journeys through a solutions-oriented approach.
HIGHLIGHTS
07
PARTNER WATCH
48 REINFORCING CORE VALUES
NEWS We help you catch up on all the major news and announcements in the regional channel community.
Exclusive Networks’ Grant Taylor shares insights on how channel partners can add value to their operations with the distributor’s support.
INTERVIEW
18 ARCHITECTS OF CONTINUITY
Pierre Havenga from Vertiv Middle East and Africa, says, through its dedicated regional distributor Mindware, partners can offer turnkey solutions to their customers.
MARGIN BUILDER FORUM
26 BUILDING FUTUREREADY PARTNERSHIPS
The second edition of the Margin Builder Forum gathered the channel community to devise solutions that will help partner firms to thrive in the future.
51 SECURITY MATTERS
VENDOR FOCUS
54 ART OF TRANSLATION
PARTNER EXCELLENCE AWARDS
30
Raqmiyat’s Abhijit Mahadik outlines the biggest insights gained from its recently held end-user focused roundtable discussion in Dubai.
Lennart van der Ziel, CEO, Travis, explains how the firm aims to bridge communication and language barriers within the region through its dedicated offerings.
BLOG
A DECADE OF EXCELLENCE
Reseller Middle East and TahawulTech.com marked the 10th edition of Partner Excellence Awards in a gala ceremony at Jumierah Emirates Towers.
56 HERE’S SOMETHING CLOUD CAN’T TAKE
AWAY FROM YOU
Jim Morrissey from Xerox Corporation, explains how cloud computing is as great opportunity for channel partners as it is for end-users.
22 www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
3
EDITORIAL Are you set for AI?
L
ast month we hosted our second edition of Margin Builder Forum, which was a resounding success and continues to raise the bar. I had the privilege to moderate three thoughtprovoking panels featuring some of the leaders of the industry. While we discussed at length on issues and strategies around boosting profits and selecting the right partner, the panel on leveraging AI and analytics for channel success resulted in some interesting insights. One of the biggest points that the panel members seemed to agree on is that partners need to first understand the definition of AI. Often during customer meetings, the word is thrown in the mix of a conversation and the partner is left wondering – are they simply talking about automation? Do they mean life-size robots? Or do they have some other glorified definition in mind? The AI space is still quite nascent and within that partners have to identify which area exactly they want to expand their skillsets in. When the word is used as a catch phrase, partners shouldn’t
FOUNDER, CPI MEDIA GROUP Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015)
shy away from stopping the conversation to truly ensure both parties are on the same page when it comes to what AI’s potential is in today’s business environment. There is no question about how AI can change the world we live in. At the moment though, partners should look at how they can enhance existing solutions using AI, which is a step by step process. Partners need to become an authority on data, connectivity, analytics and other technologies before proclaiming to be AI experts. Finally, collaboration with peers across verticals and understanding customers’ business to offer true value, are critical aspects in the AI game. Wish you all a blessed month of Ramadan.
Publishing Director Natasha Pendleton natasha.pendleton@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9139 EDITORIAL Managing Editor Michael Jabri-Pickett mjp@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9158 Editor Janees Reghelini janees.reghelini@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9167 Online Editor Adelle Geronimo adelle.geronimo@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9135 DESIGN Head of Design Froilan Cosgafa IV froilan.cosgafa@cpimediagroup.com Senior Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com Designer Marlou Delaben marlou.delaben@cpimediagroup.com ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Kausar Syed kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9130 Business Development Manager Youssef Hariz youssef.hariz@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9111 Senior Sales Manager Sabita Miranda sabita.miranda@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9128 CIRCULATION Operations Manager Shweta Santosh shweta.santosh@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9107 DIGITAL SERVICES Web Developers Jefferson de Joya Abbas Madh
Janees Reghelini Editor
Photographers Max Poriechkin Charls Thomas webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100 DIGITAL www.tahawultech.com Printed by Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing LLC Published by
E-mail: janees.reghelini@ cpimediagroup.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ TahawulTech Twitter: @TahawulTech Instagram: @TahawulTech
Registered at Dubai Production City, DCCA PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 © Copyright 2019 CPI All rights reserved While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
5
Essential for every day INSPIRON 15 3000
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Inspiron 15 3000 Laptop Intel® Core™ i5-8265U processor, 4GB RAM, 1TB Hard Drive, 2GB AMD Radeon 520 Graphics, 15.6” HD Anti-Glare LED Backlit Display, Ubuntu Linux.
Earth Gate Trading FZCO 29 Al Nahdha St - Dubai +97143514486 / info@earthgate.com Intel, the Intel Logo, Intel Inside, Intel Core, and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.
7 HIGHLIGHTS
MINDWARE ACQUIRES ARROW ELECTRONICS ECS’ MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS
R
egional value-added distributor Mindware has announced the successful acquisition of the Middle East operations of Arrow Electronics Enterprise Computing Solutions. The acquisition has been finalised following the approval of the governmental Authorities in the United Arab Emirates. The acquisition is part of Mindware’s growth strategy to advancing as the leading
value-added distributor (VAD) in the region. As part of the acquisition, the VAD will expand its Dell EMC territorial coverage and enhance its security portfolio with additional global vendors such as RSA, CheckPoint, Forcepoint, Trend Micro, IXIA, Thales Security, Tenable and Deep Secure. Arrow Electronics has recruited a large number of enterprise resellers, always operating as their trusted
technology advisor and growth enabler. “This acquisition reinforces our strategy to support the digital transformation of the regional IT industry and the high demand for Storage, Cloud, and Security solutions,” said Philippe Jarre, CEO of Mindware. “Moreover, it significantly strengthens our position in this rapidly growing segment. We are delighted to welcome the Arrow team to Mindware.”
Philippe Jarre, Mindware
TP-LINK APPOINTS JUMBO ELECTRONICS AS UAE DISTRIBUTOR
T
P-Link has appointed Jumbo Electronics as a distributor for its smartphones Neffos in the UAE. The appointment of Jumbo Electronics as the distribution partner opens the way for expansion, increasing market share as well as further association with independent retailers in the UAE. Jumbo Electronics is one of the
leading distributors and retailer for IT and consumer electronics and will now foresee the dispersal of Neffos smartphones and accessories offline and online. Lucas Jiang, general manager, TPLink MEA, said, “Jumbo Electronics is a well-recognised brand and has presence spread across the Gulf region. Their dedicated specialised team focuses on independent retailer
markets that will surely allow us to penetrate in the market. The strong distribution channel that Jumbo possesses will make it easier for us to increase its footprint in the smartphone industry.” Atul Joshi, head of Jumbo Distribution said, “Adding TP-LINK to our list of vendors will bring great value to our brand and business. As a leading regional distributor, we will ensure that TPLink will benefit from the unlimited possibilities that we can offer through our long experience in the market and value-added services.” Through this partnership, the firm said it plans to expand its spread across the Middle East regions and fast-paced African markets. The brand is covering multiple channels through comprehensive marketing strategies to maximise its reach.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
8 HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRIFY ANNOUNCES NEW PERFORMANCE PARTNER PROGRAMME
C
entrify, a provider of cloud-ready Zero Trust Privilege to secure modern enterprises, has launched a brand-new partner programme that empowers the channel to better help organisations stop the leading John Andrews, Centrify cause of data breaches: privileged access abuse. The Centrify P.E.A.K. Performance partner programme leverages a maximised discount structure, engagement and support tools, dynamic marketing campaigns, and modern training modules to accelerate partners providing Centrify Zero Trust Privilege Services. “The Centrify P.E.A.K. Performance partner programme is the result of listening to our partners and global system integrators so they can successfully sell Privileged Access Management solutions based on a Zero Trust approach that can actually stop breaches,” said John Andrews, VP of worldwide channels, Centrify. The P.E.A.K. Performance partner programme includes a comprehensive playbook to support four key pillars to enable partner success: • Profitability model tied to sales revenue and training achievements • Engagement tools and sales support to help partners find and win deals • Accelerated Go-to-Market tactics with dynamic marketing tools and sales programs • Knowledge – Training programmes to enhance the skills that make partners trusted advisors Centrify has also expanded its team to support strategic partners and global SIs, who can now choose from three new tiers in the new partner program to select the level that is best for them: Centrify Platinum Partner: Highest level of support, enhanced pricing, deep multi-competency requirements Centrify Gold Partner: Focused support, medium level of enhanced pricing, mid-range multicompetency requirements. Centrify Silver Partner: Self-serve support, lower level of enhanced pricing, multi-competency requirements. The program is also supported by a new global distributor, Tech Data. Centrify Zero Trust Privilege Services are a powerful addition to Tech Data’s security portfolio, enabling an extensive reseller partner network that can leverage extensive technical, marketing, and credit services.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
DIMENSION DATA, CISCO INK PARTNERSHIP FOR “DEEPER COLLABORATION”
D
imension Data and Cisco have announced a new co-innovation agreement, to develop a deeper collaboration environment and framework to jointly solve customers’ business needs. The two companies are coming together to provide the scale and market-reach to transform ideas into viable, deployable solutions. As part of the multi-year agreement, both companies plan to leverage Cisco’s global network of Co-Innovation Centres to drive collaboration in key areas such as 5G, Internet of Things, and Blockchain. “This partnership means we’re in a stronger position to research, test and develop new offerings at a speed beyond the traditional market cycle,” said Ettienne Reinecke, chief technology of-
Ettienne Reinecke, Dimension Data
ficer, Dimension Data. “By creating a deeper collaboration environment, we will share and leverage our intellectual property, including products and code, allowing us to move faster with a focus on applied innovation to challenge the art of the possible.” Additionally, the two companies will continue to enrich and expand their Connected Conservation program that is leveraging sophisticated solutions to protect and better the planet, endangered animals, and their communities.
FORTINET TO GATHER TOP MIDDLE EAST PARTNERS
F
ortinet has announced its annual Partner Sync conference for its partner community. Fortinet Partner Sync will take place in the UAE on May 1st, at the Yas Hotel in Abu Dhabi, and is expected to bring together more than one hundred Fortinet partners to learn from and collaborate with Fortinet’s top regional leaders and technical experts. “Partner Sync brings together our regional partner community and provides them a platform to network and learn about Fortinet’s solutions and channel strategy,” said Alain Penel, regional vice president, Middle East, Fortinet. Through a number of keynote and breakout sessions, partners will discover innovative ways to advice and help customers
Alain Penel, Fortinet
improve their overall security posture. Fortinet executive team members Alain Penel; Joe Sarno, Sales VP, International Emerging; and Anne Bourgeois, Senior Director, EMEA Channel will guide partners through the modern threat environment and provide practical and timely insights that will enable partners help customers improve their security strategies. Fortinet will continue to host its Partner Sync conference across the region until the end of 2019.
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10 HIGHLIGHTS
PURE STORAGE ROLLS OUT DEDICATED DISTRIBUTOR PROGRAMME IN EMEA
Matthieu Brignone, Pure Storage
P
ure Storage has announced the launch of a dedicated distributor programme in EMEA. According to the company, the programme adds a strategic layer of support and enablement for distributors; all to drive growth, efficiently add scale and extend reach into new markets and sectors to better meet customer needs. Created in partnership with existing distributors, the new programme includes critical elements necessary for distributors to build autonomous ‘Pure Certified’ practices. Business development incentives will be supplemented with ongoing programme investments and marketing support, in addition to systems, tools, and process. The success and development of the initiative will be overseen by a newly created dedicated Global Distribution team at Pure led by Scott Goree, director of Global Distribution, who
recently joined from Cisco. The regional programme leads in EMEA will remain closely aligned to both the programme execution and the local partner team led by Matthieu Brignone the firm’s area vice president for EMEA partners. “Pure Storage has always been committed to a 100 percent partner business model that places distributors (and others) at the heart of our go to market strategy,” said Brignone. “We have worked very closely with our distributors to ensure the programme delivers what they need. It’s been a very positive start to an ongoing dialogue that we know will very quickly reap rewards across EMEA.” Ongoing communications and knowledge sharing will be deepened by an annual global distributor summit (to be held in tandem with Pure’s Accelerate event in Austin, Texas in September), and an annual EMEA summit, the inaugural event having been held in Madrid last week.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
HELP AG STRENGTHENS ZERO-TRUST CAPABILITIES WITH ARISTA NETWORKS DEAL
H
elp AG has signed a partnership agreement with Arista Networks to help address the security challenges faced by Middle East enterprises through the implementation of the Zero-Trust model. As an Elite partner – the highest status in Arista’s partner programme – Help AG will offer design, implementation and support services for all solutions in the vendor’s portfolio. Arista Networks offers software-driven, cognitive cloud networking for large-scale data centre and campus environments. Its platforms deliver availability, agility, automation, analytics and security. Stephan Berner, CEO, Help AG, said, “We saw the potential for Arista’s cloud networking and data centre solutions to be leveraged from a security standpoint as these software-defined solutions offer unmatched control over data flows. Furthermore, with their open standards-based approach, Arista have established a very strong ecosystem with many of Help AG’s focus partners including Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet and F5 Networks. This enables us to create powerful integrations that deliver the strongest protection and greatest value to our customers.” With enterprise boundaries being expanded by cloud, IoT and mobility, securing the network has become a growing challenge.
Stephan Berner, HelpAG
Protecting distributed assets on-premises and in the cloud from cyber-attacks as well as conforming to new regulations, requires a fresh approach to security. Help AG intends to leverage Arista’s Extensible Operating System (EOS), a network operating system with single-image consistency across all hardware platforms, enables in-service upgrades and application extensibility. CloudVision provides a state-based view of the entire network, across private, public and hybrid clouds. CloudVision is a network-wide approach for workload orchestration, workflow automation and real-time telemetry as a turnkey solution for Cloud Networking. “Precise control over what every device and user can do on the network is fundamental to Zero-Trust. Arista empowers us to advance our capabilities in this regard making them a valuable addition to our vendor portfolio,” Berner added. The security services and solutions provider will also offer Level 1 and Level 2 support services to regional customers on behalf of Arista.
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12 HIGHLIGHTS
EMT DISTRIBUTION LAUNCHES “EMT | CARE” FOR META
Mohd Mobasseri, emt Distribution
R
egional value-added distributor emt Distribution has announced the launch of emt | Care for META region. The initiative is aimed at further supporting the emt partners and end-users by providing them with a platform for exchanging ideas and learning new market strategies. Mohd Mobasseri, CEO, emt Distribution, said, “Over the past decade we have noticed the need of extra support that our customers and partners required when they launch any project, therefore in order to support them further we have studied all different project type and decided to launch emt care to be able to serve them better and help them also achieve their goals for the project, for that and to have more value -added offerings we decided to lauch emtCare.” Nandini Sapru, Vice President of Sales, emt Distribution, added, “emt Care helps us support our partners and end users better. With joint training sessions, online forums, product updates and end user event for ideas exchange, the emtCare package is an excellent source of value add for partners and end users. The emt Care package also includes SLA’s, regular health checks and product training; while for some products we offer professional services as well. With the help of these care packages, vendors are also able to launch and support their product easily in the market.”
EMT CARE HELPS US SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS AND END USERS BETTER.”
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
STARLINK TEAMS WITH ORACLE TO HELP IT PROFESSIONALS SCALE AND GROW
R
egional value-added distributor StarLink has announced a collaboration with one of the world’s largest training organisations, Oracle University, to deliver Oracle trainings and certifications to professionals in the UAE and KSA. Oracle University is the trusted provider of Oracle cloud and on-premise software training and certification. The distributor has signed up with Oracle University to deliver through its well-established training facilities, both Digital Learning as well as Instructor-Led courses for Oracle Database Security. These trainings will help address data privacy, protect against insider threats and enable regulatory compliance for both Oracle and non-Oracle databases. All trainings will be delivered by Oracle and StarLink expert trainers and will be made available in multiple learning formats for anytime, anywhere training. With most of the Global Fortune 500 companies using Oracle software, welltrained and highly skilled database professionals who can manage critical systems are in high demand. To meet this demand, StarLink, under this collaboration will facilitate aspiring IT
Mahmoud Nimer, StarLink
professionals expand their database knowledge and gain an edge in a competitive IT marketplace. StarLink Academy has state-of-the-art infrastructure that facilitates Classroom style, Virtual Live and Blended Live formats of trainings, enabling individuals to train from anywhere globally. This facility works perfectly well for Oracle digital learning and live virtual classes. Mahmoud Nimer, general manager, StarLink, said, “We understand the importance of staying constantly updated with technology. StarLink Academy’s vision is to empower ambitious IT professionals make a mark for themselves and with this aim, we have collaborated with Oracle University to provide the highest level of certifications in Oracle expertise.”
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14 HIGHLIGHTS
NUTANIX .NEXT ON TOUR EMPHASIZES ON CHANNEL PARTNER PROGRAMMES
A
t Nutanix’ Dubai leg of .Next On Tour, end-users and partners had an opportunity to learn insights on the latest in emerging hybrid-cloud technologies and how real-world customers are transforming their organizations. In 2018, Nutanix unveiled a new Channel Charter entitled ‘Power to the Partner’ that is reflective of a new approach required in today’s changing marketplace. Traditional channel programs need to evolve, or they will never enable partners to be successful. A programme is dictated by rules and guidelines, while a charter is about empowering partners to be successful in the market. Bassam Al Masri, senior manager channel, Nutanix Middle East, said, “In today’s cloud era, Nutanix’ charter focuses on the new generation of “born-in-the-cloud” solution providers. A new kind of approach is required for these kinds of channel partners, going beyond typical programmes with tiers and clip levels. Flexibility is a key feature of the charter. It is not a one size fits all channel programme. The Nutanix charter includes new marketing tools, multi-touch campaigns and other tools that will help partners brand themselves to customers along with targeting new customers in the market.” In December 2018, Nutanix enhanced its channel charter to extend opportunities to value-added distributors (VAD) and global systems integrators (GSI) along with additional opportunities for resellers. The new updates provide benefits to partners across industry, size and function in order for all Nutanix partners to succeed and grow with their Nutanix business. Power to the Partner is also adding a new Influence Incentive Programme, which rewards partners who significantly contribute to a customer purchase. “Partners with strategic relationships and influence with customers who may not be transacting on the sale of a deal - can now receive an Influencer Incentive if they are Scalers, Masters or authorized GSI partners,” explained Al Masri. He added, “In June 2018, we launched the Nutanix Velocity channel partner programme targeted at key partners focused on the mid-market. It includes accelerated selling processes, incentives and marketing investments for strategic, mid-market focused channel partners.” Through this new programme, Nutanix is enabling partners to demonstrate to customers in the mid-market how hyperconverged infrastructure can help provide an elegant solution to their needs without the cost and security challenges they may face with public cloud-only models. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
HUCO WINS VMWARE’S EMEA 2018 REGIONAL PARTNER INNOVATION AWARD
H
uco, a regional professional services and innovative IT transformation solutions provider, has won the EMEA 2018 VMware Partner Innovation award for Services at the VMware Partner Leadership Summit 2019, held in Carlsbad, CA. The firm was recognised as the services partner of the year 2018 METNA at VMworld conference last year. Huco is the only coveted VMware partner in Southern Europe and MENA while being among the first six exclusive partners globally to achieve all four of VMware’s Master Service Competencies for delivery excellence in Data Center Virtualisation, Desktop and Mobility, Cloud Management and Automation and Network Virtualisation. Huco is also in the process of achieving Master Service Competencies in VMware PKS and VMC on AWS. Being the only services winner from the region and the only UAE-based awardee at the VMware Partner Leadership Summit 2019, Huco becomes the exclusive GoTo partner for customer’s transformation and innovation journey. The company after enterprising years of combining certified skills
with innovation has to its successful credit 80 plus digital transformation projects and 50 plus workspace transformation projects in the region. “Digital services help organisations prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution by building new channels to consumers while anticipating their modernisation demands. At Huco, we are constantly pushing the envelope of innovation boundaries by enabling these prototypes through agile designs and scalable and secure IT environments,” said Dilip Kalliyat, president, Huco. “We congratulate Huco on winning the Partner Innovation Award for Services in the EMEA, and look forward to our continued collaboration and innovation” said Jean Philippe Barleaza, EMEA vice president, Channel, Alliances and General Business, VMware, “VMware and our partners will continue to empower organizations of all sizes with technologies that enable digital transformation.” The award underscores Huco’s remarkable achievements in accelerating digital transformation for large corporate and government organisations across the Middle East & North Africa.
Essential for every day INSPIRON 15 3000
Inspiron 15 3000 Laptop Intel® Core™ i5-8265U processor, 4GB RAM, 1TB Hard Drive, 2GB AMD Radeon 520 Graphics, 15.6” HD Anti-Glare LED Backlit Display, Ubuntu Linux.
Earth Gate Trading FZCO 29 Al Nahdha St - Dubai +97143514486 / info@earthgate.com Intel, the Intel Logo, Intel Inside, Intel Core, and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.
17 EVENTS
“THE CONNECTED FUTURE DEPENDS ON A ROBUST INFRASTRUCTURE”:
BICSI
THE THREE-DAY CONFERENCE EXPLORED THE INCREASING RELIANCE ON DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOW ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES WILL IMPACT THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY.
O
ne of the main highlights of the 2019 edition of BICSI Middle East and Africa Conference, which took place in Dubai, UAE, last month, was the discussions around the increasing dependence on digital infrastructure. Keynote speaker Mark Acton, independent consultant and non-exec director, Ekkosense, Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom, said that digital infrastructure should be considered as a new utility today, similar to water and electricity. “The importance of digital infrastructure including data centres to our daily lives cannot be underestimated. However, at the same time, it is also crucial to understand the risk associated with these digital requirements and the implications we face as an industry.” According to Acton, advancing technologies such as cloud, edge, AI, 5G, IoT and Blockchain do play a critical role in building robust digital
BICSI’S MAIN FOCUS IS TO HELP EDUCATE ITS MEMBERS, INSTALLERS, INTEGRATORS AS WELL AS END-USERS IN THE NEWER ADVANCING TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS 5G, AI AND AUGMENTED REALITY.”
Todd Taylor, BICSI
environments. He went on to explain how each of these technologies are developing and impacting the way we work and live. “AI takes the ‘machine’ out of the man. It will help us automate repetitive tasks that was otherwise carried out by humans.” While Acton is certain that AI technologies will automate the industry, he doesn’t think it will fundamentally change networks. “But it has the potential to fundamentally change cybersecurity. Most cybersecurity products now come with intelligence embedded in them. Humans are not quick enough to spot the risks before it happens.” He added, “I have not seen a data centre where humans are not needed, although it might happen over time. However, right now humans are required for maintaining and in some cases still doing repetitive tasks.” The three-day conference also saw a presentation by Todd Taylor, RCDD,
NTS, OSP, BICSI president-elect, which explored technology growth, the top technologies driving change and the importance of having a strong infrastructure to support a connected future. Taylor said, “BICSI’s main focus is to help educate its members, installers, integrators as well as end-users in the newer advancing technologies such as 5G, AI and augmented reality. Another reason why we come to these events is to gain education and training on the growing infrastructure to support those advancing technologies.” He emphasised how fast technology is advancing today and why it is important for customers to keep up. His presentation also encouraged attendees to not to forget the basic infrastructure, as strong digital infrastructures are necessary for a connected future. “We have to remember that the basis for a connected future is a robust infrastructure, which includes wired as well as wireless technologies.”
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
18 INTERVIEW
ARCHITECTS OF CONTINUITY
PIERRE HAVENGA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, VERTIV MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, SAYS, THROUGH ITS DEDICATED REGIONAL DISTRIBUTOR MINDWARE, PARTNERS CAN OFFER TURNKEY SOLUTIONS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. customers. Together, with our expertise in edge computing and our channel partners, we specialise in turnkey infrastructure solutions. Based on these strong partnerships, we continue to see encouraging growth figures year-on-year. WHAT CHANNEL PROGRAMMERS, SCHEME AND INITIATIVES IS VERTIV ROLLING OUT IN 2019 IN THE MIDDLE EAST? Vertiv is undergoing a $200M digital transformation designed to optimise our customers’ experiences.
CAN YOU ELABORATE ON YOUR BUSINESS FOCUS THIS YEAR IN MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA? Vertiv ensures the continuity of today’s and tomorrow’s vital applications. 2019 is an exciting year as we expand our portfolio, introduce new tools to improve efficiency and effectiveness and drive focused branding campaigns targeting channel markets across the Middle East and Africa region. Thanks to our expertise and scalable solutions, we are ideally placed to take www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // May 2019
advantage of the data traffic explosion (25 percent CAGR) that will be more than quadruple the data stored in data centres by 2021. HOW HAS BUSINESS BEEN FOR VERTIV BY FOLLOWING THE CHANNEL MODEL IN THE MENA REGION? Vertiv has been working with proven and experienced partners for decades. It’s a collaboration which continues to assure agility and expertise for
WORKING WITH MINDWARE REMOVES THE NEED FOR CUSTOMERS TO OPERATE THROUGH MULTIPLE VENDORS, INCREASING SPEED OF DEPLOYMENT.”
19
VERTIV HELPS TO ENSURE TODAY’S NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS SUPPORT TOMORROW’S TECHNOLOGY. AS ARCHITECTS OF CONTINUITY, WE SUPPORT CLOUD-BASED BUSINESSES TO GET AHEAD AND STAY AHEAD.”
In February this year, we launched the improved Vertiv Partner Program 2019 in the region. The programme incorporates feedback from partners and resellers to provide a seamless experience. At each level, the programme offers exclusive benefits such as bespoke training, marketing development funds and enhanced quarterly rebates. Our Q1 promotion has been well adopted by the market, given its very achievable requirements and attractive rewards such as immediate acceleration to silver membership. Vertiv also plans to launch a new Vertiv Partner Portal this year, enabling a seamless experience and prioritising our resellers’ needs. Our goal is to simplify the way we do business. WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING CHANNEL ISSUE THAT RESELLER PARTNERS ARE FACING IN THE DATA CENTRE INFRASTRUCTURE SPACE AT THE MOMENT? Turnkey infrastructure solutions require symbiosis between electrical and mechanical disciplines. This
symbiosis to ensure efficient operation of a customer’s IT equipment, remains the biggest challenge faced by partners. As the lines between traditional IT become blurred at the edge, Vertiv delivers innovative solutions designed to evolve with our customers’ needs. WHAT DATA CENTRE SOLUTIONS IS VERTIV LOOKING TO BRING TO MARKET THIS YEAR? Simplifying the Edge continues to guide data centre trends in MEA. By working with Vertiv, customers can take advantage of our expertise and deep understanding of these solutions. Vertiv’s Smart Solutions help customers meet their IT needs showing significant savings. With simplified, standardised designs, customers can start small and expand as their business grows. It’s a wonderful product, in fact we continue to see strong demand for this solution with the latest substantial project coming from DRC in Africa. WHAT CLOUD OFFERINGS IS VERTIV OFFERING AT PRESENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST? Vertiv helps to ensure today’s network infrastructure investments support tomorrow’s technology. As architects of continuity, we support cloud-based businesses to get ahead and stay ahead. WHERE DO YOU SEE MAJORITY OF YOUR GROWTH COMING FROM THIS YEAR AND HOW IS MINDWARE PREPARING ITS CHANNEL PARTNERS? We continue to see large growth in the security sector. Companies are intensifying their edge deployment solutions to fortify their data and address latency concerns. Working with Mindware removes the need for customers
Pierre Havenga, Vertiv MEA
to operate through multiple vendors, increasing speed of deployment. WHERE IS VERTIV URGING CHANNEL PARTNERS TO FOCUS THEIR EFFORTS ON IN 2019? Vertiv will continue to encourage our partners to offer turnkey solutions to our customers. Providing intelligent solutions that help our customers succeed in meeting critical business and societal needs. WHY SHOULD CHANNEL PARTNERS CONTINUE WORKING WITH VERTIV THIS YEAR AND WHAT’S THE COMPANY’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE? Our channel partners benefit from Vertiv’s extensive offerings and broad and deep understanding of modern data centres, communication networks and commercial facilities that enable the vital applications we depend on 24/7. We always work closely with our partners to ensure continuity and achieve breakthrough outcomes across the customer journey, be it design and commissioning all the way to operation and service.
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Phone: +971 4 8863850 E-mail: info@asbisme.ae www.asbisme.ae
21 INTERVIEW
SCALING BUSINESS POUYA PARSAFAR, CEO, ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS, SHARES INSIGHTS ON THE VALUE OF DISTRIBUTION IN THE UAE MARKET.
CAN YOU GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF KEY MILESTONES FOR ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS IN Q1 OF 2019? Enterprise Systems achieved record sales in 2018 and used this as a platform for target setting for 2019 and particularly the first quarter of the year. The ethos is to start the game with high achievement to empower our team and vendors as well as challenge the company to keep this momentum throughout the next quarter and year ahead. Enterprise Systems implemented Oracle as a CRM and ERP across the company and successfully launched this within Q1 merging the operations of sales, finance, and logistics to form a streamlined process bringing further professionalism in to the company as well as creating a seamless easy to manage internal process. Enterprise Systems also focused our sales team in their daily activity to support our vendor strategy and create a higher positive impact on our sales and relationship with our clients. WHY IS THE DISTRIBUTION MODEL SIGNIFICANT TO THE UAE MARKET? As UAE is the hub of the Middle East, the focus for vendors is high as resources for the region is centralised in the UAE. Also, the strategy of UAE is to be the most advanced leader of innovation, in the region and beyond globally, making the requirement for technology high and the appetite for originality even higher. The ever-changing dynamics of the Middle East, specifically UAE, makes building relationships with the local systems integrator partners and endusers challenging, and distribution bridges this gap providing a stable platform for vendors to access this fluid market.
Enterprise Systems’ true value-added distribution provides the very best in technical, commercial support platform for both vendors and partners to build a successful go-to-market strategy and sustain positive growth. WHAT KIND OF VALUE DO YOU OFFER TO YOUR PARTNERS AND VENDORS? The value-add distribution that Enterprise Systems offers to its partner and vendors goes beyond just distribution of equipment. We offer services that cover the full spectrum from presales to post sales, finance to logistics and marketing. Supporting the channel partner teams on opportunities from the initial stages in a very proactive approach to the closure of the deals, with the best possible value from the vendors as well as the good incentives to the partners to motivate them to bring in more qualified leads. WHAT ARE THE MARKET DRIVERS THAT HELP GROW YOUR BUSINESS AS A DISTRIBUTOR? Distributors generally take orders and just process them. Enterprise Systems as Value-Added Distributor have been able to attract and nurture new partners by offering a dedicated sales team that know the products well and can make the right recommendations to provide the most cost effective and efficient solutions. Our key expertise that helps win over the partners is our well experienced technical team that help support in solution designing to proof of concepts and implementing the solution if required. Enterprise Systems is the official training partner of many of our vendors and we offer in house training form dedicated official trainers and can
customise the training course and deliver as per our client’s requirement, timing and location. Enterprise Systems offers flexible and realistic credit terms to support our vendors and partners in their growth strategy. CAN YOU SHARE YOUR REGIONAL PLANS FOR THE YEAR? Enterprise Systems will grow organically with our vendors and partners offering more technical resources and we will continue to invest in our innovation center to offer our clients and suppliers a demonstration and proof of concept to build a sustainable and solid relationship to win projects and support the delivery for future growth. Enterprise Systems will also grow the commercial team to continue building the positive relationships we have in the local market.
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22 COVER STORY
CALLING THE SHOTS
GARETH HANSFORD, GENERAL MANAGER, GULF SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION (GSD), DISCUSSES HOW THE FIRM EMPOWERS CHANNEL PARTNERS TO TAKE THE LEAD ON CUSTOMERS’ DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEYS THROUGH A SOLUTIONS-ORIENTED APPROACH.
PHOTO CREDIT: CHARLS THOMAS
O
ver the past few years, the channel partner landscape has witnessed a significant transformation. Among the biggest changes that most players have seen and continue to see is that customers are in pursuit of partners who are solutions-centric rather than someone who is simply a problemsolver. Organisations seek technology providers and implementers who are looking to have a long-term association. When partners only solve specific problems or solely put forward products without addressing the overall circumstance or the challenge in its entirety, it can be quite short-sighted for their business. Gulf Software Distribution (GSD) is helping and enabling partners to understand the importance of solutions selling and how it can significantly increase their business potential. Over a year ago, when Gareth Hansford joined the regional distribution firm as its general manager, the key priorities were around building more people, clients and vendors. “In the past year, we’ve certainly achieved all three of those,” Hansford says. “The team has grown double in
GSD IS CREATING A MARKETPLACE FOR PARTNERS TO NETWORK, COLLABORATE AND ZERO IN ON BECOMING TRULY SOLUTIONS-ORIENTED. size, we’ve added more partners to our portfolio, but more importantly, we have also increased the number of vendor partnerships. This is where we can begin to add more value to our partners.” According to the GM, the firm’s biggest focus continues to be around “driving growth” for its partner ecosystem. “How do we help them extend their portfolio? We believe by taking on some of our new vendors, and even some of the new technologies from IBM, partners can extend what they already do.” However, Hansford adds that this does not require partners to revamp their entire operations but a simple change in strategy such as approaching existing customers with new offerings can be game-changing.
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“This will help augment partners’ next proposition. Everything we’re doing is about growing partners’ business. Their success is also our success.” PARTNER ECOSYSTEM PLATFORM With the firm’s biggest focus around driving growth for partners, Hansford says the company is now working on building a partner ecosystem platform allowing the channel community to collaborate and cross sell solutions opportunities. While its key vendor IBM has something called the Embedded Solutions Agreement (ESA), where partners can cross-support their solutions, GSD is going one step ahead and creating a marketplace for partners to network, collaborate and zero in on becoming truly solutions-oriented. “The contract from IBM enables partners to create solutions for business issues. They are able to add their own IP to the technology and solve customers’ challenges.
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IF WE CAN CREATE A PLATFORM WHERE PARTNERS ARE EXPOSED TO OTHER PEERS’ SUCCESSFUL SOLUTIONS OFFERINGS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO CRAFT A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT WHERE CUSTOMERS’ CHALLENGES ARE PRIORITISED.” Partners can take full control of their offerings through the ESA. We’re working hard on educating and supporting partners to effectively create their own products.” This means that while the underlying technology is IBM, the offering they sell is their own. “This is really good for MSPs that are delivering services. It’s great for companies where they are genuinely addressing a customer’s issue and providing the solution to it. This is because, it then means that anybody who wants to compete, do so on level ground. They must have their own solutions as well.” Hansford points out that regional partners are more mature than their European counterparts. “I mean this in the sense of understanding the business issue and delivering a comprehensive solution, rather than just offering what the customer is asking for,” he explains. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
24 COVER STORY
THESE KIND OF NETWORKING INITIATIVES ALONG WITH THE COMMUNICATION THAT WE DO AROUND OUR PARTNERS, HELP THEM TO DISCOVER AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER, FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS’ SATISFACTION.”
He adds that partners have to enhance their own skills and development to create that comprehensive solution, which is going to fix the issue rather than just an immediate requirement. “This is what can be a true differentiator for partners and we are focusing our efforts in this area.” Further into the planned marketplace, which will be unveiled before the end of this year, Hansford says, “The objective is to find a way within the channel community and even end-users to begin promoting and demonstrating the products and solutions that partners have. If a partner has sold a solution, which solves one customer’s problem, it then becomes a replicable offering.” Alternatively, there might be a partner who has successfully implemented a solution in a particular country and have no presence in any other geographies. “If we can create a platform where partners are exposed to other peers’ successful solutions offerings, we will be able to craft a collaborative environment where customers’ challenges are prioritised.” Hansford says that the idea is extended from that of networking, however, because realistically there cannot be physical networking opportunities daily, he is looking to automate the entire process on an online marketplace. Through this platform, partners can simply search for what they are looking for and the distributor helps to match them with a channel firm
who has done similar work within its ecosystem. “It’s beneficial to everyone,” he says. “Sometimes, when a market is too small to actually conduct a physical event, a platform such as this will go a long way.” GSD had started its own set of networking events during the first few months after Hansford joined. “Those have been successful because it brings our partners together. Occasionally they may compete, however, more often than not, they support each other.” When a partner boasts a great relationship with a customer and is its trusted advisor, the end-user relies on their help to recommend another partner of a different skillset for a separate area of their problem, he says. “In such a scenario, if the partner knows of another channel organisation that has that set of skills within our network, then both firms can team up together. They can collaborate and solve the customer’s requirements. This is the ecosystem that we are working on. These kind of networking initiatives along with the communication that we do around our partners, help them to discover and support each other, for the sake of their customers’ satisfaction.” Also, at GSD, the focus is to find select partners across different technologies, skillsets and verticals. “This means that when we open the ecosystem, partners have got a lot more possibility of connections without a huge competitive outlook.”
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VENDOR PARTNERSHIPS The second area of focus for the distributor is around adding quality vendors to its portfolio. It added three new vendors during GITEX last year – StealthBits, which caters to protecting structured data; web performance and security company CloudFlare and SmokeScreen, which specialises in deception technology. And just last month, it has also onboarded two brand new vendors – telco firm ZephyrTel and ECM solutions provider Reveille Software. “Both firms are niche, and we are the sole distributor for their offerings in the region. We can provide valueadded offerings to help them find the right partners to work with and to target the right set of customers. Our
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WHY PARTNER WITH GSD • • • •
focus is to offer high-margin products to our partner community.” Hansford adds that security, analytics and customer engagement will remain a focus for the firm. “However, we are trying to find different ways of delivering within these segments.” In terms of technologies, the distributor is building enablement and training for partners to figure out the complexities and opportunities within Artificial Intelligence (AI) “It’s not necessarily always about a whole brand-new app or earthchanging solution, sometimes it’s about incorporating AI to make an existing solution easier, faster, more efficient and so on,” he explains. “This is the part that we need to help
EVERYTHING WE’RE DOING IS ABOUT GROWING PARTNERS’ BUSINESS. THEIR SUCCESS IS ALSO OUR SUCCESS.”
partners understand. IBM has some great offerings in this space.” Having achieved over 60 percent year-on-year growth last year, GSD is
In-depth support and resources during pre-sales and post-sales Expertise in its vendors’ technologies and offerings Help to mask a lot of complexity within vendor landscape Act as a bridge and help navigate vendor partner programmes, technologies and solutions
geared for a similar revenue objective this year too. Hansford believes that the distribution firm is helping channel partners to “call the shots” with their customers by providing them complete control of their offerings through IBM’s ESA, its own upcoming marketplace for partners and its increasingly growing vendor portfolio. “The whole environment in the region is growth-oriented. There are immense opportunities here, we are working with our channel ecosystem to see how we can add genuine value, which is a critical component. We are looking forward to escalating our business together with our valued channel and vendor partnerships.”
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26 MARGIN BUILDER FORUM
Strategies to boost profits: (R-L) Gareth Hansford, Gulf Software Distribution; Geoff Greenlaw, Veritas Technologies; Husni Hammoud, Ivanti; Kinda Baydoun, HPE and Mario M. Veljovic, VAD Technologies
Selecting the right partner for growth: (R-L) Bruno Mancuso, Lenovo; Garreth Scott, Credence Security; Kristina Tantsyura, InfoWatch Gulf and Taj El-Khayat, Citrix
BUILDING FUTURE-READY PARTNERSHIPS The second edition of the Margin Builder Forum gathered the channel community on a single platform to address key challenges within the industry and to devise solutions that will help partner firms to thrive in the future.
T
ahawulTech.com and Reseller Middle East’s Margin Builder Forum kicked off last month with an engaging keynote speech by Dell Technologies’ regional channel manager Samer Semaan. Returning for its second edition, Margin Builder Forum 2019 explores the challenges resellers have to face when maximising profitability and choosing the right partners to ensure
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long term success in a time of constant technological developments. Semaan’s keynote talk addressed the industrial transformation journey all organisations have to undertake to thrive, and how Dell Technologies is helping their partners do so. Underlining the importance of simplifying this journey, he said, “How we think we deliver the message is different from how customers might see it. Too often customers are provided
#MarginBuilderForum 27
Leveraging AI and analytics for channel success: (R-L) Mario M. Veljovic, VAD Technologies; Najib Reaidy, Avaya; Maya Zakhour, NetApp and Gareth Hansford, Gulf Software Distribution
only with half of the information, either about digital, or IT, or security, or workforce. “It can be very confusing, so if we take one step back, we can simplify this journey to the most valuable aspect customers have today: data.” He highlighted four essential steps that are all part of the industrial transformation journey: digital transformation, IT transformation, security transformation and workforce transformation. “Digital transformation leverages data, IT transformation delivers it, while security transformation protects data and workforce transformation accesses and creates it. It all comes
down to these four steps,” he added. According to Seeman, although all organisations nowadays focus on digital transformation, they need to put in place strong infrastructures to also support their IT transformation. “We need to be ready for the digital future by delivering a firm structure to absorb the changes. We need to work with the latest and best technology when it comes to infrastructure, this is what the data relies on,” he said. Seeman discussed the impact of the latest technology on the workforce transformation, improving productivity and even becoming a deal breaker when it comes to job selection. He also urged partners to first and
foremost focus on securing theirs and their customers’ data. “The flexibility new technologies are giving us is also creating a threat for us – 95 percent of security breaches today come from the end points of our users, such as mobile, laptops etc. This is where hackers find all the ‘smart’ ways to hack into our systems and data centres,” said Semaan. “This is why security transformation and the security part of the industrial transformation journey are the hottest topics today and I predict that it’s going to remain so for the coming four years,” he added. He concluded explaining how Dell Technologies is helping its partners
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28 MARGIN BUILDER FORUM
Samer Semaan, Dell Technologies
“WE NEED TO BE READY FOR THE DIGITAL FUTURE BY DELIVERING A FIRM STRUCTURE TO ABSORB THE CHANGES. WE NEED TO WORK WITH THE LATEST AND BEST TECHNOLOGY WHEN IT COMES TO INFRASTRUCTURE, THIS IS WHAT THE DATA RELIES ON.” to go through the four steps of transformation thanks to its “simple, profitable and predictable” partner programme and their end-to-end portfolio of solutions. The half-day conference also saw lively panel discussions around three pertinent topics within the channel industry. The first panel discussion was around ‘Strategies to boost profits’. The panel included insights from industry stalwarts namely, Gareth Hansford, general manager, Gulf Software Distribution; Geoff Greenlaw, senior director, head of channel, Emerging Markets, EMEA, Veritas Technologies Corporation; Husni Hammoud, general manager, Ivanti; Kinda Baydoun, middle east channel and alliances manager, HPE and Mario M. Veljovic, general manager, VAD Technologies
Being profitable is the cornerstone of any business. However, to sustain it, especially in challenging market conditions is no mean feat. The conversation revolved around practical strategies that resellers and systems integrators can adopt to differentiate their offerings and enhance their revenue opportunities. Among the key issues discussed included underpricing, growth-oriented strategies and sustaining profits long-term. Baydoun said, “We believe the market is crowded and the best way to minimise competition between partners is for them to focus. You can’t just be a one-stop-shop anymore. We have to be strict with undercutting to prevent damage to the channel ecosystem.” According to Greenlaw, taking low margin purchase orders is sometimes needed.
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“It could be a strategic win for a reseller. We want to build partnerships and sometimes the way to do that is to initiate these partnerships. Over time, commitment to partnerships will generate revenue,” he said. “One thing that astounds me about the channel community is partners not claiming their rebates. You need to take advantage of programmes that vendors offer.” The second panel on ‘Selecting the right partner for growth’ featured Bruno Mancuso, senior channel manager MEA, Lenovo; Kristina Tantsyura, managing director, InfoWatch Gulf; Taj El-Khayat,
regional director, Middle East and North Africa, Citrix and Garreth Scott, managing director, Credence Security. El-Khayat said, “Everything in life goes through a cycle. Partners do face some low points. It’s our job as vendors to try and keep supporting them even in times like this. This helps foster loyalty.” On devising a sound partner management strategy, Mancuso said, “Have a close circle of partners. Have a clear direction with your investments and on the goals you want to achieve with your partners.” The third and final panel for the event delved into ‘Leveraging AI and
analytics for channel success’. The panel included Najib Reaidy, regional channel leader, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Avaya; Gareth Hansford, general manager, Gulf Software Distribution; Mario M. Veljovic, general manager, VAD Technologies and Maya Zakhour, head of distribution and alliances, Middle East and Africa, NetApp Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics are fast transforming the way businesses operate. The panel members discussed how channel partners can maximise opportunities present here. It explored challenges impeding partners from truly leveraging this space and how these technologies will shape our future. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
30 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
A DECADE OF
Reseller Middle East and TahawulTech.com marked the 10th edition of Partner Excellence Awards in a gala ceremony at Jumierah Emirates Towers.
T
ahawulTech.com and Reseller Middle East hosted the 10th annual Partner Excellence Awards at Jumierah Emirates Towers on 30th April 2019. The event saw over 300 attendees and awarded 30 plus organisations and IT channel leaders for playing a significant role in growing the industry. At the Black and White-themed awards event, guests revelled in the evening’s celebrations, which included a gala dinner and soulful performance from the Irish www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
singing sensation Gari Deegan. The 2019 edition of the Partner Excellence Awards received an overwhelming number of nominations spanning across various categories from vendors, distributors and reseller companies. In her welcome address, editor Janees Reghelini said, “The success of the Awards over the past ten years is a testament to the victories of the regional channel industry. We are proud to showcase partner accomplishments and business excellence
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EXCELLENCE
over the past decade.” The evening also saw a number of special awards given away including Readers’ Choice for Vendor and Distributor, which was decided by Reseller Middle East’s esteemed readers via online voting and was won by Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Mindware respectively. Prizes for Best Dressed were also given away during the course of the evening. Vivian Gevers from Credence Security and Mario Veljovic from VAD Technologies, won exciting prizes, sponsored by D-Link Middle East.
Dell Technologies was the platinum sponsor for the evening with Redington Value as the strategic VAD partner and 2CRSI as the advanced computing partner for the event. Gold partners included Finesse and Veritas while the Silver partners were D-Link, AGT, Intel and Lenovo. Other event partners were FVC, Barco, Mindware and Screen Check. During the course of the action-packed evening, attendees also won smartphones for best social media posts from Xiaomi. www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
32 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
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33 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
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34 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
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35 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
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36 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
VENDOR CATEGORIES BEST PARTNER EXCELLENCE PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR AVAYA
CLOUD VENDOR OF THE YEAR DELL TECHNOLOGIES
SMB VENDOR OF THE YEAR HUAWEI ENTERPRISE
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VENDOR CATEGORIES
PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
PERIPHERALS AND ACCESSORIES VENDOR OF THE YEAR OKI EUROPE
VENDOR OF THE YEAR (READERS’ CHOICE) HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE
RESELLER CATEGORIES ENTERPRISE RESELLER OF THE YEAR OMA EMIRATES
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38 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
RESELLER CATEGORIES
SMB/CONSUMER RESELLER OF THE YEAR NEW TREND COMPUTER NETWORKS
SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR OF THE YEAR GULF BUSINESS MACHINES
SOLUTIONS PROVIDER OF THE YEAR CONDO PROTEGO
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39 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
RESELLER CATEGORIES
CLOUD RESELLER OF THE YEAR TRANSSYS SOLUTIONS
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RESELLER OF THE YEAR RAQMIYAT
SECURITY SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR OF THE YEAR RNS TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
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41 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
DISTRIBUTOR CATEGORIES BEST PARTNER EXCELLENCE PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR WESTCON-COMSTOR
VOLUME DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR ASBIS MIDDLE EAST
CYBERSECURITY DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR CREDENCE SECURITY
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42 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
DISTRIBUTOR CATEGORIES CLOUD DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR ALJAMMAZ DISTRIBUTION
SPECIALISED DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR FVC
EMERGING DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR GULF SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION
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43 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
DISTRIBUTOR CATEGORIES VALUE-ADDED DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR INGRAM MICRO
KSA VALUE-ADDED DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR REDINGTON VALUE
DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR (READERS’ CHOICE) MINDWARE
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44 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
INNOVATION CATEGORIES BEST GROWTH INITIATIVE (DISTRIBUTOR) STARLINK
PARTNER EMPOWERMENT VENDOR OF THE YEAR VERITAS
BEST SERVICE MANAGEMENT VENDOR OF THE YEAR IVANTI
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INNOVATION CATEGORIES
EMERGING VENDOR OF THE YEAR 2CRSI
BEST GROWTH INITIATIVE (VENDOR) D-LINK MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
INNOVATIVE CLOUD PLATFORM VENDOR CLOUDHOST TECHNOLOGY
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46 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
BEST POST SALES SUPPORT VENDOR BARRACUDA NETWORKS
PERSONALITY CATEGORIES OUTSTANDING EXECUTIVE IT (DISTRIBUTOR) ASIM ALJAMMAZ, CEO, ALJAMMAZ DISTRIBUTION He has established a regional distribution firm that has grown to be one of the leading players in the region. His leadership and dynamic strategies have played a significant role in shaping the partner landscape. Reseller Middle East and TahawulTech.com pay a tribute to his years of service to the channel industry with this illustrious title.
OUTSTANDING EXECUTIVE IT (VENDOR) FADI MOUBARAK, VP CHANNELS, AVAYA He has played an instrumental role in enabling and empowering partners within his company's channel strategy across key regions during his career spanning over two decades. He has successfully overseen Avaya's channel engagement strategy to drive incremental business, not only for the company but as well as partners. Reseller Middle East and TahawulTech. com congratulate Fadi on his well-deserving win.
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47 PARTNER EXECELLENCE AWARDS
PERSONALITY CATEGORIES PARTNER CHAMPION OF THE YEAR MAYA ZAKHOUR, HEAD OF DISTRIBUTION AND ALLIANCES, MEA, NETAPP Armed with over 15 years of channel and sales experience, she is an accomplished and result-driven sales professional, who is devoted to enabling channel partners scale their businesses to new heights. She has pioneered channel initiatives and engagements with the sole objective of boosting partner profitability while simultaneously advancing company goals. A true Partner Champion in every sense, Reseller Middle East and TahawulTech.com are proud to bestow this title to Zakhour.
WOMAN EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR KINDA BAYDOUN, MIDDLE EAST CHANNEL & ALLIANCES MANAGER, HPE She has been described as an enthusiast, passionate and an energetic leader by her industry peers. Her result-driven approach, dedication and commitment in helping all her channel partners succeed, has earned her the trust and the loyalty of a dynamic channel ecosystem, making her very deserving of the esteemed title. Reseller Middle East and TahawulTech.com honour her diligence and leadership with this accolade.
MARKETING EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR HAIDI NOSSAIR, MARKETING DIRECTOR, META, DELL TECHNOLOGIES She has skillfully fulfilled her role as the marketing chief for her firm. Additionally, she is also dedicated to assisting channel partners build their demand generation and development plans and helping them achieve their business goals. We, at Reseller Middle East and TahawulTech.com, are thrilled to credit Nossair with this prestigious award.
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48 PARTNER WATCH
Reinforcing core values In a detailed tête-à-tête with TahawulTech.com, Grant Taylor, general manager, KSA and Egypt, Exclusive Networks, shares insights on how channel partners can add value to their operations with the distributor’s support. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THE TWO BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS FOR EXCLUSIVE NETWORKS (EXN) FROM THE KSA MARKET IN 2018? Exclusive Networks’ business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia grew to new heights in 2018 along with strong overall growth within the country. We have doubled in size and have moved to a purposed-designed new office, complete with demo facilities and training suite. A recent research, conducted by Exclusive, discovered that there is about 70 percent of cloud skills gap existing in the market. In an attempt to address this issue, we have launched the Cloud Competency Center. Our objective is to empower the channel and bridge this gap globally through our technical specialists. This initiative has also resulted in the addition of new vendors to our portfolio, most of them being cloud technologies. WHICH TECHNOLOGIES ARE SEEING A FASTER ADOPTION IN THE KINGDOM? We have seen large scale adoption of hyperconverged technologies. Nutanix, Rubrik, Cloudian and Pure Storage are all coming together to replace the traditional data centre stack and redefine the way end-users treat storage and backup. WHAT ARE THE GROWTH DRIVERS FOR YOUR BUSINESS HERE? The first and most important driver is the people in the business. They are the glue that bind the business together and transform a good company into a great one. We have just completed placing the final pieces together for our 2019-2020 growth
the vendor around and picking up deals are over. 2. Sell their portfolio and include services. This can either be their own or ours but either way the end user will get a much more cost-effective delivery as well as the added flexibility that a local partner will provide.
WE TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN OUR BUSINESS BEING A PARTNERSHIP.”
plans and the future looks great. Also, the KSA market in general is delivering way ahead of expectations. The companies and entities here are fully aware and embrace technology that delivers security and efficiency. HOW CAN RESELLERS EFFECTIVELY GROW THEIR BUSINESS IN KSA? WHAT ARE THE FACTORS TO KEEP IN MIND? Resellers can grow their business in two simple ways. 1. Add value to the vendor. Be proactive in taking different solutions to market and sell the story, not the individual product. The days of just being a relationship salesman following
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CAN YOU SHARE PARTNER INITIATIVES PLANNED FOR THE REST OF THIS YEAR? We are focused on providing our resellers the skills to sell new solutions and to take advantage of the rich margin associated with this. Vendors such as Skybox, Sentinel one, FireEye and others have extremely generous offerings to net new deals. We are holding sales enablement and technical training days free of charge in our new training suite and this is coupled with us delivering end user opportunities via our telemarketing team. HOW IS EXN ENABLING AND EMPOWERING CHANNEL PARTNERS IN THIS MARKET? We regularly conduct workshops for each of our vendors to enable partners on technology. This helps them get certified, retain more margin and ultimately climb the ladder to success. We take great pride in our business being a partnership. We don’t want to do the deal for you or approach your end-users directly; all this does is to create confusion in the channel and becomes a hindrance to long-term partnerships. For our new and emerging vendors, with no market presence or channel, we conduct the end user demand generation ourselves. As soon as we identify a lead, we immediately engage a partner in the first meeting, so they are in control of the sales cycle.
REDEFINING technology transformation
+971 4 440 9100
@TahawulTech
info@cpimediagroup.com
www.tahawultech.com
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51 PARTNER WATCH
Security matters
Abhijit Mahadik, director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure, Raqmiyat, gives an outline of the biggest insights gained from its recently held end-user focused roundtable discussion in Dubai.
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ybersecurity is the need of the hour as the threat landscape becomes more complex and sophisticated. Customers are seeking trusted advisors who will help them navigate this challenging aspect of the digital era. At the recently held end-user roundtable hosted by Raqmiyat, Exclusive Networks and Infoblox, the objective of the event was to encourage conversations around how to effectively combat cyber threats. In an exclusive interview with TahawulTech.com, Abhijit Mahadik, director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure, Raqmiyat, said, “The main aim of the event is to assist customers with their challenges around understanding data security and the local compliance requirements.” The regional systems integrator is focused on cybersecurity and believes it is the most critical aspect of digital transformation. “As customers are moving away from traditional infrastructures to cloud, cybersecurity forms the foundation stone in this big journey of transformation. Cybersecurity cannot be an afterthought and must be an integral component right from the beginning of their journey.” Raqmiyat works closely with its vendor Infoblox through its distributor Exclusive Networks to ensure end-users are guided at every step of their digital transformation when it comes to security. Mahadik added, “Infoblox is one of those vendors from our portfolio that addresses both data security and local complaint requirement challenges.” With end-users hailing from
CYBERSECURITY CANNOT BE AN AFTERTHOUGHT AND MUST BE AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THEIR JOURNEY.”
different verticals such as banking, government and large corporates, the discussion revolved around not only about the technologies but also the core problems customers face when implementing them. Mahadik attributes the success of the event to Raqmiyat’s presence in the region, the services it has been offering for a long time and the vendor it has selected to host the discussion. “When we select a vendor for such a discussion, we ensure that the brand is a great reputation, is placed well in the Gartner’s Magic Quadrant and boasts a good service credibility in the market with a proven track record. Infoblox
checked in all the boxes.” Guests left the roundtable discussion having been enlightened about the importance of local compliance and data security, and how crucial it is to select the right partner to engage effectively. “The most important part is not about getting the best product from the market and fitting it in the environment. Whenever a security solution is implemented in any environment, it has to talk and integrate with all the other elements in the ecosystem,” he said. “This is why selecting the right integrator is as important as partnering with the right vendor. We had in-depth discussions about how we at Raqmiyat along with our distributor partner Exclusive Networks and vendor partner Infoblox can create comprehensive solutions keeping in mind end-users’ priorities.” He explained that Exclusive Networks play a significant role to their operations as a VAD. “As an integrator, we front end the opportunity with the customer. We ensure that we understand the requirements and integration clearly. Exclusive Networks plays a critical role by not just being a partner who brings the right solutions to us, but also provides us with the right skillsets as and when required to the integration and supporting requirements.” Over the coming months, Raqmiyat will focus on enabling customers and leading them in their cloud and security transformation journeys. “Every industry and technology change will require security as the underlying layer and as trusted partners, we will continue to provide innovative solutions in these areas,” said Mahadik.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
52 VENDOR FOCUS
Kodak Alaris CEO: paper is here to stay Marc Jourlait, CEO, Kodak Alaris, outlines the main facets of the firm’s Middle East operations and explains why he believes paper is here to stay.
CAN YOU GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF KODAK ALARIS’ BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION? Kodak Alaris is a five-year-old firm that boasts a rich heritage from Eastman Kodak, spanning over 130 years. We have an extensive portfolio within Kodak Alaris – our Alaris scanner business is recognised globally as a leader in terms of our market offerings. Our products offer highest performance, best quality and reliability. The service and support that come with our products are unmatched in the industry. Ensuring the highest possible quality is at the core of everything we do. Historically too, ‘quality’ has been associated with brand Kodak and Alaris scanners continue to uphold the tradition. We believe our products can solve a lot of business issues, whether it’s transformation and digitalization of e-governments or BPOs or companies that aim to move away from paperbased processes. It is complicated and demanding to access data that is on paper. Data is the new currency, even more so for this region. We all have to work towards in figuring out ways to make companies more efficient in this new digital age. We believe that our scanning solutions, capable to integrate into customers’ businesses,
will allow them to be more efficient by transforming themselves. This is our objective across the world and in the Middle East region as well. With our team based out of Dubai, we have had great success stories in various countries and a remarkable 2018 in the region.
WE CAN STREAMLINE PAPER USAGE AND PRODUCTION, BUT IT WILL STILL BE AN INHERENT COMPONENT FOR ALL BUSINESSES ACROSS ALL VERTICALS. WE CAN CERTAINLY PLAY A BIG ROLE IN THE STREAMLINING PROCESS AS OUR PRODUCTS CAN SCAN ANY TYPE OF DOCUMENTS IN ANY FORM, AS WE ARE SOURCE AGNOSTIC.”
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
HOW DOES THE REGION FEATURE IN KODAK ALARIS’ OVERALL GROWTH STORY? We have a strong presence and performance in the region. Our products and solutions do well versus the competition, in terms of the technology, quality and performance. We have won many awards over the years reiterating our standing in the regional market. What I enjoy about this region is the growth. We are seeing many e-government initiatives in almost all the countries around the region, aiming to transform themselves digitally. Additionally, we’re also seeing private or large international companies with a presence in the region that need our technologies to transform themselves. We have identified opportunities in all industries, segments, public and private sectors – the diversity of customers that we cater to is what fascinates me the most.
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We have an expansive target environment across the Middle Eastern region and our solutions range from our entry-level scanners all the way to the high-end production scanners. We are able to answer any demand in the market. WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES FOR YOUR NEW FINANCIAL YEAR BEGINNING THIS MONTH? Our single biggest priority is to satisfy our customers. Our solutions are mission critical to customers’ business. We want to make sure our existing and new customers know they can rely on us. We want to emphasise and communicate that our equipment is reliable, high-quality and performs as it should; also to assure them that if they need service and support, then we are there. The first priority is to make customers happy. Next is to introduce and roll out new solutions over the next 12 months. We will have new software
capabilities and service offerings for the market. The year is about satisfying existing customers, winning new customers and bringing to market new solutions. We’re excited about these objectives, particularly when we see that these technologies are very much applicable to what e-government initiatives and private companies are seeking. We are looking forward to a great year ahead. WITH REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS DRIVING TOWARDS A PAPERLESS FUTURE, WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR BUSINESS IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS? We have been talking about being paperless for the last several decades. I don’t think the ultimate aim of achieving paperless economy and business environment will happen in my lifetime. In my opinion, paper is here to stay. Granted that there might be less paper usage in the future, however, as human civilization,
WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THESE OBJECTIVES, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE SEE THAT THESE TECHNOLOGIES ARE VERY MUCH APPLICABLE TO WHAT E-GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES AND PRIVATE COMPANIES ARE SEEKING.”
we produce paper. And hopefully, we are better at growing trees and producing pulp to produce paper. I hope we will be eco-friendly in the ways we consume paper, but as a civilization, we rely on paper heavily. We can streamline paper usage and production, but it will still be an inherent component for all businesses across all verticals. We can certainly play a big role in the streamlining process as our products can scan any type of documents in any form, as we are source agnostic.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
54 VENDOR FOCUS
Art of translation Lennart van der Ziel, CEO, Travis, explains how the firm aims to bridge communication and language barriers within the region through its dedicated offerings.
CAN YOU GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF TRAVIS’ BUSINESS IN THE REGION? In the UAE, we have two locations in Dubai where we showcase Travis Touch – one is at Dubai Mall and the other is at Times Square Center by Sharaf DG. We also sell it online via Sharaf DG. We also have our own dedicated e-commerce portal, which is seeing month-over-month visitor growth from the region. Our go-to-market strategy includes both partner-led and direct sales. We have plans to sell our offerings on Amazon UAE as well. Currently, we are reviewing the terms and conditions, and are looking to begin sales from May 2019. During our visit last month, we have found couple of potential business partners for our partner-led business. As a business, we have been quite strong at this two-pronged approach – establishing our direct sales pipeline to drive demand and allowing for the market to validate our products and then transitioning to a more partnerled approach once demand picks up. This paves the way for successful cooperation with our partners. CAN YOU SHARE TRAVIS’ MILESTONES IN 2018? The key milestones for Travis in 2018 include the launch of our secondgeneration hardware device ‘Travis Touch Plus’, which has seen a revamp of the hardware. It is now equipped with a touch screen for ease of use and sports wireless charging and increased
understood early on that building a device and just putting it out there isn’t enough. Constant software improvements and development are necessary to keep growing and staying ahead of the curve. We currently support translations to and from over 105 languages and are working to improve and add translations continuously. We passed the 200.000 devices sold mark in December and are working on a third generation for our pocket translator. 2018 also saw us start the development of an AI voice assistant, which will be able to answer travel-related questions such as weather inquiries, currency conversion and other travel information.
COMMUNICATION – REALLY UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER – HAS BEEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER AND WE AIM TO LEAD THIS NEW WAVE OF INTER LANGUAGE AND INTER CULTURAL COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE REGION.”
linguistic support from 80+ to 100+ languages. We have also ramped up the development of software updates. A big part of our success comes from our strength in software. We
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
WHAT FACTORS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR GROWTH IN THE REGION AND HOW DO THEY IMPACT YOUR GOALS FOR THIS YEAR? Strong sales in Europe and the United States have sparked interest in the Middle East and we’ve seen a big uptake in inquiries from possible retail and wholesale partners. At the same time, a push from our end to provide samples for reviews arranged by our PR agency and promotion actives done by Sharaf DG have further helped boost our growth in the region. Our big goal for the Middle East is to provide Travis Touch Plus translation devices for the Dubai EXPO 2020. This would help foster communication on a whole new level when hundreds of nationalities come
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together for a milestone event such as the EXPO 2020. Communication – really understanding each other – has been more important than ever and we aim to lead this new wave of inter language and inter cultural communication within the region. CAN YOU SHARE YOUR GOTO-MARKET AND EXPANSION STRATEGIES FOR THE REGION? We see a great emphasis on technology, global trade and tourism in the nation’s administrative policies and international relationships. In 2019, we are reflecting on the way the UAE population has grown more diverse and how its vibrant expatriate community (which makes up around 80% of the population) has had a profound impact on the country’s culture. Our strategies involve working with a handful of local distributors who have B2B channels, e.g. bank, airport, hotel, hospital, expert association and schools and so on. For banks and hospitals, we will let them try our device to improve their customer experiences. For hotels, airports and tourist centers, we will let them try our devices to improve customer experiences and provide a “rental model” for tourists to communicate / understand the local cultures. For schools, they can use our device to practice different languages. For expats and their families, our device can help them pick up daily life communications sooner.
WE’VE GROWN TREMENDOUSLY IN JUST THE TWO YEARS WE’VE BEEN AROUND AND ARE EXTREMELY PROUD OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS TILL DATE.”
ARE THERE ANY CHALLENGES OPERATING IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION? HOW IS TRAVIS ADDRESSING THEM? It is challenging being a European business entering the Middle East market. Strong partners will play a crucial role for us this year. Although, we have the language barrier covered, understanding legal requirements (for example, certification of the hardware) will be key. CAN YOU SHARE MARKET PLANS AND INITIATIVES LINED UP FOR THIS YEAR? 2019 is a key year for Travis. We’ve grown tremendously in just the two years we’ve been around and are extremely proud of our achievements till date. The Middle East has a lot of potential and we’re aiming to be aggressive in this market this year to establish a strong foothold. A new
generation of pocket Translators is in the pipeline and exciting software advances (the AI voice assistant and ever improving translation technology) are what we’re working on to increase our lead on the competition. HOW DO YOU SEE THE SPACE YOU OPERATE IN EVOLVE OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS? With EXPO2020 around the corner, we see a huge potential for the Middle Eastern market and we are developing more functions for tourist convenience. For example, we have a travel assistant function that can be used to find out the exchange rate or weather by voice command. We see an increasing demand to solve language barriers during meetings and conferences. Traditionally, a translator would be present – or in most cases there are no translators, which lead to misunderstandings and people outright not understanding each other. Travis is working on a meeting translation tool which displays live subtitles in one or multiple languages (this doesn’t have to be done with our device and can be used on any website browser, mobile phone and computer). As Dubai and several other large cities in the Middle East function as a global hub for conferences and meetings, we are banking heavily on the rollout of this technology in the region as a springboard to other continents.
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
56 BLOG
Here’s something cloud can’t take away from you
Jim Morrissey, VP US Channels Document Technology Partners, Xerox Corporation, explains how cloud computing is as great opportunity for channel partners as it is for end-users.
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loud computing has been great news for customers, offering higher service levels at lower cost. Initially, many IT channel partners saw it as bad news for themselves, eliminating many hardware purchases and the service engagements attached to them, including installation, integration, maintenance, repair, support, training, and more. Over time, partners have adjusted their businesses, adapting to the new realities created by cloud computing. Customers still require many of the services they have always engaged partners to provide, including data migration, user support, server and storage management, integration between various cloud services from multiple providers, security, regulatory compliance, data analytics, and more. If anything, cloud computing has encouraged some partners to vary their skills and provide new services. INPUT AND OUTPUT REQUIRE ENDPOINTS One issue which cannot be overlooked is the continuing need for hardware in the age of the cloud. Users still require endpoints through which to enter and retrieve information. While processing of that information may take place on servers resident in a cloud data center, the user still needs a computer, a tablet, a smartphone or some other device to interact with and process the information, and output devices to produce results from that processed information. Print is the most robust category of output devices. If your customers need to print something, they must have a printer. Along with those printers they’ll need supplies, and they will no longer have staff designated to keeping track of
and replenishing those supplies. Being mechanical devices, printers require maintenance and repair. THE EVOLUTION OF PRINT SOLUTIONS Printing is now evolving, using automation to streamline workflows and producing a more complete product with less human intervention. Today’s printing solution delivers a robust finished product in full color, often bound and ready for delivery. It is no longer bound so much by the proximity of the user to the printer. Even supplies have been redefined by the services used to track their consumption and provide timely replenishment. Users don’t think about supplies until they run out. An enterprising channel partner literally saves them from themselves in many instances. Print automation has also progressed bringing a host of new possibilities through programming. Many channel partners now develop software solutions specifically for print environments. As with so many other segments of the IT environment, channel partners can choose to partner with these new
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // May 2019
providers to sell these solutions to their customers. They can also leverage this partnering while they themselves develop new capabilities. THINK AND SELL VALUE As print management has evolved, so has the channel. Where we once sold speeds and feeds, how fast the printer could produce results and how many different media and data sources could be integrated, we soon evolved to selling solutions to specific business challenges. Today we recognise the underlying issue that customers have always been most concerned about. When they invest in any technology solution to any information management challenge, what they seek most is value. How much more value can they bring to the outcomes they obtain from each IT investment? How much can they reduce initial and ongoing operating costs? Cloud has taught them that they can obtain higher service levels at lower cost. That’s what they expect now from everything they consume. Your challenge is to cloud-proof your endpoint business by adding the products, supplies, and services customers require to satisfy their ongoing need to print.
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DATA → INSIGHT → INNOVATION → REVENUE Capitalize on New Opportunities with the Right Infrastructure
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LAST TAKE
5
in
YOUR IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE INCLUDES… Drinking water, exercising and browsing the news
YOU ARE PROUD OF YOUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH IS … It’s not about a single specific accomplishment. I am proud of being able to advance in my career, achieve constant great results professionally and learn more every day while being socially active and having enough leisure time.
FIVE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT … Family, mobile phone, Internet, love and of course, good food
Wael
THE MOST UNDERRATED TECHNOLOGY TREND ACCORDING TO YOU IS… Short range personal e-transportation such as e-bikes, electric motorcycles, electric scooters, electric skateboards and so on for ‘last mile transportation’
FIVE GOALS YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE IN 2019…take a selfdevelopment course; exercise more and eat healthier; visit a new country; aim for less daily screen time and spend more time with the family
ANDARI
COUNTRY MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, SAUDI BUSINESS MACHINES
www.tahawultech.com // Reseller Middle East // MAY 2019
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