Tt sept oct by Tech Data

September/October 2013

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September/October 2013

Executive Address Greg Myers getting further engaged in the channel

The tour makes a stop in Calgary

Lenovo and Tech Data’s Tech Tour 2013

A memorable experience

Tech Data Business Builder Tour

18 HP Introduces first Ultrabook Workstation Comments, suggestions? Tell us what you think! jillian.cahill@techdata.ca

New opportunities for solution providers

Cisco and Tech Data’s Executive Exchange

Time well spent in San Francisco

We catch up with Oxygen Technical Services

TechSelect Member Profile

WMworld 2013

Voice of the Vendor

VMware sets sights on networking virtualization

Tech Times speaks with David Allen from Intel

Editor Jillian Cahill Art Direction and Design Julie MacAulay Contributing Writers and Editors Irene Buchan, Jillian Cahill, Robert Dutt Project Manager Ralitsa Naydenova Tech Times is published and distributed six times per year to channel resellers across Canada. ©2013 Tech Data Canada Corporation. Prices, promotions, offers & terms and conditions of sale subject to change without notice. Errors and omissions excepted. All manufacturers’ names are registered trademarks of their respective corporations. This publication comes to you free from Tech Data Canada Corporation. We received your mailing address from your Tech Data customer account information. To make changes or to unsubscribe, please contact your Tech Data sales team at 800.668.5588 or notify us at emailcanada@techdata.ca. www.techtimesmagazine.ca

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September/October 2013

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ExecutiveAddress

Early Impressions Ross Perot once said “Spend a lot of time talking to customers face to face. You’d be amazed how many companies don’t listen to their customers.” At Tech Data Canada, we subscribe to that same way of thinking.

I’m a couple of months into my new role of Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, and I couldn’t be more energized about the channel, Tech Data, and our community of solution providers. Over the past several weeks I’ve had the opportunity to meet with many of you as I’ve attended events across the country, some of them Tech Data events and some of them gatherings initiated by our vendor partners. Whether it was at our recent Cisco and Tech Data One Step Ahead conference in San Francisco or our Business Builder Tour stops in Calgary and Vancouver, in every single case I’ve walked away with a greater appreciation for what we all do as part of the channel ecosystem, and with more faith than ever before that the channel is the crucial mechanism for delivering technology to end-customers across Canada. From cloud to BYOD to networking infrastructure, an integrated channel approach is clearly the way for Canadian businesses to successfully deploy technology.

As we come into our fiscal Q4, I’ll continue to call on you every chance I get, but I also ask that you please contact me if there’s anything I can help you with. I’m sincerely interested in your feedback, and my team and I are excited about continuing to develop ways to serve you and your business better in the coming year. Thanks for your business, and please stay in touch! Sincerely,

Greg Myers Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing greg.myers@techdata.ca

At the same time, I’d be lying if I told you that every piece of feedback you’ve given me was positive, but that’s to be expected. If you don’t tell us where we could be better, we can’t put energy into improving your customer experience with us. I know that we will continue to shine in those areas where we help you be your most successful while also refining our value added services in those areas where you can costeffectively leverage our expertise and resources within your own practice. Your feedback to us is critically important, whether that feedback comes in the form of a pat on the back (and a purchase order!) for a job well done or a request to be better next time. We take it all in stride and appreciate the spirit in which it’s shared.

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September/October 2013

small to medium business What about the phones? If you’re not selling phones and phone systems, you’re missing out. FortiVoice makes it easy. Even if you are selling telephony, FortiVoice fits where the others can’t. • • • •

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Call the FortiVoice team for more information and to get started selling today at toll–free 1.888.332.9322 x301. Call your Tech Data representative at 1-800-668-5588 today.

Coming Soon…Lexmark My Pages My Pages Summary: • Pay for only the pages you need • No contracts. No minimums • Setup and all maintenance Included • Printer Supplies sent automatically • Professional quality Laser Printer Available on MS610de, MX410de and CX410de Call your Tech Data representative at 1-800-668-5588 today.

LG’s Signage Technology Meets TV LG EzSign TV Digital Signage + Television : Billboard TV The LG EzSign TV is the world’s first TV that comes with a signage function. Now you can run your message on the TV screen in the form of billboard TV without additional hardware. Advertisements, information and broadcast content can be arranged on the same screen to attract attention and deliver specific messaging to your customer base. Call your Tech Data representative at 1-800-668-5588 today.

Bundle up! Get at least a CAD 700 End User Rebate on TeamBoard RT bundles. Empowering your meeting room with a TeamBoard solution has never been easier. Meet our TeamBoard UST 0.19 DLP Projector (SKU: 9786BP) displaying superior image quality and incredibly high native contrast ratios. Call your Tech Data representative at 1-800-668-5588 today.

September/October 2013

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September/October 2013

The Business Builder Tour (BBT) made a stop in Calgary in September and it was another great success. The BBT stops in six major cities throughout the year across Canada including, Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. The final stop will take place in Vancouver on October 9. Once again, there was a strong line-up of vendor partners at the event featuring some exciting new technology for our reseller partners to interact with. The Tech Data executive and sales teams were also in attendance to meet and mingle with their reseller partners face to face. New relationships were formed, while existing ones were enriched. Each year, we strive to make our BBT the best industry event, providing excellent networking opportunities to our vendor and reseller partners, enabling them grow their businesses and making stronger connections in the channel. Thank you once again to our participating vendor partners and to the many reseller partners in Calgary who joined us. We look forward to another successful show when we reach Vancouver. Keep your eye out for exciting enhancements coming for next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BBT. You wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to miss it.

September/October 2013

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September/October 2013

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HotSpots Intel® NUC Meet the family The Intel® NUC family puts the world in the palm of your hand. Powered by either Intel® Celeron® processors or 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors on a four-by-four-inch motherboard and enclosed in a tiny case, this next-generation compute kit is big on performance yet surprisingly small in size. From digital signage to customer service kiosks, from home theater systems to digital jukeboxes, Intel® NUC is an intelligent device for small spaces or anywhere else you can imagine. TD SKU: 1912BK, 1911BK, 8375BS

Call your Tech Data Sales Representative today at 1-800-668-5588.

Toughpad, the enterprise-grade tablet for the real world The Panasonic Toughpad™ FZ-G1 fully-rugged Windows 8 Pro tablet , the FZ-A1 and JT-B1 fullyrugged, Android™ powered tablets are engineered to withstand the knocks, drops and spills that come with life on the road. To learn more about the Toughpad family visit www.panasonic.ca/toughpad/ TD SKU: 2703BT, 9553BP, 9498BJ

Call your Tech Data Sales Representative today at 1-800-668-5588.

Parallels Management -Mac for Microsoft SCCM From Parallels, the industry leader in making Windows and Mac work together seamlessly, comes Parallels Management -Mac for Microsoft SCCM. It’s the quick and simple way to manage the growing number of Macs being used at work. Help your Microsoft System Centre customers extend their existing infrastructure to efficiently manage Macs using the same tools, processes, and people. Parallels Management- Mac TD SKUs : 1-year: 5163BQ, 2-year: 5164BQ, 3-year: 5165BQ Call your Tech Data Sales Representative today at 1-800-668-5588.

Portégé® Z10t Hybrid Detachable Take your business anywhere with the slim, portable and durable business hybrid with high performance and full PC capabilities. It is ideal for on-the-go business professionals. Call your Tech Data Sales Representative today at 1-800-668-5588.

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September/October 2013

Eighteen reseller partners joined Lenovo once again at the 5th annual Lenovo and Tech Data Tech Tour in Raleigh, North Carolina. This year’s event featured special guests from Intel and Microsoft to enhance the experience and provide a complementary vendor’s perspective on the market. Lenovo and Tech Data’s Tech Tour program rewards resellers from across Canada for their achievements focused on TopSeller, ThinkDesktop, ThinkNotebooks and ThinkServer products. The attendees visited Lenovo’s state-of-the-art briefing centre where they had the opportunity to engage in discussions featuring valuable product information and key market trends that will help them grow their business. This event would not be complete without a round of golf and a visit to the famous Angus Barn Steakhouse following the product showcase where attendees were able to further discuss their business and build stronger relationships with their vendor hosts and Tech Data team. Thank you to all of this year’s Lenovo and Tech Data Tech Tour attendees. We look forward to welcoming a group back with us next year!

September/October 2013

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September/October 2013

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September/October 2013

by Robb Dutt

While those who have been shouting “The PC is dead!” for years have yet to be proven either right or wrong, there’s no doubt that the traditional computer market is changing very rapidly. Many groups of PC users, particularly consumers and road warriors, have proven more than willing for trading the familiarity and power of a traditional PC for the mobility and convenience of tablets and other devices. But amongst those who create, the PC remains the tool of choice. And nowhere is that more true than in the market for workstations, the high-end computers used by those who truly value computing horsepower – video design and computer animators, architects, designers, and a variety of other professionals. The workstation market has had a tough run in the last year and a half, with industry growth rates dipping into the negative by almost ten points by the end of last year. But as the economy has improved around the world, the market has turned it around, registering 6.1 per cent growth in the second quarter of 2013. And speaking at a New York City event where his company introduced its newest workstation offerings, Jim Zafarana, vice president and general manager of HP’s commercial solutions business unit, proudly reported that HP’s

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growth at 7.4 per cent was leading the way. “We’ve been in this business for 30 years, and not many companies have been able to transition and redefine their business through the ebbs and flows of the technology industry. In fact, we’re the only vendor to have made it – and to thrive – on the transition from proprietary Unix workstations to industrystandard systems,” Zafarana told an assembly of international press on hand for the company’s workstation launch in September. Closer to home, HP Canada saw growth in its workstation business in the first quarter of 2013, with a “a couple of large deals” driving that up to double-digit growth in the second quarter, according to Ira Weiss, category business manager for workstations at HP Canada. Unlike the struggles of the PC market, Zafarana said the lagging workstation market was a function of global economic turndowns worldwide, and that typically the workstation market recovers more quickly than does the PC coming out hard times. That’s especially true this time, he suggested, when many of the woes for the PC market have been because of the trend towards mobile devices instead of full-function PCs.

“My personal belief is that the creators of cars and trains and shoes, the purveyors of oil and energy, and the designers of buildings are going to continue to need the very best performance,” Zafarana said. “Their need for horsepower is not going to be cannibalized by a tablet or another device.” In fact, if anything, with customer expectations increasing, and large parts of the workstation market needing even more horsepower due to the advent of higher-definition video and even better computer-generated special effects, the demand for performance in the workstation market is improving. And Zafarana sees new opportunities continuing to power the workstation market. Big data and the surrounded analytics are providing an opportunity for beefier workstations, and as video surveillance moves from analogue to digital, there are opportunities there as well. Add to that a very large opportunity with designers building on Autodesk and SolidWorks. Many of those designers have traditionally opted for high-end PCs, but as those offerings move from twodimensional to three-dimensional design, many will have to look to workstation machines to keep productivity high.

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Getting Back to Work(stations) So what’s HP doing to capture these opportunities? The biggest headline from this fall’s launch was the introduction of the ZBook 14 – a14-inch workstation that is the first to qualify under Intel’s thin-andlight Ultrabook specification. Sporting dual-core Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors at up to 2.1 GHz as well as AMD FirePro graphics with 1 GB of video RAM, the Zbook 14 lacks the pure horsepower of its larger mobile workstation cousins with 15- and 17-inch displays, but HP says finding the right tradeoff between computing power and portability has been a key request of customers, many of whom are looking for a mobile machine as a secondary device to a full-power in-the-office workstation. The packing of workstation power and reliability features, including easy access to replace many key internal components, will also make the ZBook 14 attractive to a lot of customers who have previously opted for higher-performance, but non-workstation, notebooks. Zafarana said he expects ZBook 14 customers to be about half previous mobile workstation customers, and half new to the category. Ira Weiss, category manager for workstations at HP Canada, adds that he expects to see a number of former mobile workstation customers who had been lured away from their more powerful mobile workstations for the promise of slim and sexy Ultrabooks will come back to the mobile workstation market with the ZBook 14. HP also updated its 15- and 17-inch mobile workstations, introducing the latest options in terms of CPU and graphics, and also introducing high-speed Thunderbolt connections into mobile workstations for the first time, making the systems more powerful than ever for those who need full performance from a mobile workstation. And not to be left out of the game, the company’s Z420, Z620, and Z820 traditional desktop workstations have been updated to include the latest Intel Xeon processors, and support for Thunderbolt. Also new is the ZBooks branding. While HP has long used Z prefixes to indicate workstation machines, its mobile workstations previously fell under the EliteBook brand, its top of the line commercial series. The company also recently moved its top-of-the-line professional displays under the Z banner, giving them Z27i and Z30i names that give the company, for the first time, consistent branding and look and feel for its workstation and high-end professional lineup. The Customer’s View The workstation customer is an intriguing one for the channel, both because it’s a business-to-business sale by default, and because it’s one where price is not the concerning factor. In fact, as part of HP’s presentation to press and analysts, Henric Larsson, CEO of Stockholmbased post-production house The Chimney Group, said that “if it was double the cost, it wouldn’t matter to me.” “I don’t really care what it costs. I shouldn’t say that in front of HP, but

Reliability at any price: For customers like Henric Larsson, CEO of a Stockholm-based video post production company, high performance and uptime are key.

I really don’t care.” It’s a matter of economics. Chimney, he says, writes down its workstation hardware over a year, typically refreshing its top producers with the new topof-the-line as it becomes available, with the now-older models moving down to more junior workers. Even in writing down a workstation over the course of just one year, he estimates the cost of the machine at about $6 per working hour of productivity. When the company can charge well into the hundreds of dollars an hour for client time in a development suite with a workstation, that amounts to a rounding error. As much as performance is key, this economic model holds reliability most deal. While a working machine going full-bore costs him $6 per working “If we have a client in the room and we have a hardware problem, we have about two minutes to fix it before the client is [very annoyed],” Larsson said. “There’s no super-duper diamond-coated support contract in the world that can solve that problem.” Selling the Value Proposition

Keeping with HP workstations tradition, Zafarana unveiled the new ZBook 14 by pulling it out from inside a larger mobile workstation.

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Weiss said it was key for solution providers to be able to sell the “whole value proposition” of workstations, both the hardware and the applications on which developers, designers, and other workstation customers depend. To support that sales motion, Weiss has a team of two workstation specialists available to educate channel partners on workstations opportunities, and to work with the channel on prospects. The company also makes training available to help solution providers better articulate the workstation value proposition. “It’s a matter of making sure customers understand and are thinking of the entire value proposition for a workstation,” Weiss said. “It gives them the ability to better position themselves and how they can serve their customers with these products.”

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September/October 2013

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AIS EmployeeSpotlight

Tech Times sat down with David Huynh, Product Sales Champion for EMC and Cisco Data Centre at Tech Data Canada to learn how he helps enable partners to grow their business. Q: How long have you been with Tech Data? I have been with Tech Data for four years, and counting!

“From the development of our ATSC, to the expansion of our AIS team, we are consistently taking the success we had and building on it, to benefit our partners and our vendors.”

Q: What is your technical background? What technical certifications do you hold? I hold an EMC Advanced Sales Accreditation for Consolidation & BRS, an EMC Velocity System Engineer certification for Consolidation, a Cisco Sales Specialist certification for Unified Computing Technology, a VMware VSP certification, and a VMware VTSP certification. I am in the process of obtaining my EMC Technology Architect certification, and aiming to have it completed by the end of September. Q: What do you like most about Tech Data? The people. The people at Tech Data really make a difference. Regardless whether it’s an Executive, or a Sales Representative, there’s no shortage of folks here who are willing to lend an ear, a shoulder, or a hand. Q: Describe a typical day for you: Nothing is ever typical about my day, aside from my morning routine. I come in and start up my computer. As it loads, I usually greet my neighbours, and get some water or coffee. From there it’s an adventure. From start to end, I take care of our EMC partners. I am responsible for enabling our partners to develop their EMC practices through product information, online training, presentations, call shadowing, and sales blitzes with EMC. I am also responsible for configuring solutions, escalations, deal registrations, special pricing, quoting, ordering and tracking. I also visit local partners, and I’m constantly trying to keep up-to-date with technologies through training online and on site at EMC. Q: What do you like the most about your job? I like that every day is new; new challenges to solve, new partners to get acquainted with, and new opportunities to win. Q: What motivates you in your job? Winning. I’m an extremely competitive person, regardless whether it’s against competitors or against myself. I want my customers to win their deals, and receive the full value Tech Data brings to their EMC business. At the same time, I want existing partners not tiered to Tech Data to know that we can support their EMC business and will bring value that distinguishes Tech Data from the rest of the pack. Q: What has been your most memorable moment or biggest success since joining Tech Data? Earning an Over the Top (OTT) and Presidents Club award for Sales in 2011, and another OTT award this year for my focus on EMC, I feel, are all equally my biggest successes since joining Tech Data. I had never won a trophy in my life before these, so they’re extra special to me. My most memorable moment at Tech Data (so far) was having the opportunity to travel to Tech Data’s Costa Rica office to attend their Sales Conference. I got to taste the local cuisine, which was fantastic, and went on a zip-lining tour. You definitely learn a lot about overcoming fears when you’re strapped “Superman” style into a harness, and travelling at 60 mph across a metal wire close to a kilometer long, 315 feet over a rainforest. Q: Anything else you think we should know about you? I don’t like heights.

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September/October 2013

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Good news!

You have more time to benefit from the Cisco SMARTnet 3-for-2 Promotion. For the customer, it means expert technical support, flexible hardware coverage, and personalized assistance. For you, it means more revenue and easier sales.

Here’s the deal: Cisco partners can purchase three years of Cisco SMARTnet® Service for approximately the price of two years.* The Cisco SMARTnet 3-for-2 Promotion is available on many of Cisco’s most popular products, including most Cisco Fast Track products that offer Cisco SMARTnet as an available service option. This promotion has now been expanded to include Limited Lifetime Warranty (LLW) and Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty (ELLW) products. That’s because even the greatest warranties don’t provide the comprehensive service and support of Cisco SMARTnet. The Cisco SMARTnet 3-for-2 Promotion makes it easier for you to: • attach Cisco Services onto products you are already selling • add new revenue to an existing sale • offer your customers a more complete solution at an affordable price Cisco SMARTnet Service gives customers direct, anytime access to an award-winning technical support service. It is Cisco’s most popular technical service.

For more information, visit the Partner Central Promotions Page: www.cisco.com/go/smartnet3for2

Limited time promotional pricing ends on January 25, 2014. | *Recommended resale price. Distributor and/or Partner sets actual price. © 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Restrictions apply. Please refer to the Cisco SMARTnet 3for2 Promotion Ordering Guide for details.

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September/October 2013

Through Tech Data and Cisco’s One Step Ahead 2013 program, partners joined the Cisco and Tech Data Executive Exchange in San Francisco and opened yet another window of opportunity. This year’s event brought together executive leaders from our elite partners who were able to engage and hear from Tech Data executives and worldwide Cisco leaders. One Step Ahead Canadian partners visited Cisco’s state-of-the-art Executive Briefing Centre in San Jose, California. While there, they took part in live demonstrations of both current and emerging technologies, and gained a firm understanding of Cisco’s strategy and vision as a company, along with Cisco’s leading architecture pillars: • Borderless Networks • Data Centre • Collaboration Partners at the One Step Ahead Exchange also enjoyed a good mix of leisure engagement activities unique to San Francisco. From our Smokin’ and BBQ class with Big Chef Jim, to a day at TPC Harding Golf Course or the St. Francis Renewal Spa, our attending partners enjoyed San Francisco to its fullest! Partners left the conference with excitement and anticipation on developing and growing their Cisco business knowing that they may have the opportunity to be one of 18 partners to join Cisco and Tech Data for the One Step Ahead Ivy Partner Conference in the exquisite city of Dubrovnik, Croatia!

Continue to be One Step Ahead in your Cisco business with Tech Data and next year you could be joining us in Dubrovnik, Croatia!

September/October 2013

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September/October 2013

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TechSelect Member Profile

– In this issue of Tech Times, we learn how TechSelect membership has given Oxygen Technical Services a national presence In Canada.

Q: Tell us a little about your organization: For the past 11 years, Oxygen Technical Services Ltd. has been a business systems strategy and integration company offering a variety of solutions to our clients to help them work smarter and not harder. To be specific, we provide an IT Success Formula for our clients and potential clients that is unique to their requirements. There are not too many IT professional services companies of Oxygen’s size (20 employees) that have the vast array of technical service competencies that we do. We do this by being technically proficient, process guided, results driven, and only satisfied when the client is satisfied. Oxygen uses the term “emotionally invested” when we describe our team members’ approach to delivering service to our clients. Q: What are your thoughts on the industry in general? Exciting! If you are willing to invest the emotional equity into delving into some fast growing service delivery models, for example, building a cloud competency, or managed services for the SMB, then you can find yourself with new opportunities that were not as easy to move into three or four years ago. Q: What challenges are you facing and how do you overcome them? We are a very mature Managed Services provider. One of the largest challenges that we see is the potential commoditization of this service offering. The other challenge is that we are a rapidly growing organization and our competitors are taking notice of us, thus increasing the target on our backs.

The Oxygen Technical Services team enjoys being a member of the TechSelect comminity to help them grow their business across Canada.

So what we continuously strive for is to be ahead of the curve. We invest in our people and work with our partners to provide solutions that are “top shelf” to our clients. Once we do that, we develop their IT success formula and then service them to complete satisfaction. Q: What would you like to see from vendor partners? I really don’t know what else I could ask for from our vendor partners. If anything, I’d like to ask our vendor partners what we can do for them, to help them grow in our geographical area. Once we establish how we can help our vendor partners grow in our territory, their support plans become evident and they take a proactive approach. Q: What are your organization’s goals for the next five years? To expand upon our core business competencies, which include, break/ fix, managed services, project management, hardware procurement, and to become more efficient with our

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auxiliary services like VoIP, Datacentre services, and Enterprise support Q: How has the TechSelect program helped you? Or helped you meet your organization’s goals? The TechSelect program has helped Oxygen rationalize how we should be using our distributors better, as well as providing unexpected resources with our vendor partners. The ability to work directly with Tech Data product experts, and having an avenue to directly approach the manufactures has been an eye opener and very beneficial to our growth. We literally have product experts at the ready. The TechSelect program, through its member network, has allowed Oxygen to be able to put “boots on the ground” throughout Canada, so we can better support our clients who have a National presence. Q: What is your outlook for 2013? Continued fun and growth. Look for Oxygen to be on the MSP Mentor’s Global Top 100 Managed Service Providers list this coming year!

September/October 2013

VMware Sets Sights on Networking Virtualization CEO Pat Gelsinger says the company won’t rest until everything is virtualized by Robb Dutt

At last year’s VMworld conference, VMware outlined its vision for what it calls the softwaredefined data center (SDDC) – an extension of its strongpoint in server virtualization to virtualize storage and networking as well and ultimately abstract the whole data center infrastructure. Kicking off this year’s VMworld conference in San Francisco, CEO Pat Gelsinger outlined its next step in that strategy, VMware NSX, its networking virtualization platform. “What ESX was for server virtualization, NSX is for network virtualization,” Gelsinger said of the product, due to launch in the fourth quarter of this year. Martin Cassado, chief technology officer for networking at VMware, described NSX as “a very simple concept,” exposing virtual networks that support L2, L3, and L4 through L7 services, introducing the operational model of virtualization on the network, including the ability to create networks, move networks around, duplicate and clone networks, and create snapshots. “Increasingly, the network is becoming the slow point in virtualization,” Gelsinger said. “While many aspects of the data center are fully agile, we’re bound to many aspects of the physical infrastructure of the network. We’re moving to a world where the network is much like compute now is, you spin up network resources the way we spin up a virtual machine.” While NSX – developed from a mix of organic VMware development and assets from its acquisition of Nicira last year – is the company’s first foray into a full networking virtualization. But Cassado pointed out networking virtualization is anything but a nascent concept. In fact, in 2012, the number of virtual ports in existence surpassed the number of physical ports, and virtual networking continues to grow as the number of virtual servers continues to increase over the number of physical servers. Networking wasn’t the only area of focus for VMware. The company also announced version

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5.5 of its vSphere and vCloud Suite products, its traditional computing virtualization strongpoint. Gelsinger said the new version is all about scale – supporting twice the number of cores and twice the number of virtual machines compared to previous versions, and doubling performance on mission-critical applications, while also

In a general session for the VMware channel partners, O’Callaghan dubbed the new channel program the value channel, and said it was based around one simple idea – the more VMware and a partner invest together, the greater the mutual reward.

introducing application-aware high availability that monitors not just whole applications but the key components of major apps. The new version of vSphere also introduces extensions for big data applications, giving VMware an important path for virtualizing major workloads. The holy grail here: the ability to scale up, scale down, share, and migrate Hadoop workloads. “This is the end of standalone Hadoop,” Gelsinger posited. On the storage side, Gelsinger introduced VMware Virtual SAN, a networking virtualization system currently in general public beta, which pools compute and storage as a converged data storage tier.

VMware also announced general availability of its vCloud Hybrid Service, introduced in June as an “over-subscribed” public beta. The company’s strategy with the public cloud is to focus on its exiting virtualization customer base, giving them an easy path to spill over workloads that need extra capacity to VMware’s public cloud. “That’s our differentiation – they don’t have to retrain, they don’t have to know new networking or security configurations,” said Bill Fathers, senior vice president and general manager of hybrid cloud at VMware. “We have a great foothold and we’re going to focus on that.” Fathers said the company may eventually target other markets and other customers, but for now sees more than enough opportunity in its existing customers, providing them a quick and easy path to use workloads in a hybrid mode. The company is also targeting its core virtualization partner for its hybrid cloud offering, and Fathers said it’s working on VAR enablement and “the list of partners we’re working with to bring this to market is growing very rapidly.” Gelsinger gained a lot of attention for his quip that VMware would not rest until it had virtualized everything. So how long does Gelsinger intend to keep his people without sleep? Cloud may have surpassed virtualization as the sexy subject du jour in enterprise tech circles, but with VMware broadening its horizons to data center-wide virtualization, the executive estimates there’s still a solid decade of growth left in virtualization. “We’re just getting started on the network, and tere’s a lot yet to do to accomplish all we want to accomplish on the network, in storage, and in management,” Gelsinger told press and analysts in a discussion. “With networking, we’re at where we ESX was at in 2004. We probably have eight to 12 years to lay out this picture, and the same kind of time for storage. For management and automation, maybe we’re two years into that journey, so we’ve probably

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Builing a Value Channel VMware also used its late-summer event to preview changes to its partner programs it will make between now and its Partner Exchange event in early 2014. The company introduced a new four-tier partner program that will roll out for its many different types of partners over the next six months, the first major change since Cisco channel veteran Dave O’Callaghan came on as new worldwide channel chief just over three months ago. In a general session for the VMware channel partners, O’Callaghan dubbed the new channel program the value channel, and said it was based around one simple idea – the more VMware and a partner invest together, the greater the mutual reward. “As we partner with all of you, we may have complexified some things. We need to simplify how we pay you, how we reward you, how we make it all predictable,” O’Callaghan told partners. “Our products have taken complex concepts and simplified them. Let’s do that together in the channel.” The sentiment went over well with partners, particularly when followed up with some preliminary details, such as the announcement that VMware would publish its latest channel rules of engagement on the Web for partners to peruse, and plans to simplify its rate card, particularly for cloud partners. The value channel approach will roll out between now and the company’s Partner Exchange event next February, and it appeared many details are still in the works. But O’Callaghan did announce that there will be four tiers – Enrolled, Professional, Enterprise, and Premier for all types of partners – including resellers, integrators, outsourcers, service providers, and distributors. The program will also offer further specialization and branding around VMware’s three big technology focuses – the software defined data center (the evolution of its core server virtualization business into a more fully-virtualized data center), hybrid cloud, and end user computing (virtual desktop.) Dan Smoot, senior vice president of global customer operations and in many ways VMware’s ultimate channel chief prior to the arrival of O’Callaghan, outlined a couple of new initiatives within VMware, including a move to more completely share VMware’s own internal marketing and educational tools and programs with partners, including the promise of a training and marketing mobile application that will be rolled out to the VMware field and its partner base at the same time. Smoot also spoke of simplifying the process through which partners do transactions with VMware, making sure partners can drive more transactions independently of involvement from VMware staff. O’Callaghan said the company was looking for volunteers for a handful of “early access” partners for key new technologies in each geography. In the past, he said VMware has largely introduced technologies to partners after they have “crossed the chasm” into the mainstream, a reference to Geoffrey Moore’s fabled book on marketing high tech products. O’Callaghan said he would like bring a select group of partners in earlier in the process, letting them “become very intimate” with VMware’s early-stage technologies.

New channel chief Dave O’Callaghan announced plans for a partner program refresh over the next six months.

branchingout In this edition of Branching Out, we sat down with Fady Soussou, Senior Account Representative with Tech Data Canada to hear more about life in our Tech Data Montreal office. Q; How long have you been with Tech Data? I have been with Tech Data for five years now.

I strive every day along with my teammates to provide superior service to our customers. We work with a rather challenging and unique territory but I enjoy every minute of it.

Q: What do you like most about Tech Data? I really like the values that Tech Data embraces and encourages all employees to adopt in their daily lives when dealing with customers, partners or teammates. This is evident in the core values that we all live by at Tech Data and the different awards that recognize employees on a regular basis such as Values in Action, Julia Con Watt scholarship award etc....I also love the management of Tech Data and how personable and down to earth they are. They’re a true example of how a management should be with their open door policy, tolerance, appreciation of hard work, and flexibility. Their direct engagement on a personal basis is really admirable. They know almost everyone by name (customers as well as employees) and I’ve never had that in any company I worked with before. Q: Describe a typical day for you in our Montreal office: My day starts with a coffee and breakfast in the morning. Then I move on to my regular order management tasks. My ultimate goal during the day is to communicate with my teammates and Field Sales Representative on a constant basis to discuss different issues and opportunities concerning customers and how we can coordinate a better strategy to deal with them. I also report any issues that might arise from customers to the proper channels to be handled in a professional and timely manner. I strive every day along with my teammates to provide superior service to our customers. We work with a rather challenging and unique territory but I enjoy every minute of it. Q: What do you like the most about your job? I like to take every day of my Tech Data life as a learning experience and an opportunity to grow my expertise and relationships with customers, partners and teammates. Every issue or situation that arises is an opportunity for me to show that even if I’m part of the problem I also have to be part of the solution and this is what Tech Data is all about. The difference in distribution is not about how many mistakes are made, it’s more about what we do to rectify them in a timely and professional manner to keep our customers happy and satisfied which ultimately reflects in more business. I also like Tech Data’s appreciation and recognition of employees’ hard work through different awards and prizes. It really keeps the employees motivated and eager to exceed the expectations and reach higher levels of success in their jobs. Q: What challenges you in your job? Negativity and lack of ownership is very challenging for me. Admitting to a mistake and taking ownership of it is the key to starting the resolution process of the issue. This is one of our core values the people need to embrace more and more and understand that customers as well as management really appreciate how we deal with those issues with a positive attitude and selflessness. This leads to better results at the end and creates a sense of credibility and confidence in the work that we do every day. Q: What has been your most memorable moment since joining Tech Data? One of my most memorable moments since joining Tech Data Canada was being awarded the President’s Club in a special celebration that was attended by our Corporate CEO Bob Dutkowsky. It was a really humbling event and I felt really proud to be part of the company’s success. I was also really touched to be appointed as one of the Ethics Advisors of the Montreal office. Q: Anything else you think we should know about life at Tech Data in Montreal? The Montreal office is very unique in the sense that we’re all part of a family. We have strong personal bonds, really take care of each other, appreciate and support each other. I must say that JP is like our God Father. He is the perfect example of how a manager and a mentor should be. He is really the reason why we are one happy family here and continue to be so. His dedication and love of Tech Data is beyond description. Q: If you feel like sharing something funny or unique about you with us, please do. I actually love singing and am part of the Church Choir. I also like having fun singing at karaoke. I am a Board Member of an association that serves my Coptic Egyptian community in Montreal and the rest of Canada in addition to my service at my local Church. Sometimes people at the office call me Father Fady!

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September/October 2013

To ensure that we have the right products to help you to grow your business in support of your end customer’s product demands, we continue to look to partner with leading vendors in the industry. Digital Signage is everywhere and demand continues to accelerate. Solutions are becoming less complex to implement in many sectors such as retail, hospitality, corporate, transportation and education. To maximize the opportunity in this area, Tech Data is proud to bring you a strategic partner in Sharp Electronics of Canada. This is an exciting partnership as it allows you to have access to Sharp’s Professional LCD Displays, AQUOS BOARD Interactive Displays, AQUOS LED TV’s and IGZO 4K Ultra HD Monitors. Sharp, a well-respected and world-renowned manufacturer with advanced technology products and solutions and who excels at bringing innovative products to market are the first to mass produce 4K Ultra HD monitors utilizing IGZO technology which brings high resolution to the next level. These products are helping to meet the needs of the increased demand for touch and non-touch large format LCD displays in the market. They are more energy efficient, produce higher resolution images and have highly responsive touch technology.

Sharp’s products will further broaden the current Digital Signage product offering at Tech Data and enable you to grow your business with your end customers as well. At this time, only authorized solution providers will have access to a large selection of Sharp Professional LCD Displays in sizes from 42” to 80”, AQUOS BOARD Interactive Displays from 60” to 80”, AQUOS LED TV from 60” through 90” as well as IGZO 4K Ultra HD Monitors. Shortly, some of Sharp’s innovative offering will be available to all Tech Data solution providers. Stay tuned for more. Gabriel Pawchuk, Tech Data’s Digital Signage and Projectors Champion, supports the Sharp line-up of products and is assisting our solution providers to become authorized so that they can benefit from the growing demand for these unique products. For more information about Tech Data’s Digital Signage solutions, please contact Gabriel Pawchuk, Digital Signage Sales Champion at Gabriel.Pawchuk@techdata.ca. A complete listing of Tech Data’s vendor partners is available at www.techdata.ca. Under About Us, select Doing Business With Us to view our complete manufacturer line card.

It won’t be long before a selection of Sharp’s innovative lineup of products will be available to all solution providers across Canada.

September/October 2013

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September/October 2013

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September/October 2013

In this edition of Voice of the Vendor, we sit down with David Allen, Intel’s Director of Distribution and DMR Sales, Canada and Eastern U.S.

Q: What are the responsibilities of your role? I am the Director of Distribution and DMR Sales for Intel® for Canada and Eastern U.S. I have been in this role, or a variation thereof, since 1998. My role is to manage the individuals who call on our Distributors and DMR accounts. I love the job because it allows me to frequently meet customers, to talk about technology and to be involved in figuring out the best way to help our channel win with Intel products. Q: What challenges you? Two things, that are inter-related: • Trying to figure out where technology is going, i.e. new products, new technologies, new business models, new services, etc. The pace of change is dizzying these days, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Trying to stay on top of these developments requires a commitment in time. •

Then trying to determine what the channel play is with all of these advancements, and how our channel programs can enable or assist our partners. Every vendor offers programs to their channel—the challenge is to make sure they are current and relevant, and not relics of yesterday. I love coming back from visiting customers and thinking about what we could do to change a program or an initiative to make it more compelling!

Intel’s Director of Distribution and DMR Sales, Canada and Eastern U.S.

David Allen

Q: Tell us about your greatest achievement. From a business point of view, I am very proud of having been a visible, engaged and consistent face for Intel’s channel in Canada for over 20 years. There has been so much change in the past 2 decades, and I feel that I have risen to the challenge of understanding each new wave, whether it be technology, business model or program, and then pride myself on being able to take that message out to our Canadian channel partners. Q: What do you see as the biggest benefit to partnering with Tech Data? Tech Data is creative, innovative and customer-driven—this allows us to do many things with them to enable our channel. Some examples that we are engaged in right now include: • Tech Data is the only distributor in Canada that has an Advanced Technology Solutions Centre (ATSC) that offers resellers and their customer’s access for training, either on-site or remotely. It really is a oneof-a-kind demonstration and training facility where leading edge IT solutions from their premiere vendors are showcased in fully operational working environments. Intel technology has been showcased in that centre since its opening in 2008.

September/October 2013

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Recently Intel and Tech Data worked together to build a Client Demo Showcase in the ATSC, which will allow the major PC vendors and Intel to bring in their customers for hands-on training on the new generation of devices powered by Intel® Core™ technology and Windows and. Intel will educate customers on the different devices and demonstrate the right fit depending on the customer’s needs, showcasing devices such as Ultrabooks, 2 in 1’s, and the latest Tablets. With the introduction of 4th Generation Intel Core™ Processors, there has never been a better time to upgrade.

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Currently Tech Data is the only Intel Server Platform Distributor (iSPD) in Canada. Tech Data carries over ten weeks of inventory on focus server skus and works closely with server focused resellers, providing pre- and post-sales support from a dedicated technical resource.

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Through a collaborative endeavor between Intel and Tech Data, Tech Data put an eVoucher process in place that offers resellers that are part of Intel’s Technology Partner Program (ITP), Gold and Platinum status, the ability to redeem their points earned under Intel’s Points Program for product purchases exclusively through Tech Data. For details go to http://www.intel.com/go/flexplus/.

Q: What is Intel’s outlook for 2014? The way in which we compute is changing. Tablets and smartphones have changed the user experience (and their expectations) forever, and our industry, collectively needs to recognize that. People expect their technology to adapt to them, not vice-versa, and people expect devices to work seamlessly and easily. They want technology to break down barriers, not replace an old barrier with a new barrier. As we look ahead to 2014 and beyond, Intel sees the importance of these ultra-mobile devices and we are working feverishly to add real value to the smartphone and tablet platforms with Intel-based processors and technology. You will see us continue to move down the power envelope, as evidenced in 4th Generation Core CPUs, thereby enabling whole new experiences with these devices. At the same time, we know that people still “create” on PCs, so you will continue to see us invest time and money in enhancing traditional desktop and notebook form factors, and taking the overall user experience to a whole new level. For example, you will see a plethora of “2 in 1” devices coming to market that will give users the flexibility of a tablet and the productivity of a notebook in a single device! And just as mobility continues to re-define the client experience, the Cloud continues to revise and revamp business models. We see no signs of slowdown in the Data Center space, and you will see many new products and technologies from Intel that will add new benefits and features to this space.