An Introduction
Our value is to enable our partners to navigate the vendor accreditation process, educate them on the solutions available and assist in the sales process to maximise the opportunity and drive success for both the partner and the vendor.
Within Ingram Micro the Advanced Solutions Division is focused on selling more than just a product. It's all about providing a solution by adding several products together and wrapping it with services to increase the value and profitability of the opportunity. Consider a watermelon. From the market a watermelon is sold pretty cheaply but by slicing it up, creating a juice and adding umbrellas, selling it as a sophisticated drink makes a whole lot more!
1. Explaining the Watermelon Analogy - how does that translate to my Tech business?
The watermelon analogy has a sole purpose, to evolve the way distribution helps partners address customer's challenges through multi-vendor solutions and services. Ingram Micro Advanced Solutions has the means to offer channel partners the full lifecycle - all the technology and services needed that a partner can leverage directly and easily to generate interest, define project scope and budget. Channels partners will be able to deliver a complete solution wrap around service to ensure end users get the technology they want but maximise their investment by ensuring its set up based on their needs and requirements. Additionally, Ingram Micro will provide services such as IT Asset disposal and Managed Services so partners can offer true end-to-end solutions across many areas of technology. So, the Watermelon is vendor solutions and the rest of the cocktail ingredients are the additional technologies and services to make a complete solution.
2. What sets Ingram Micro Advanced Solutions apart?
What set's Ingram Micro apart is out ability to enable partners across a vast portfolio of vendor technologies ranging from enterprise solutions through to specialist, commercial and Cloud solutions. With the addition of our partner services offerings leveraging around 200 engineers with services ranging from business consultancy, technology assessments, design, buying back and disposal, implementation and managed services. Ingram Micro are the only distributor offering the full lifecycle and at such a large scale. Channel partners only need to communicate with one team, Ingram Micro Advanced Solutions.
3. What does the future of Ingram Micro Advanced Solutions look like?
Ingram Micro Advanced Solutions is split under three business units - Data Centre and Networking, Cyber Security and Unified Collaboration and Communications. Ingram Micro will maintain a vendor focus and alignment within these structures, however, these will allow and enable better alignment to partner requirements with a clear emphasis on the full value proposition to partners and vendors. Looking ahead into 2018 Ingram Micro would like to expand and grow its existing vendor portfolio as well as focus on driving net new partner and end user acquisitions. Additionally, Ingram Micro will take a step further and begin to align those business units under key technology areas; loT, Mobile Working, Security, Al, Gaming, Cloud, Compliance and more. This directly maps end-user customer triggers which drive requirements and challenges. For example GDPR, digital transformation and modernisation. Next steps would be to align services throughout the engagement stages to support partners where required. Ingram Micro have some interesting technology solutions and campaigns coming to surface to the channel soon. They will not only help channel partners drive incremental business in existing and new clients but enable better stickiness which improves margins.