Distributors Push 'Solutions Building'
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\ • \ While AOpen viewed its slick-looking miniPC as a consumer product, system builders had other ideas, snapping up inventory for a variety of commercial niches. \ \ • \ Intel prepares to fire back at AMD with its dual-core server platform in what is shaping up to be a bloody battle for market share. \ \ • \ AMD's Henri Richard talks with CRN Editor Heather Clancy about the company's priorities and channel plans. \ \ • \ SAS drives are ready to go, but now system builders have to prime the market. \ \ • \ Distributors say system builders need to become solution builders, and they want to help. \ \ • \ Custom systems are under pressure, but easing component shortages could help, CRN polling indicates. |
Broad-line distributors have helped resellers complete their offerings with more software and services. Now they want to do the same with system builders.
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Distribution executives say system builders have to evolve and focus less on hardware and more on complementary storage, software and services.
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“In many cases, that involves moving toward new value capabilities, more than just being a PC desktop builder, becoming a true solutions builder,” said Bob O’Malley, senior vice president of U.S. marketing at Tech Data, Clearwater, Fla.
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About half of Tech Data’s system builders are looking to add more value, and the remainder needs to do the same, O’Malley said. “Fifty percent are looking to enrich their offering. They’re looking to make more money attaching more things: financing, application software, desktop management services,” he said.
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The number of Tech Data’s system builder customers has decreased to 12,000 from about 23,000 a few years ago because there are too many companies doing the same thing without adding value, said George Krouskos, the distributor’s senior manager of components solutions marketing. “We’re not losing unit count or share; it’s fewer people doing more of it,” he said.
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One way that Tech Data and other distributors are helping system builders evolve is by introducing them to ISVs and other vendors to build more complete solutions. “The [ISV] potential we’re just starting to tap,” O’Malley said. “We have to be in the verticals. That’s the place for those relationships to be incubated. There are hundreds of thousands of ISVs and very few know how to leverage distribution.”
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Along those lines, Synnex established a solutions division with five pillars: enterprise; telephony and converged solutions; AIDC/POS and security; document and content management; and commercial and graphics printing. As part of the effort, Synnex created a solutions marketing organization and an ISV and vendor recruitment group.
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“We’re seeing demand from the marketplace for turnkey solutions that are ready for implementation in the marketplace,” said John Paget, COO and president of the North America region at Fremont, Calif.-based Synnex. “You’ll see us be a player in true content document management offerings. It’s truly an integrated solution aimed at some specific market segment, such as legal and health care. On the vertical side, ISVs will be the glue. ISVs create the application that pulls together the product sets to create a solution.”
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Ingram Micro recently announced the formation of a System ArchiTECHS community aimed at replicating its VentureTech Network by providing system builders with partnering possibilities as well as new vendors and solutions-building opportunities, said Doug Crandall, director of U.S. components sales at the Santa Ana, Calif.-based distributor.
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“We noticed that a lot of system builders are still focused on building as opposed to those focused on specific verticals who have found a niche demand and a premium for their solution,” Crandall said. “That’s where we see the future of system building. It’s not building a desktop or notebook against Dell.”
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Ingram Micro plans to invite up to 700 system builders to join System ArchiTECHS, said Mike Beyersdoerfer, director of vendor management for Ingram Micro’s components business unit.
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“We are working our database [of system builders] and going to our vendors to see what verticals they want to target. Then we can create very specific marketing and training toward system builders that are after that niche,” Beyersdoerfer said.
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“We’ve always had this data, but we were not utilizing it and bringing it to vendors. Our [system builder] community was fragmented, and our messaging was fragmented.”
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System builders said the distributors’ efforts to help them evolve their business models from targeting vertical markets to partnering with other system builders is a welcome trend.
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“What I see as a benefit to PC builders is the knowledge-sharing part,” said Dana Chang, vice president of technology at Microtech Computers, Lawrence, Kan. “We validate each other by building alliance partnerships. It’s not just validating us, but every one of us. We are better able to provide clients with greater expertise and help evaluate our clients’ needs.”
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While AOpen viewed its slick-looking miniPC as a consumer product, system builders had other ideas, snapping up inventory for a variety of commercial niches.
\
\
•
\
Intel prepares to fire back at AMD with its dual-core server platform in what is shaping up to be a bloody battle for market share.
\
\
•
\
AMD's Henri Richard talks with
CRN
Editor Heather Clancy about the company's priorities and channel plans.
\
\
•
\
SAS drives are ready to go, but now system builders have to prime the market.
\
\
•
\
Distributors say system builders need to become solution builders, and they want to help.
\
\
•
\
Custom systems are under pressure, but easing component shortages could help,
CRN
polling indicates.
\
•
\
While AOpen viewed its slick-looking miniPC as a consumer product, system builders had other ideas, snapping up inventory for a variety of commercial niches.
\
\
•
\
Intel prepares to fire back at AMD with its dual-core server platform in what is shaping up to be a bloody battle for market share.
\
\
•
\
AMD's Henri Richard talks with
CRN
Editor Heather Clancy about the company's priorities and channel plans.
\
\
•
\
SAS drives are ready to go, but now system builders have to prime the market.
\
\
•
\
Distributors say system builders need to become solution builders, and they want to help.
\
\
•
\
Custom systems are under pressure, but easing component shortages could help,
CRN
polling indicates.