In December of 2007, the possibility of Dell inking deals with big, two-tier distributors seemed like a pie-in-the-sky idea. Ingram Micro CEO, Greg Spierkel, said at the time that he'd be surprised if Dell did anything with distribution in North America.
Greg Davis (pictured left), then Dell's North American channel chief and current global channel chief, said he wouldn't be doing his job if he wasn't talking about the possibility of taking the company through distributors, but indicated the channel shouldn't hold its breath.
"It's just a matter of prioritizing. I've got my hands full doing what we're doing now. But we're very open to talking about it in the future," Davis said.
That future Davis referred to is here -- and it only took the Round Rock, Texas-based computer manufacturer 15 months after launching its partner program to get there. But most solution providers would say the move to distribution was 25 years in the making.
