Tech Data Unveils New Specialized Business Unit Strategy

Tech Data

The distributor has merged some SBUs and broken out others in order to more closely align them with market opportunities, said Elio Levy, Tech Data's senior vice president of marketing.

The CAD business unit was collapsed into Digital Imaging, Levy said, and two SBUs--Storage and Security--were carved out of the High-End Networking unit.

The Information Appliances unit has become Mobile Solutions, and now that Tech Data has a signed a contract with Cingular, VARs can resell all the wireless service provider's products, he said.

The current stable of SBUs now includes Apple Solutions, Security, Components, Storage, Digital Imaging/CAD, Mobile Solutions, Licensing, Supplies and Accessories, and Telephony, the company said.

The SBUs are "an evolving proposition," said Levy, explaining the reason for the changes, which he said will help guide resellers towards market opportunities.

The SBUs, which operate independently, include events such as road shows, seminars and training events, Levy said. For new resellers, or resellers new to a particular technology, the SBUs are a good vehicle for recruitment, training and support, he said.

"We're trying to drive resellers, to educate them, to move more into solutions," Levy said. "The VAR who is just selling product will not survive."