Talking Up Security, Managed Services

Frank Mogavero, chairman of solution provider Data Systems Worldwide, Woodland Hills, Calif., said his data center-based managed services business and security solutions are the foundation for the future. “You are able to control a lot of what is done, assess the next steps that need to be taken and help with policies and requirements for new hardware,” Mogavero said.

Dan Schwab, vice president of marketing at Harrisburg, Pa.-based D&H Distributing, also said security is key. “There is a great need for defensive technologies like protecting credit card information, backup redundancy and storage,” he said.

Managed services will drive higher margins and tighter ties, said Frank Vitagliano, vice president of worldwide distribution channels, Global Business Partners, at IBM, Armonk, N.Y. “Once a solution provider owns that customer through the managed service they deliver, they have an incumbency view of future requirements, whether it is to supply more hardware or applications,” he said.

Tom LaRocca, vice president of Hewlett-Packard&s Americas Partner Development and Solution Partners Organization, Palo Alto, Calif., said, “I see partners developing specific verticalizations around inflection points like Sarbanes-Oxley. There is a lot of value that partners can bring to customers to solve problems.”

The massive amount of data in the home and business will create opportunity, said Steve Dallman, director of Americas distribution and channel marketing at Intel, Santa Clara, Calif. “The PC or the ability to digitize, handle and share and drive that content is going to be one of the key drivers,” he said.

Tony Ragio, CEO of India-based SIS, said he wants to team U.S. engineers with local partners delivering managed services and security solutions. “We rely greatly on regional providers to give us that local touch.”