5 Companies That Came To Win This Week

The Week Ending Oct. 28

Topping this week's roundup of companies that came to win is Qualcomm for its planned blockbuster acquisition of NXP Semiconductors, a move that accelerates Qualcomm's expansion into the Internet of Things markets.

Also making the list is Dell for its plans, spelled out by executive Marius Haas, to make the combined Dell EMC channel offerings more profitable for partners than any competing program; Hewlett Packard Enterprise's own plans to step up its channel engagement; Trustwave's savvy hire of a channel veteran to be its new channel chief; and distributor D&H's new program offerings for partners that sell Cisco products to SMB customers.

Not everyone in the IT industry was making smart moves this week, of course. For a rundown of companies that were unfortunate, unsuccessful or just didn't make good decisions, check out this week's 5 Companies That Had A Rough Week roundup.

Qualcomm To Acquire NXP Semiconductors In Massive $47B Deal As Company Expands Sales Channel For IoT

Qualcomm this week struck the biggest acquisition deal in the semiconductor industry – and one of the biggest ever in the IT industry – when the company unveiled an agreement to acquire Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors for $47 billion.

NXP's product portfolio includes processors for automotive, security, network and Internet of Things applications. In addition to the technology the acquisition brings to Qualcomm, the company is gaining NXP's extensive customer base and network of distribution channel partners for its own IoT products.

The deal surpasses Avago Technologies' acquisition of Broadcom for $37 billion earlier this year, what until now had been the semiconductor industry's largest acquisition.

Dell Enterprise Solutions President Haas Vows Channel Commitment

In an interview at The Channel Company's Best of Breed conference this week Dell Enterprise Solutions President and Chief Commercial Officer Marius Haas promised to make the combined Dell EMC channel offering more profitable for partners than any competing program.

In the interview with The Channel Company CEO Robert Faletra, Haas said he saw no reason why Dell EMC couldn't double or even triple its channel sales as it competes in a total addressable market of $2.7 billion. "We are very motivated to get this right," Haas said. Currently Dell EMC has more than $40 billion in channel sales.

Haas also reiterated his company's commitment to the deal registration process, saying it's a "fire-able offense" when direct sales reps fail to honor the registration process.

HPE Aims To Drive Channel Sales Share To 90 Percent

Dell wasn't the only company this week vowing to double down on its channel commitments. Speaking at The Channel Company's Best of Breed Conference this week, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Americas Channels Vice President Scott Dunsire said the company aims to increase the percentage of its sales going through the channel from 70 percent to 90 percent.

HPE is in the process of spinning off its $20 billion Enterprise Services division to systems integrator CSC and Dunsire said that means HPE would be relying more on the channel for its go-to-market efforts.

"We are going to need our partners more than ever across all segments: global, commercial, SMB, public sector," Dunsire said. "We are going to need to leverage partners and their services. We built our business on partners. We are not wavering on that. We are only going to grow our business through the channel."

Trustwave Nabs F5's Channel Leader To Mount Partner Offensive In Security

Trustwave scored a personnel coup this week when it hired channel veteran Jim Ritchings to drive the managed security service provider's indirect sales and revamp its partner programs around security services.

Ritchings had been working at application delivery specialist F5 Networks for 15 years, most recently as channel chief and senior vice president of worldwide channels and alliances.

During Ritchings' tenure at F5 that company's revenue spiked from $108 million to nearly $2 billion. Ritchings told CRN that Trustwave is doubling down on its partner initiatives, focusing on better enabling partners, with plans to overhaul the Trustwave Channel Partner Program.

Partners Applaud D&H's New SMB Benefits In Cisco PRO Program

Distributor D&H wins kudos for expanding its Cisco Partner Revenue Opportunities (PRO) program, adding new features that will help SMB-facing solution providers and managed service providers grow sales of Cisco solutions.

D&H added a new PRO Small Business track to its existing program that assists partners through Cisco's Registered, Select and Premier partner tiers. The initiative includes support for Cisco's FindIT Network Discovery Utility, as well as automated marketing campaigns, training and consultation to help solution providers better understand SMB workplace environments.