Ingram Micro Goes Mobile For VARs

The Santa Ana, Calif.-based distributor said Monday it has formed relationships with wireless carriers like Verizon Wireless, Sprint/Nextel and Cingular as well as with device manufacturers and ISVs including Palm, Nokia, Motorola, Research in Motion (RIM) and Good Technology to help VARs overcome the hurdles in offering mobile wireless solutions.

"Our customers are IT resellers, selling software, the networks, the desktops -- making living from products and services in information technology. Mobile devices are more and more becoming part of the IT provider's responsibility, whereas in the past that fell on whatever group handled the phones and telecommunications," said Ken Bast, vice president of vendor management for mobility, security and networking at Ingram Micro U.S.

"We're going to take our resellers into the adjacencies that are going to help them make money, and mobility is one of those adjacencies. You've got to bring it focused. It's not just as simple as a hardware solution, rolling it out, deploying it and it's as easy as that," Bast said.

The distributor will offer sales and technical training to solution providers in person and online, as well as back-office support and device activation. Solution providers also will have access to Ingram Micro's network of marketing and sales support.

Activation and dealing with carriers have been pain points for VARs, Bast said, and Ingram Micro is offering support and instruction on how to incorporate wireless mobile devices into their product portfolios.

"IT resellers have kind of steered away from this because it's the world of the carriers. It's commission-based. It's a little trickier business, and they basically just steered away from it. Our goal here is to make it easier for them to be part of it," he said. "We engage with the carrier. We go through all of the headaches for activations like turning on 200 phones for an enterprise."

Dan Putnam, vice president of sales at Zumasys, a mobility-focused solution provider in Lake Forest, Calif., said he thinks the new Ingram Micro division will benefit solution providers that are already in the mobile space and those looking to enter it.

"It's exciting because I think our partnership with Ingram is going to grow better, and I think it will help a lot of others who aren't already so mobility-prone start to drink the Kool-Aid," he said. "It's a fantastic start. I'm a big fan of what Ingram Micro has done and how they support the reseller partners."