AI Is Rewiring the Channel’s Operating System

AI is no longer a future disruptor, it’s the engine powering today’s IT distribution. That was the message from Dham Pathervellai, Chief Technology Officer at Ingram Micro, in a recent interview with CRN’s inclusive leadership columnist Cass Cooper.

“Today’s world, it is no more a digital transformation, it is about AI transformation,” said Pathervellai, who outlined how Ingram Micro is embedding AI across its global operations to drive speed, scale, and simplicity for solution providers.

The company’s Xvantage platform, built on open architecture, allows partners to integrate without overhauling their systems. “Come as you are,” he said. “We will use AI, we will transform that to our standard, so you don’t have to change your system.”

That flexibility is translating into real-time quoting, automated order processing, and plug-and-play integrations with tools like Salesforce. “What used to take months, now we brought that back into minutes,” Pathervellai noted.

He also introduced IDA, Ingram’s Intelligent Data Assistant, which helps sales teams prioritize leads by analyzing millions of data points. “It is HI plus AI—human intelligence plus artificial intelligence,” he said. “That will be the most powerful thing.”

His advice to IT leaders: “Start with a business problem, not the technology. There is no AI if there is no OI—no operational income.”

Learn more about Ingram Micro’ at www.ingrammicro.com.