Lenovo And Microsoft: Making Believers Out Of AI Skeptics

AI is making a significant impact on the greater technology market and the channel, but some channel partners are still unsure where these solutions actually fit into their larger business models. Brian Bottalico, the director of Partner Development for Microsoft and Lee Highsmith, Senior Storytelling Technologist for Lenovo spoke with CRNtv’s Jon Alba to discuss how to navigate this exciting time in AI innovation.

Jon: What would you say to partners who may feel a little skeptical about AI or AI PCs?

Lee: I think they should be skeptical and pick their partners very carefully. I mean, for us, our approach to AI kind of centers around what we call the three P's: Personalized, Productive and Protected. And that last one is one of the key concerns we hear and skepticisms we hear. And it reflects our commitment to a structure that really protects the partner, the customers and their end users’ privacy and security.

Then of course there's, ‘What are you doing with it?’ And around that we've really kind of divided into creative tasks, transformative tasks and assistive tasks that we're really trying to generate better experiences, faster and deeper insights and just broader overall productivity.

Brian: And it's a great question, right? In terms of that skeptical nature of fruit, you will, that always exists in any of these models. And I think we're so early still, even though AI has been here for quite some time, especially when you go back and think about the cloud and infrastructure. But when it comes to more of this end-user-oriented AI, there's still a lot to figure out. And I actually think that's the unique part, is that we're in this moment where partners and customers can be very creative with AI and kind of start to define it on their own. So right now, you know, that moment where they're thinking about it, they're not quite sure what to do. I actually think that's a positive thing and it gives us an opportunity as consultants and as value-added partners in this space that we can really lean in with customers to help reframe that and get more creative with how we're thinking.

Jon: Why is right now a critical time for the partner ecosystem to be asking their customers about AI?

Lee: I think a lot of customers aren't sure what they're actually going to do with it and how it impacts their business. And partners can really play a key role in helping integrate these new innovations to create that value. And that's a process that creates deep insight with their customer. They get to know them better. They get to understand what their goals and concerns are, and that just helps achieve a better relationship and, you know, a stickier engagement with their customer that creates long value. So, I think it's a critical time to get in early and kind of get in the head of your customer a bit.

Jon: Where is Microsoft seeing the most demand for AI in PC technology?

Brian: It's really everywhere. And I think that's what's so unique right now about the AI space is that it's going to touch every aspect, or it is already disrupting and touching every aspect of our customers' business. And so, when it comes to why this is a critical time just to build on that, it's about relevancy, right? We as partners want to stay relevant with our customers. We want to stay ahead of their needs. And as we see that pivot now into the PC side of the house, that PC is becoming more and more important as the foundation, right? This is where our customers' end-users' fingertips are touching the technology. And so, we're really going to see Windows and Windows PCs continue to be a major part of an AI strategy for all of our end customers. We're going to continue to see the importance of endpoint technology to really drive end-user experiences, to really bring all of these different AI solutions and AI tool sets to life. And I think it's an important time right now for our channel partners to really think broadly about the definition of AI investments.

Jon: How are Lenovo and Microsoft then coming together to offer solutions that best meet the needs of partners and their customers?

Lee: Our partnership with Microsoft is expansive. We have decades of experience and collaboration in embracing and extending Microsoft innovations and adding from our unique ability to kind of create that hardware layer that gives a user-first experience and realize that broader value. A lot of it is about creating a quieter experience, a more fluid experience, a more productive experience. And then through the lens of that, you go to the broader world that is created by a lot of Microsoft tools.

Brian: When I think about the entirety of this ecosystem, such a unique place for us to be in the partnership with Lenovo is just so strong and so powerful. When we think again, coming back to that statement around the end-user experience is going to be so critical for success with AI tools. That's going to require tight partnerships with our Silicon providers, with our OEM partners to really bring this operating system to life, to bring all of these experiences to life. We're very early in this journey.

I'm incredibly excited about what the next few years are going to play out as when it comes to the co-pilot plus PC category and all the great features and nuance that our partners are going to bring into these quieter experiences. I think that's a great way to state this, that we expect this technology just to be there, to flow so that end users and customers can really experience the value and the power that AI can bring to their business.

For more on the AI innovations featured through Lenovo’s partnerships, visit www.lenovopartnerhub.com.