The correlation between the number of partnerships with successful companies and the success of the company itself is often proportional. This is precisely why Vertiv, a global supplier of critical digital infrastructure and business continuity solutions, launched its multiple award-winning Vertiv Partner Program a year ago. Thanks to excellent results, most notably a tenfold increase in the partner base across the EMEA region, Vertiv has announced new enhancements to the partner program, such as an improved edge-ready package, a power distribution unit (rPDU), an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), a cooling unit within server/communication cabinets, dedicated software, and service for partners and customers.
Through the partner program, Vertiv has gained numerous reputable partners with whom it works towards the common goal of building a reliable, energy-efficient network that will ensure the connected world we all strive for. This ambitious project can only be realized through innovation and constant development. One of these partners is the global IT technology distributor Ingram Micro, which employs over 20,000 people and holds a share of nearly 80 percent of the IT market worldwide. Ingram Micro, with its unique position in the technology ecosystem, offers partners access to the latest technologies and business solutions, as well as Cloud services, communication and collaboration tools, and infrastructure and security solutions, along with logistical support and technological expertise. We spoke with Ana Blažinić, the Executive Director of Ingram Micro for Croatia.
The current situation has changed the way companies operate, but it has also transformed everyday life. In your opinion, what will society and business look like after this is over?
There is no doubt that 2020 completely changed the way we work and live. The challenges that suddenly confronted us forced many companies to slow down or even cease operations. Although this situation caught us off guard as well, we successfully organized ourselves and continued to develop the business. We did what we do best, moved the business online. Although there is a sense of lack of human contact, adaptation is the key to success at all times, and now the question is whether we will return to ‘normal’ after the current situation ends. In any case, we are facing challenging and interesting times that allow us to be innovative and work on improving our business and ourselves.
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Have you noticed changes in terms of demand for critical IT infrastructure?
The transition from the usual to remote work requires strong support from IT infrastructure, especially when it happens unexpectedly as it is now. Many companies were not prepared for this because they lacked collaboration solutions or a sufficiently strong and robust infrastructure. Accordingly, they urgently needed to upgrade their critical IT infrastructure, which, of course, led to an increase in demand.
What are your predictions for the upcoming period? Will the IT industry continue this accelerated growth?
Given the uncertainty of the times we are currently in, it is very difficult to assess or predict anything. However, I believe that the IT industry will continue to grow rapidly, as evidenced by the increased number of companies that need our services, as well as the fact that we have adapted quickly and efficiently. We all hope that this period will end as soon as possible, but the fact is that it will stimulate the development of IT infrastructure. Many companies are forced to transform their business and implement digitalization in order to continue operating smoothly and successfully.
What would you recommend to resellers in the IT industry?
As a distributor in the IT sector, I notice significant changes in the software and hardware industry over the past few years. Printed publications and technology reports that used to be the first to bring current news from the IT industry and on the basis of which customers made purchasing decisions are becoming increasingly rare. Now, almost everything happens online. This has somewhat changed the purchasing process, primarily in the way customers obtain information about desired products and solutions. While just a few years ago they were forced to contact suppliers by phone, today they first conduct online research and only then reach out to sales representatives. The traditional sales model no longer yields the desired results as all the cards are now in the hands of customers who are already well-informed. The fact that customers have a range of other channels for information and options for purchasing presents a significant challenge for distributors, whose priority must be to adapt their sales models.
You are one of the most successful IT distributors closely collaborating with global leaders such as Vertiv. How would you describe your partnership with Vertiv? What are the advantages of the partnership?
The partnership with Vertiv fits into Ingram Micro’s strategy, which aims to continuously provide added value to all partners by offering them innovative and comprehensive solutions in the digital transformation process. Alongside our existing strategic IT partners such as VMware, Dell EMC, and Cisco, the partnership with a company of Vertiv’s size and global reach is of great significance to us. Vertiv develops, manufactures, and provides critical technological solutions for data centers, telecommunications operators, and commercial and industrial facilities, and partnering with them will enable us to further strengthen relationships with existing partners and reach new ones.
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