Ecosystems, technological talent and accompaniment. The round table that served to officially present the 2023 Partner Guide revolved around these three concepts. In it, both manufacturers and wholesalers and partners They have chatted about the present and future of the technological distribution channel. A future where there are many opportunities, but also challenges ahead.
The following spokespersons participated in the 2023 Partner Guide round table:
- Miguel del Moral, channel director of Vertiv
- Javier García Garzón, HP channel director
- Joaquín Murcia, channel manager for Zucchetti Spain
- Juan José Moneo, Managing Director of Bechtle
- Felix Pastor, ASUS Business Sales Manager
- Juan García, Regional Sales Director of DocuWare
- Francisco Javier Jiménez Rivera, Global Partner Development Manager at Sage
- José María Díaz-Zorita, Director of V-Valley
- José Luis Montes, Managing Partner of IT Sales Institute
A sector in continuous transformation
Technological sales have changed radically, much more so as a result of the digitization explosion of the pandemic. From the classic reseller, it has come to highlight the advisory work as the main value of the partners. “It is essential that the channel be consultative”explained Juan García, from DocuWare, while José María Díaz-Zorita, from V-Valley highlighted that “the channel needs the help of all of us at this table and others because it is not only a change in technology, but in mentality”. A fact that has motivated many other changes.
However, Juan José Moneo of Bechtle believed that “The movement of boxes has not died, but has a low profitability that you have to know how to manage and compensate with consulting.”
«The leap has been impressive in the entire business fabric, especially in medium and large accounts as well as in administration. Now there is a great opportunity in those SMEs with less than 10 employees»pointed out Javier García Garzón, from HP.
And it is that with legislation and public programs in hand, adoption is increasing: “The laws are forcing processes to be digitized and it is making the drive easier”, qualified Joaquín Murcia, from Zucchetti Spain. An impulse that is not always easy to put into practice. To the fore came the Digital Kit program and the inconveniences that partners have encountered to materialize these aids among their clients.
As Francisco Javier Jiménez Rivera, from Sage, underlined, “Digitizing is not buying software or equipment, it is digitizing the entire process of a company. And for that, we need the channel».
“We are normalizing that the rules of the game change at all times”announced Miguel del Moral, from Vertiv. And it is that recent years have shown the resilience of the technology sector and, of course, of the distribution channel in the face of all the circumstances experienced.
“We are some privileged because we have a brutal capacity for change and few sectors are prepared for as many transformations as ours», wielded José María Díaz-Zorita, from V-Valley. So much so that “Some managers have left the sector because of their ability to work in the face of adversity”explained Javier García Garzón, from HP.
Talent, training and financing, great challenges
However, this rapid evolution is not without problems. And one that does not fail in any technological forum is that of the technological talent. The lack of professionals was also a star issue at the round table that undoubtedly affects manufacturers, wholesalers and partners.
“The lack of IT talent makes it difficult to take technology further”pointed out José María Díaz-Zorita, from V-Valley.»There is investment, the barriers to entry have dropped with leasing and other models and there is political and legal pressure to go digital, but the weak link is that there is a lack of talent because without that talent you cannot work»added José Luis Montes, from IT Sales Institute.
On this subject, Joaquín Murcia, from Zucchetti Spain proposed «to bring the real technologies closer to the universities so that the period of incorporation can be reduced». A point of view shared with other spokespersons who elevated their responsibility and ensured the need for “Give technical courses by manufacturers in areas such as professional training”declared Miguel del Moral, from Vertiv.
This gap between demand and professionals is not the only obstacle partners encounter. «It is necessary that they are trained and understand how the business works, for example, cloud; the first years are of investment and then they will be of profitability»explained Juan García, from DocuWare.
And it is that the challenge of certification and specialization It was another of the most mentioned topics. “ANDIt is necessary to focus on certification to stand out», assured Miguel del Moral, from Vertiv. For his part, “It is our commitment to help you with training”detailed Félix Pastor, from ASUS. As José Luis Montes, from the IT Sales Institute, summarized: «specialization helps to be closer to the needs of customers».
The collaboration It was one of the weapons that manufacturers and wholesalers are promoting the most. As Miguel del Moral, from Vertiv, pointed out: “We talk more and more about ecosystems.” Proof of this are the initiatives that are being carried out to centralize the specialization of different partner profiles.
However, “There are partners who are still afraid to collaborate”added Francisco Javier Jiménez, from Sage.
other threats to which Juan José Moneo de Bechtle referred are «the rise in interest rates, stock management or inflation that directly affects the least profitable businesses. What the partner is going to need is financing, in capital letters ». Javier García Garzón, from HP corroborated it: “We must help partners find financial solutions to navigate the new models.”
Next one gallery with images of the round table of the Partner Guide 2023.
We also invite you to download the 2023 Partner Guide itself.
