< PreviousPARTNERS FACE A BIG CHALLENGE IN GENERATING NEW CUSTOMER PIPELINE OPPORTUNITY FOR PARTNERS TO INVEST IN SOFTWARE-LED AND MAKE THE MOVE TO DIGITAL Mario M. Veljovic, general man- ager, VAD Technologies Sakkeer Hussain, director - sales & marketing, D-Link MEA Customers’ cloud acceptance and adoption – or cloudification, as we like to call it at VAD – and digital transformation are gaining massive momentum. Every customer has now understood the importance of a reliable contingency plan and how technology is playing a pivotal role. Consequently, the future of the ICT channel looks very positive if their product and services portfolio is upgraded to address the demands of today’s customer’s. Now, we need to work harder and smarter to reach out to our ecosystem, whether it is to partners or sustomers. Channel is all about relationship, and that’s what we need to focus on. It is your existing relationships and the job well done in the past in terms of your relationship with your ecosystem that will get you successfully through these times and probably let you emerge even stronger. Today, ensuring judicious cash management is even more critical for partners. Channel partners must not only make the transition to digital offerings but they should also digitise their internal operations. They need to adapt to the latest technologies and keep customers at the centre of their business strategies. They could also take the time to think about how they can future-proof their businesses. Defining and laying out business continuit y plans is key to ensuring the least impact on customers. A partner organisation that is agile and quick to adapt to evolving economic conditions and consumer demands will emerge successful after any crisis . PARTNERS MUST ADAPT THEIR STRATEGIES TO MAINTAIN PROF- ITABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY Maya Zakhour, channel sales direc- tor MEA, Italy & Spain, NetApp Businesses will adapt to the ‘new normal’; we are now witnessing this pattern as lockdown restrictions are gradually lifted. While the impact of the pandemic will remain for the foreseeable future, we believe businesses will get back on their feet. We aim to change the world with data, and have a strong solutions portfolio and a robust strategy that helps us future-proof our product development. Our partners have access to our Data Fabric to help customers accelerate their digital transformation strategy. Partners can continuously benefit from assisting customers in adopting this strategy to deal with the future. (20) CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.comCHANNEL PARTNERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO LEVERAGE CUS- TOMER RELATIONS WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT OUR PARTNERS WILL EMERGE STRONGER CUSTOMERS ARE LOOKING TO DRIVE MORE DIGITAL-FIRST REVENUE STREAMS Emile Abou Saleh, regional di- rector MEA, Proofpoint Nirmal Kumar Manoharan, re- gional sales director, ManageEngine Paul Flannery, vice president, channel sales, international region, Epicor Software Channel partners need to ensure that organisations can strengthen their cloud- based architecture and people-centric security platform, enabling customers to better protect their people, and the applications and data they access beyond the traditional perimeter. Channel partners must look at best ways to thrive in the market by driving meaningful customer relationships underpinned by an agile and proactive approach that makes them a ‘trusted partner’, rather than an advisor only. It is key that channel partners make security awareness training a part of their cybersecurity strategies to stop increasingly specialised cyberattacks. It is not yet clear how long this crisis will persist. Right now, our primary concern is not just for our employees and customers. Partners drive our business model in the region, so we are also concerned about our partners’ business. We are continuously providing all the needed support to help them continue to deliver adequate and uninterrupted customer service. Despite the hardship, our partners have come out without any serious financial impact for themselves, which is very important to continue serving our customers. Things have already started looking better, and we are confident that our partners will emerge stronger. Covid-19 has accelerated digital transfor- mation initiatives for just about every business. But at the same time, given tight budgets, these organisations are having to justify any technology invest- ment. Their focus is on solutions that automate and streamline processes, drive digital sales channels and improve remote working employee productivity. As a consequence, these organisations are looking for channel players that can serve as true business partners, rather than box-pushers or pure resellers. The partners that will excel in this environ- ment are those that continue to focus on a consultative/value-selling approach, lead with the cloud/subscription-based models, and can work with a select group of vendors to develop and rapidly deploy solution packages that will meet the unique business and technical require- ments of the customer. (21) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020CUSTOMERS ARE PRIORITISING RISK MITIGATION, RESILIENCE AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY CLOSE ALIGNMENT WITH BUSI- NESS PARTNERS IS CRITICAL Kahina Anseur, channel & alli- ance manager MEA, ServiceNow Vlad Postelnicu, director alli- ances & strategic partnerships, Software AG The biggest priorities for customers right now are risk mitigation, resilience and operational efficiency. Partners that want to thrive would be well-served to work closely with a select few vendors, with best-of-breed technology, to innovate and build use cases — all while demonstrating tangible and measurable business outcomes — that can help organisations navigate these challenging times. The way people work is changing and the way that companies engage customers is driving a new era of employee and customer experiences. Right now, the most urgent issue for businesses across the globe is around safely returning employees to the workplace. This presents a tremendous opportunity for our partners. By harnessing the power of the Now Platform and our latest applications, they can demonstrate true value to customers. Given the current times and a volatile market condition, the channel is encouraged to work with customers not only for their long-term objectives but more for the shorter and medium-terms ones. The mandate is clear — to imple- ment solutions that fit well within evolv- ing customer business plans vs solu- tions that the customer may or may not require and are ‘good to have’ or merely trending. Another vital practice is hold- ing off complex projects in the interim and implementing those where the out- comes are witnessed and measured in much shorter time frames, even weeks, rather than longer ones. This is true, especially given the current times where business processes and models have to adapt to revised patterns to suit the immediate requirements. THERE IS AMPLE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CHANNEL TO BE PROF- ITABLE Sandrine El Khodry, vice president MEA, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise During Covid-19, we are ready with our partners to provide efficient end- to-end digital solutions to allow our customers to operate remotely during this crisis. We have been able to acquire some prospects in the form of new customers that are a part of our partners’ efforts to grow their business as well. Thanks to our Business Continuity program, which we launched dedicated to Covid-19, we have supported our partners in launching several webinars and training to promote A LE business continuity solution program which has helped our channel to be able to acquire new prospects. (22) CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.comSUDDENLY STRAINED OPERA- TIONS MEAN THAT CERTAIN IT PROJECTS ARE BEING DEPRI- CHANNEL PARTNERS MUST KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON CASH FLOW AND FIND CREATIVE WAYS TO FUND DEMAND FOR SPECIALISED CHANNEL PARTNERS HAS INCREASED Hozefa Saylawala, Middle East director, Zebra Technologies Anand Choudha, CEO at Spectrami Mohamed Abdallah, regional director META, SonicWall We always work very closely with our partners, and have transformed physical events and meetings into a virtual format to stay connected with the market and support our partners and customers. The pandemic may have disrupted businesses and the lives of people around the world, but it has also presented an opportunity for us to learn how to manage a similar situation in the future better. Business continuity plans have led to split-team work arrangements which stress out the workforce of essential businesses like supermarkets and essential daily stores, prompting them to find ways to help their front-liners achieve higher productivity and efficiency. Opportunities will remain, but the nature of these opportunities will change as customers will focus on “must-have” solutions rather than “good to have” technologies. This means that those who adapt their product portfolio and service offering continuously will thrive. Channel partners will have to find creative ways to do more business and serve customers, and at the same time, save costs and overcome travel challenges while they persist. One example would be to use solutions like Hive Pro to automate and speed up PoCs as well as deployments. They should ensure that their teams continuously upgrade their skills. The key to business growth would be to closely monitor trends in customer buying patterns and adapt their offerings accordingly. There is an explosion of exposure points and escalated risk for every organisation, made all the more urgent by the new business normal of 100 % remote workforce. Partners need to look out for an integrated end-to-end platform of security, management and secure access products, solutions and services. This will allow them to help organisations run their business and protect their employees and data any- time, anywhere, across a range of attack vectors, including networks, email, mobile, cloud, SaaS apps, end- points, IoT devices and Wi-Fi. To add value to their services, channel part- ners should be talking to customers regularly to help them overcome their challenges. It will uncover emerging opportunities as more firms start to re- engineer their architectures for a future that will include higher levels of remote working. (23) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020CUSTOMER SERVICE IS BEING REDEFINED IN THE CHANNEL Andrea Carter, regional director, marketing NEMEA, Sophos Following the continued spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) across the globe, we have reassured our customers and partners that our ability to protect them is uncompromised. All depart- ments, including threat intel- ligence, protection and response from SophosLabs, Managed Threat Response, and Global Support Services, are operating as usual to pro- vide 24×7 detection, protec- tion and technical support. The working environment has changed beyond recogni- tion, and organisations every- where are supporting a newly remote workforce while remaining operational, pro- ductive and secure. For chan- nel businesses, customer ser- vice and support are being redefined as they look to help their clients navigate this new landscape. PARTNERS CAN COUNT ON US TO HELP THEM THROUGH THIS CRISIS Philip Cherian, re- gional channel direc- tor, MEAI at Credence Security If the crisis persists, from a security standpoint, I would advise partners to look into building managed service capabilities and seek out solutions that would fit this value proposition — specifically around encryption, cloud security and malware hunting solutions as a service, DLP and PA M. ONLINE TRAINING AND CERTIFICATIONS WILL HELP PARTNERS Husni Hammoud, managing director, ESET Middle East The role and importance of cybersecurity will remain the same, whether the crisis persists or escalates. As the world settles with the new normal, the channel also needs to evolve with technology. They must invest in resources to ensure that they can add value and stay a viable option for customers.Partners who are well equipped to manage the new normal will gain the most. Online training and certification will help partners serve their customers better. PARTNERS’ EXPERTISE IS CRITICAL IN HELPING CUSTOMERS Zacky Vaz, senior re- gional channel & dis- tribution manager ME & Pakistan, Fortinet Implementing a business continuity plan is essential to ensuring that organisations are capable of maintaining operations in the face of adversity and preparing for potential disasters. The ability to support employees working remotely is vital to ensuring both business continuity and security. For Fortinet customers, their existing technology deployment already contains this functionality. FortiGate NGFWs have integrated support for IPsec VPNs, enabling secure connectivity for employees working from alternate work sites. (24) CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.comBusiness success and longevity is often built on a foundation of trust and strong partner relationships. During the ‘new now’ that all busi- nesses currently find themselves operat- ing in, it is more important than ever for technology vendors to empower their channel partners so they can cement their role as ‘trusted advisors’. Partnerships between company and reseller, and reseller and customer, need to be based on a good understanding of business pain points and goals, as all organisations look to survive and thrive at this current time. It might sound simple, but in order for partners to achieve business growth, ven- dors should make sure they are ready and aware of how to address all market oppor- tunities. This means focusing on how to— not only create demand for a product or service—but how to then manage this demand. It is the responsibility of the technology vendor to ensure partners are equipped with the right skillsets and are able to understand customer problems— as well as how to address them on time and within budget. For partners to fulfil their advisory role, vendors need to equip them with the necessary tools and oppor- tunities for success. REALISTIC AND RELEVANT A key part of any successful partner pro- gram has to be staying relevant in the cur- rent market. Only then can partners help their customers address immediate and future industry and technology trends— which is crucial as business models con- tinue to evolve. As such, brands need to ensure their partners can access, and take advantage of, emerging areas of innova- tion, and add real value to customers by offering additional services, including analytics tools. Paul Flannery, vice president, channel sales, International region at Epicor Software. To build a partner program that works—and continues to work, through both market and technological change—vendors should consider how they can create further opportunity for their partners. After all, partners won’t be in the program for a one-off deal— they need to develop a business which is focussed on value creation and sus- tainability. Any partner program or agreement must therefore support part- ners to add more value beyond the prod- ucts they are offering, to give customers a better experience and encourage brand stickiness. This will help part- ners unlock reoccurring revenue streams and ensure vendors can build long-term relationships. REALISING CLOUD ROI Whilst sometimes seen as a threat to traditional product or on-premise sales, cloud offerings can act as an equalis- er—presenting an opportunity for busi- nesses to access new innovations and technologies at a different price point. Cloud continues to be one of the fast growing areas for IT spend within the manufacturing industry, but at the same time it is also important to recognise that technology partners will be at dif- ferent stages of cloud adoption. An effective partnership needs to address this and understand that, for partners to make the move to cloud, there are dif- ferent business challenges that need to be overcome. Vendors should be aware of these challenges and prioritise resolving these so that partners can move in line with the direction the market is heading. To do so, they should create solid, annuity- based revenue streams, that reward partners for continued margins and cus- tomer retention. This will help support business growth and predictability. If approached in the right way, part- ners will be able to add products to their portfolio in key areas of integra- tion and security, that they wouldn’t have been able to 10 years ago. This will provide additional value-added ser- vices to their customers and encourage brand loyalty. SHARED VISION AND VALUES In addition to product and service sup- port, a strong cultural fit between ven- dor and reseller is essential to facilitate easy and open communication and col- laboration across the channel, for fur- ther success. Software companies should be working closely with partners through joint planning sessions, ensur- ing they have a shared vision and finan- cial model that works for both parties. Ultimately, vendors should be empow- ering their channel partners to thrive and represent them in the best way pos- sible. As an extension of the brand, it is in the best interests to provide partners with the correct tools for success—no matter how customer needs might evolve and change. EMPOWERING PARTNERS FOR SUCCESS By: Paul Flannery, vice president, channel sales, International region at Epicor Software (25) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020Channel Middle East, in association with Microsoft, discusses the importance of remote meeting tools and software in facilitating collaboration within the distributed workforce The digital workplace relies on col- laboration tools to ensure produc- tivity and mitigate business dis- ruption. During the past decade, interactive technologies have become an integral part of the multi-faceted work- place, making it more flexible, productive and user-friendly. The proper use of technology can empower employers to boost workplace productivity, foster teamwork and improve communication. At the same time, merely deploying new technolo- gies does not necessarily lead to mea- surable returns on investment. It may, instead, hinder performance as employ- ees switch between various applications for content creation, messaging, calling and meetings. For brainstorming sessions, check-ins and in-depth discussion, team members usually want to connect face-to-face. Often precious hours are lost due to long meetings in the office that are not conducive to productivity. Additionally, unavailability of team members at the same time may delay discussions and subsequent action. Virtual meetings offer a much-needed solution and are beneficial to both by Sarah Rizvi CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.com (26)employers and their staff. Besides being cost-effective, they offer the required flexibility and accessibility without com- promising on productivity and output. Real-time collaboration can help users seamlessly integrate and connect a vari- ety of devices and conference rooms while sharing data, dashboards and visu- al aids during the meeting. Conducting a remote meeting that is housed online, rather than at the office means that par- ticipants can connect regardless of the software they use or their location. It behoves upon the organisation’s decision-makers to ensure that such tools can provide an enhanced and secure user experience that culminates into substan- tial financial and agility benefits. INTELLIGENT INTER ACTION Increase in demand for flexibility in the workplace has accelerated the adop- tion of next-gen collaboration strategy. es are very manageable with the right online meeting software. The first step is to understand the meaning of best-in-class collaboration. With remote work gaining momentum globally, organisations have started investing in comprehensive virtual net- working and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, which enables unlimit- ed chat and search, video calling, team and personal file storage and real-time collaboration on one platform. Security within the virtual meeting room is paramount. The growing popu- larity of remote collaboration has attract- ed bad actors that take advantage of new and untrained users. This can be a night- mare for corporate security and individu- al privacy alike. It is necessary to make security a pri- ority in virtual meeting rooms to keep discussions private and safe from intrud- ers. The good news is that many video- conferencing products include security settings that can prevent such incidents. A WELL-ROUNDED SOLUTION There are many different aspects to achieve truly intelligent interaction with- in the collaborative and distributed work- place. To facilitate better communication and collaboration within the remote teams, it is imperative to invest in a con- ferencing tool that is intuitive and mini- mises distractions, records sessions and enables real-time interaction, and sports robust security features. As teams become more reliant on vir- tual meeting and collaboration tools, business heads must enable reliable, secure and consistent experiences in the borderless office. It is equally vital for the users to understand that the digital assis- tants and advanced technologies intro- duced in the workflow are meant to empower users and not to replace them. Finally, business leaders need to evalu- ate the capabilities of their existing plat- forms, available upgrades and new ser- vices or functionalities available with advances in technology. Equipped with this knowledge, they can actively plan how such developments can be utilised to reduce costs, improve revenue and gain process efficiencies. For the distributed workforce, virtual meetings are both a necessity and a con- venience. Intelligent meeting rooms with virtual assistants can help create a smart digital workforce that is faster, more effi- cient and productive. By selecting the right communication tool, teams can improve how they collaborate. The market is flooded with virtual meeting apps that fulfil every day profes- sional demands. Besides saving on travel costs, the virtual room itself allows for easy collaboration beyond geographical boundaries, in a timely and cost-effective manner. Clearly, users need a platform that is interactive, engaging and produc- tive – one that is easily accessible and includes document and screen-sharing capabilities. Several meeting platforms available today include functionalities that auto- mate repetitive tasks, ensure privacy and engage virtual assistants or chatbots to enhance user experience. Further, ven- dors have integrated technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning within collaboration tools to offer services that enable greater effi- ciency and productivity, and in turn, a positive return on investment. However, virtual conferencing may pose challenges that can offset any poten- tial gains. Friction arising from these tools, such as coordinating between dif- ferent time zones, internet speed issues and managing participants’ distractions, can make it challenging to stay produc- tive. The upside is that such disadvantag- (27) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020(28) CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 www.channelmiddleeast.com // PC GAMING by Sarah Rizvi Acer’s robust portfolio for gamers parallels the strong growth of the PC gaming industry in the Middle East and Africa region SPECIAL REPORT: THE FLOURISHING PC GAMING MARKET(29) www.channelmiddleeast.com CHANNEL MIDDLE EAST_JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020 PC GAMING // Planet9, and partnerships with gaming titles such as Rainbow Six Seige. There are discussions around a potential e-sports gaming event as well. Collins explained that Acer’s eSports Planet9 is an open community platform that allows gamers to build their team, train for excellence and battle for victo- ry. “Planet9 will allow gamers to find teammates with similar skill levels and goals and in turn, improve their game by offering performance feedback. The platform is designed to allow all players to make data-backed decisions about how they can improve, what weak areas they should try to cover and what strengths they should capitalise upon.” “We remain committed to our retail partners as a great way to experience our products before purchasing. However, we are seeing stong demand from online sales and have responded to that. We will continue to work with key influencers and gamers to allow maximum exposure and educate on product differentiation, to our users,” concluded Collins. popular choices,” Collins explained. The company has recently refreshed its PC gaming lineup with new gaming lap- tops, desktops and monitors. Its Predator Helios and Triton gaming laptops come with support for 10th Gen Intel Core pro- cessors and Nvidia’s RTX 2070 and 2080 Super Max-Q graphics chips. Acer’s portfolio for the PC gaming community is not just limited to PCs. The vendor also offers a large portfolio of gaming monitors that are well-suited for gaming enthusiasts around the world. In addition to the recently announced updates to Acer’s Predator Helios, Predator Triton and Nitro gaming note- books, the vendor has also expanded Predator gaming portfolio with desktops, monitors and accessories. The Predator X25 gaming monitor boasts an incredibly fast 360 Hz refresh rate, supporting the smoothest possible animation and game- play. Also, Predator XB3 gaming moni- tors deliver lifelike visuals for smooth gaming with a speedy 0.5 ms (G to G) response time, NVIDIA G-SYNC compat- ibility and DisplayHDR 400. “Acer has continually driven the mar- ket in the past with unique products such as the Thronos gaming pod and the Predator 21X curved 21” laptop. We will continue to lead with our visionary prod- ucts, and also look at ways in investing in the local community,” said Collins. Commenting on the reasons for Acer’s success with its gaming portfolio in the Middle East, Collins added: “Gaming has become more mainstream as economies of scale have made the products more affordable. Other factors include casual gamers who use one machine to work by day and game at night, and even some users who will buy gaming units and never register a game. This is generally people looking for a workstation replace- ment. As for pure gaming, we see an ever-growing demand for faster through- put meaning, latest chipsets, SSD and of course improved graphics and refresh rates for better viewing.” BUSINESS FOCUS Acer remains focused on bringing the latest technologies to the market. In line with this vision, the vendor is driving a larger ecosystem with initiatives such as The Middle East and Africa market for gaming desktops and notebooks has seen an increase in demand as consumers under lockdown sought alternate means of entertainment. What remains to be seen is whether this growth can be sus- tained in the long term. The MEA gaming PC market saw a robust growth of 23.2 per cent YoY in the first quarter of this year, according to ana- lyst firm IDC. This spike in the gaming market is in large part due to the increase in notebook PC sales, which is estimated at 35 per cent by industry analysts. Acer’s general manager for MEA, Paul Collins highlighted an interesting deviation when estimating the PC gam- ing market demand. He says that while an approximation of the Middle East market is 150,000 units per annum, this number could be understated by as much as 20 per cent.” The reason for this discrepancy stems from the fact that many gamers buy online from international sites and there are some retailers that do not report numbers. Demand has increased for new gamers who are looking at gaming laptops for entertainment, whilst staying home and experienced gamers who want to upgrade their systems. This has been slightly affected by the disrupted supply chain, meaning reduced access to units and prices rising to a small degree. While hardware sales have been declining over the past few years, Acer has reported strong growth in sales in the region. Collins added that depending on the country in the Middle East, Acer enjoys market shares between 15 and 21% for the Acer and Predator brands. “We see Saudi Arabia and the UAE as our big- gest markets in terms of sales, however markets like Egypt and Kuwait are still strong contributors.” ACER’S GA MING R A NGE Acer considers itself a major driver in the gaming market and as such, pro- vides a wide range of products for every level of gamer. “In the casual segment, the best seller is the Acer Nitro range. Our Predator range caters to the serious or hardcore gamer and for this customer - the Triton 500 and Helios 300 are very Gaming has become more mainstream as economies of scale have made the products more affordable. Other factors include casual gamers who use one machine to work by day and game at night, and even some users who will buy gaming units and never register a game - Paul Collins, general manager MEA, Acer.Next >