News in the Channel - November 2022

INGRAM MICRO FESTIVAL OF TECHNOLOGY

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Complete solutions Also at the Festival of Technology, Ingram Micro took the opportunity to highlight some of the new

AXIS: At the Festival we presented: l Solutions for verticals l Digital transformation l Cybersecurity l AI l About Axis – Who we are l Sustainability Events like this are extremely important. We support several events for our vertical markets e.g. NAHS – Healthcare, branch transformation – banking, retail risk – retail and several other events within our channel.

solutions it has on offer for resellers. For instance, Ingram Micro now offers

subscription marketing package for resellers, as Maria Jackson, director of marketing at Ingram Micro, explains: “Our subscription marketing packages are structured with engaging thought leadership material and digital assets that are designed to help resellers with their sales and marketing awareness, consideration and conversion goals,” she says. “The reseller marketing subscription services are designed to assist resellers at every point of the marketing journey. Digital marketing and content development from our skilled channel marketers are focused on making the most of any budget, constant marketing efforts on a month-to-month basis, and the freedom to cancel, change or suspend at any moment. Previously, but still available, were one- time services such as video production, email or website design and blog writing.” These marketing services are offered to any UK IT reseller, regardless of whether they presently do business with Ingram Micro. “Resellers want more marketing assistance without the risk of long-term commitments or service retainers, as well as experienced channel and vendor knowledge.” Financial Solutions Another service highlighted at the Festival of Technology was Ingram Micro Financial Solutions. “This is a core payment offering that cuts across all technology, software, services, and maintenance,” explains Sophie Boulo, solution development manager at Ingram Micro. “We all utilise technology daily hence the consumption model of technology continues to drive the way in which buyers want to purchase. “Today, the purchase of a new technology, software or adoption to a new technology service does not just stop at ‘what to buy’. The conversation of ‘how to buy’ influences the key decision of ‘where to buy’ and that is where Ingram Micro Financial Solutions comes in as your key strategic partner. “Whether you are a vendor, value-added reseller or a service integrator, Ingram Micro Financial Solutions works with you to develop tailored financing blueprints. We help you to deliver growth, profitability, and customer engagement through subscription-based payments. Our payment solutions are highly diverse and flexible to ensure strategic positioning.”

Ingram Micro Financial Solutions can help to minimise customer pricing objections - solutions can be sold with an affordable payment stream, which eliminates common cost objections. It can also accelerate revenue recognition – financed solutions are paid within days of closing, eliminating any need to wait 30 days or more for customers to pay an invoice. It should ensure repeat business and will lock in pricing – it is much more likely that your customers will reach out to you for new IT solutions at the end of their finance term. Finally, it supports sustainability: E-waste is the fastest growing stream of pollution on the planet, but Ingram Micro Financial Solutions can support sustainability and carbon emission goals by offering a sustainable approach to IT procurement. Technical Services Finally, Comms-care has been working on strengthening and growing its managed services portfolio over the past 12 months, with a focus on maturing its connectivity, cloud and security solutions. Alex Wilmot, managing director at Comms- care, said: “We are excited to officially launch a new Service Management Centre (SMC) in Sofia, Bulgaria to complement our existing UK SMC. The investments we have made in market-leading IT Service Management toolsets such as ServiceNow & LogicMonitor are primed to supercharge our 24/7 multi-lingual managed services. “Customers’ needs continue to evolve and so does Comms-care’s ability to meet them head-on with services that are cost effective and highly relevant. As part of a wider transformational programme, our 1,300-seat capacity, best-of-breed centre of service excellence will assist in enabling our channel partners to drive long-term value to their end customers and accelerate digital transformation.”

Maria Jackson director of marketing Ingram Micro

Alex Wilmot managing director Comms-care

ZEBRA: Our keynote covered Zebra’s look to the future as we continue to embrace a changing world. On our first stand, we showcased our newest devices, ranging from tablet, handheld devices and RFID. Our second stand was solutions orientated – discussing our software offerings that go beyond the traditional hardware. Events like this extremely important in the sector: given the last two years getting a chance to meet partners face to face is vital. Going beyond Microsoft Teams is a relief sometimes especially when we have introduced so many new products and can get the product in a person’s hand.