News in the Channel - issue #27

UPS

require 3-phase solutions to support the compute power they have in their rack and the channel needs to be ready for that,” she says. “Exertis Enterprise is ready to support our partners in this and we are excited by this new chapter in the datacentre space.” Entering the market With the need for UPS growing among businesses, it is a market that resellers should look at getting into, and the barriers to entry are not that high. “Resellers should look for partners that are equipped with industry-leading global portfolios of critical infrastructure solutions and simplify what can often be a complex path to navigate,” says Martin. “The vendor should have a clear strategy to drive channel growth through investment, industry leading and reliable products, extensive training and easy to implement, practical marketing campaigns. It is beneficial for resellers if partners have many years of experience and an established global footprint, including dedicated customer support. The solutions should also be margin rich, providing channel partners with flexibility. “At the core should be good communication and solid partnerships. Vendors should equip their partners with what they need to succeed and work to stay in step as their business and the market changes. Choose a vendor that is committed to rewarding partners and consistently and seamlessly share high quality leads. They should treat each other as extensions of their own team and provide a comprehensive list of value propositions including a sophisticated channel dedicated product portfolio, training courses and channel marketing programmes.” UPS as a Service One option that is on the horizon is UPS as a Service – but perhaps not for a few years. “I think we will not see this in the

UK for another few years via the channel,” says Rebecca. “However, I’m hearing great things from the Exertis Enterprise teams in the Nordics about this type of offering. The UK tend to be slightly later adopters of technology changes.” Trends Looking at the nearer future, there are various emerging and ongoing trends in the UPS sector that resellers should be aware of. Rebecca says that in 2025, the main trend in the market will be: “AI AI AI, there’s no other trend that is going to change the UPS market more,” she says. “More power requires more power support, it’s as simple as that. How we choose to do so is a different matter.” Martin says there are several emerging and ongoing trends that resellers should be aware of. “We have recently seen, and expect to see over the coming year, increasing demand for UPS systems using lithium-ion batteries,” he says. “The benefits are that customers can maximise power density in a smaller footprint and improve ROI because they have a longer lifespan than traditional valve regulated lead-acid batteries. They also offer strong technical advantages such as a wide operating temperature range and come with an advanced integrated battery management system (BMS) which provides an accurate picture of the battery’s health and runtime and protects the battery cells against current, temperature, and over- or under- charging. The BMS continuously adjusts battery charging to make the most out of performance and battery life. “Looking slightly further ahead, hydrogen fuel cell technology offers potential for back up loads as well as off-grid or primary power that is reliable and sustainable for combined heat and power applications, grid and micro-grid support.”

Rebecca Slade business unit magager – infrastructure

exertisenterprise.com

“

AI AI AI, there’s no other trend that is going to change the UPS market

more... ...More power requires more power support, it’s as simple as that.

”