Gurudutt M, Director, Channel Sales Management & Transaction Business, Schneider Electric, shares the company’s channel strategies for 2019
Key highlights 2018 and opportunities for 2019
We can see three clear tech trends that will contribute to the growth of channel business:
- Security and surveillance: We see channel partners expanding verticals and stepping into the security area for better RoI and sustainable business in a
big way. - Cloud computing: With their minimum operating cost,
the cloud has lured many small and mid-level, along with large businesses towards adoption. Various cloud environments offer vast opportunities for
partners. - AI: Although in it’s at a nascent stage, AI has managed to disrupt the entire business ecosystem and is going to bolster the growth further in 2019. The enterprise channel has huge prospects in this flourishing business vertical, which is the near future of the industry.
Top tech trends for channel community
The IT channel industry faced a fair amount of volatility during 2018 owing to continued repercussions of the GST and growing influence of digitisation. However, the industry player continued to differentiate themselves through value addition while building on newer capability.
- The Indian IT channel business has embraced consolidation to find new business prospects and ensure better margins
- There has also been a shift of focus towards solutions that encompass the supply of a complete range of products and services
- The growing significance of the channel industry for consumers, corporates as well as the enterprise segment, along with the B2B segment has been one the major shift during the year.
Additionally, players across the industry are cross-selling their technical and commercial capabilities for ensuring continuous growth in a rapidly evolving business environment.
The channel business has evolved over the years and the hunger to improve the business has led both partners and vendors to try different business models to stay relevant in the market. We are hopeful to witness a similar trend during this year as well. The industry is transforming rapidly to keep up with the customer demands. Cross-selling and everyday innovation are what will take center-stage during this year.
‘Value Add’, will graduate into ‘One Stop Solution’ in 2019. We will see partners courageously exploring different permutations and combinations of different business models to fulfill their growth aspirations.
Channel directions for partners
Schneider Electric partners bring together an array of components to meet the needs of customers in a specific market segment. Whether our partner is from the electrical, IT, security, building automation, structured cabling systems or any other segment, we aim to support them in excelling in their business field and develop new areas of expertise.
We have a revamped online portal for our IT channel partners. Through the portal, Schneider Electric ensures significant updates have been made to partners’ personal pages to help them track their requirements, allowing for sales, presales and owners to access what is most important to them. The Partner Portal for IT channel partners features a variety of online support tools and access to numerous training guides and practical solutions. It also serves as a network, which provides access to information on the latest data centre infrastructure products and solutions.
Schneider Electric is a channel-focused organisation, where we place great value on the mutually beneficial relationship we have with our partners. This Partner Portal fits perfectly with what we offer our partners and allows us to work closely with them as they move through the channel.
The easy-to-use platform includes essential training to maintain partner certification levels, marketing collateral and sales tools, as well as opportunity registration, lead generation, networking opportunities, free training, and a Rewards Program.
Certifications forms a critical part of the development of our partners. Individual members within the partners can intuitively manage their certifications, allowing the partner to maintain and achieve higher partner status.
