FUTURE TECHNOLOGY
A
true Value Added Distributor
(VAD) offers not only top-
quality pick, pack and ship
services, but services and programmes
that, not surprisingly, add value to the
product being distributed. These services
and programmes can include a raft of
endeavours, such as channel training,
channel marketing, and pre and
post-sales services.
In the Middle East, there are a variety
of challenges facing VADs, including the
evolving IT landscape, liquid geopolitical
situation and vendor investment.
“I think the biggest challenge facing
VADs is getting their vendors to invest in
education and resources for the partners
in the region (especially growing regions
like the Middle East and Africa) and for
partners in the region to leverage these
resources to invest in their teams,” said
Costa Boukouvalas, CEO of AgilityGrid,
a Dubai-based company that provides
security solutions for businesses and
government bodies across the Middle East,
Africa, Europe and Australia. “In a market
that is rapidly changing and where margins
in the technology sector are diminishing,
it is only with value-add that vendors,
distributors and system integrators/
resellers can gain better market share.
“So, VADs are in a unique position of
understanding the local market to help
vendors roll out education and resources
that local partners in the region can
leverage in turn, to invest in the right
resources that include services, which
also means investing in training and
certification for their teams.”
Amr Abdelsamad, Channel Director at
Fujitsu ME & Pakistan sees two principal
VAD challenges. “The first is the challenge
ushered in by the dramatic transformation
of the ICT landscape, such as the cloud, the
Internet of Things, artificial intelligence
and big data, which are transforming the
world in which we live and compelling each
and every industry stakeholder to revisit
their operations,” he said. “It is important
26
Amr Abdelsamad, Channel Director Fujitsu ME & Pakistan.
that all the partners in the supply chain
– from technology providers and vendors
to distributors, system integrators and
channel partners – adapt to the changes
with speed and agility. All available
resources, including pre-sales, sales,
technical consultancy and management,
must be updated to the new realities and
trained in these technology trends. Only
this will prepare a business to meet the
expectations of customers.”
Abdelsamad continued. “The second
challenge relates to the market situation.
In addition to global economic pressures,
the region is also facing vulnerabilities
imposed by the low oil price and prevailing
geopolitical strife. This affects VAD
business, especially in relation to credit
insurance and financing. It is therefore
I think the
biggest
challenge facing
VADs is getting
their vendors
to invest in
education and
resources for
the partners in
the region.
Issue 06
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS