Dell global commercial channel to strengthen focus on Asia-Pacific channel partner ecosystem

BANGALORE, INDIA: Dell Global Commercial Channel (GCC) reinforced its commitment to the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) partner community at the Dell GCC APJ Partner Summit in Chengdu, China. The summit is an inaugural APJ event that aims to bring together Dell's partner ecosystem from the region. During the event, Dell will launch programs around training initiatives, tools and best practices for success.

Richard Lee, global vice-president and general manager, Global Commercial Channels, Dell APJ: "Dell GCC entered Asia in 2010 to support the continuing globalization of PartnerDirect, Dell's partner program. Since the launch of GCC, we have demonstrated our commitment to our partners through our continued investment in training. We have also supported them with campaign strategies, open communication and sales tools, enabling them to deliver improved profitability, enhanced services and support for their customers."

In Asia-Pacific, Dell has over 23,000 registered, preferred and premier partners consisting of distributors and independent software vendors; who are benefitting from Dell's continued investments in the areas of training, business opportunities and campaign support. Through PartnerDirect, Dell will continue to deliver on the promise of making the Dell channel "Better Together" for its partners.

Meeting the needs of the partner ecosystem

Dell continues to implement initiatives to benefit its partner ecosystem, building up on partners' competency especially in the area of software. As a result of the acquisition of several market-leading software companies, Dell has embarked on an enhancement of PartnerDirect. Adding to the strength of the PartnerDirect program are four new software competencies - Security, Systems Management, Data Protection and Information Management. The software competencies will allow Dell to better serve the needs of its combined channel partner community, including software and hardware-focused partners, as well as partners selling solutions.

Effective on 1st November, the four software competencies are available to all Dell PartnerDirect partners providing training against the new competency requirements and learning paths. The competency training provides rich, role-based curricula allowing partners to drill down and learn more on those areas of greatest interest. Initially the training is in English. Japanese, Korean and simplified Chinese will be available next February.

Partners now also have a tool that allows them to create multi-part, customized enterprise solutions for their customers collaboratively with ease with the Online Solutions Configurator (OSC). Launched in July 2013 in ANZ and China, the OSC is now available in Japan, India and Korea. The OSC has been localized so that partners can leverage the tool using their local currency and language. It also provides dedicated sales support for the full range of Dell Enterprise Solutions.

In response to the needs of its partner ecosystem, Dell is launching a Big Data Starter Kit that will help lower barriers to entry for partners, customers and developers who want to gain from Big Data without incurring high infrastructure cost. The kit also ensures cost optimization as it is scalable in a production system environment. Dell will provide training to partners and work with them on developing a business plan.

Deepening presence in Asia-Pacific

Dell's partner ecosystem remains crucial to its continued success in the Asia-Pacific region, with Dell's channel business representing one third of the company's commercial revenue globally. Dell continues its focus on establishing a long-term and stable relationship with its partners while making it easy for them to do business. Over the last twelve months, as part of its commitment to Asia-Pacific, Dell has deepened its market knowledge and presence through strategic initiatives focused on building community and thought leadership.

Dell is committed to investing in the development of the technical expertise of individual engineers in the Asia-Pacific region. The Dell Engineers Club Program has been launched in China, India and Korea and has over 700 registered engineers. The program is a three-party "think tank" for IT companies, engineers and end-users to provide feedback on industry trends and discuss advanced technologies. The platform allows selected engineers to gain access to additional resources, information as well as participate in exclusive reviews.

Dell has also launched the Partner Advisory Council in Australia, China, India and New Zealand. The council in each country consists of a group of key partners from Dell's network, who act as an advisory committee for Dell on issues pertaining to business priorities, sales and local strategy. The APJ Partner Advisory Council will be established in the first half year of 2014.

The Dell GCC APJ Partner Summit is held at Chengdu, China from 4 - 6 November 2013. For more information, please visit http://www.delledm.com/summiten/review.html