For three days in Phoenix, more than 350 VARs, ISVs and vendors gathered at Ingram Micro's 5th Annual Data Capture/POS Partner Invitational at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort. According to the distributor, this year's invitational garnered record attendance, stressing the fact that the channel, as well as its partner community, is stronger than ever.

And not only is the channel community strong as a whole, but Ingram Micro, as it relates to its own vendor and VAR/ISV network, plays a large role in the muscle behind the channel community. The fact is based not only on the conference's attendance numbers, but also the dedication that the distributor and its partners have contributed to strengthening the channel community.

VSR had the opportunity to attend the conference in Arizona, and we were able to not only participate in the various sessions held, but also spent time with some of the Ingram executives that were present. Keith Bradley, president, Ingram Micro's North America region, stressed that even though we are in the midst of a down economy, "we should all be excited about being involved with the IT community." This is because, according to Bradley, "IT will always do better than the average GDP, and two-tier distribution is up during down times as well," he says. "The sweet spot is the SMB market, and Ingram Micro's VAR customers target these markets, which are the 'sweet spot' of the IT industry."

Bradley also discussed how Ingram Micro partners can alleviate common situations that they might come across with end users, such as their decisions to not implement technology refreshes this year. Many end users seem to be following this trend, Bradley said, for two reasons. The first is obviously because of the current economy; the other, which is indirectly related to the economy, is because they feel that if nothing is broken, then why fix it? "They (end users) think that 'if my servers are still running, then I don't have to refresh this year...I will therefore save on cash flow," he said.

Bradley did offer rebuttals for VARs who are frequently coming across this situation. "We are giving our resellers 'ammunition' to go back to end users with responses such as 'Why not then refresh with virtual servers instead of what you were previously using,' to avoid these anti-postponements," he said.

Ingram Micro's NA region president also noted how the distributor plans to further diversify its offerings through separate divisions, since its Data Capture/POS division "has been a great lesson in keeping something as a stand-alone division." "We want to diversify our business by expanding into adjacent markets," Bradley said.

VSR also spoke with John Soumbasakis, Ingram Micro's senior vice president and general manager of Strategic Divisions, who stressed the fact that 5 years ago, the distributor did not even have a business in the DC/POS market, and now, in 2009, they had a record turnout at the conference. "I am very optimistic that we will grow this division this year, and in years to come," Soumbasakis said.

During his discussion, Soumbasakis also noted how Ingram Micro has experienced, even in this economy, a 400 percent-plus growth over the last four years, and continues to invest in unique capabilities to support solution providers. He also mentioned that the distributor has not taken a "shotgun approach" to try and sign up as many vendors as possible, but rather has concentrated on working to offer its VAR partners the complete solution, which is an obvious value, especially as it relates to VAR/ISV collaboration. "We have 20-plus ISVs in this network, across all key verticals," Soumbasakis said. "We continue to provide 'matchmaking' in this area so that we can be successful at selling our services."

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Also presenting during the conference was Janet Schijns, Motorola's vice president of worldwide channel and distribution. Many attendees already knew Schijns from when she was president of The JS Group, the channel consultancy firm of which she was CEO and founder prior to joining Motorola's Enterprise Mobility Group last year. During her discussion, Schijns urged attendees to rethink their business models and how they can turn past failures into wins. "You cannot achieve tomorrow's results with yesterday's methods," she said. "Failures will come from companies who continue to do the same thing every day."

 
Schijns also told the crowd to go back to suppliers and "push hard," especially in this economy, for bargains in the marketplace, as well as prospecting for new business. She advised that this is definitely not the time for VARs (and their salespeople alike) to be resting on their laurels and reaching into the same well over and over again for business. "Get on a streak, rather than a slump," Schijns said. "A certain amount of revenue is going to have to come from new customers, and those who do not prospect for new business will perish in this environment."

Schijns backed up her statement with data gathered by Gartner, which states that "35 percent of VARs will perish in tough times." "Don't let this be you," she stressed. "Change your course, do the unexpected and there will be more market for you to grasp...this is the year to invest in right things --- work smarter, not harder."

 
As it relates to emerging verticals, Bob Laclede, Ingram Micro's vice president of business development, led a discussion on how attendees can navigate the current stimulus package. Not only did he provide an overview of how this vertical (and its opportunities) play into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, but he also talked about some of the support that Ingram is providing to help solution providers identify these existing opportunities.

He said the distributor not only plans to add a companywide team building group dedicated to this vertical, but that the focus will be on EHR Solutions and the uses of Ingram's line card in health care IT (such as data capture products). "In the fall, Ingram Micro decided to add a health care practice, because there was an obvious need, and then the stimulus package came about this winter," Laclede said. "We felt it was a perfect time to get involved in health care not only because of the current technologies surrounding it, but also because of the money allotted toward health care as part of the stimulus package."

Aside from executive presentations, the partner invitational also featured a Build-A-Bike Charity Event, which benefited the Every Kid Counts Charity. Attendees were split up into groups to collaborate on constructing a bike for deserving children in the Phoenix area. The next day, bikes were presented to each child during a ceremony led by Justin Scopaz, vice president & general manager, Ingram Micro's DC/POS Division.

Following the charity presentation, attendees then moved over to Ingram Micro's Solutions Pavilion, where they had the opportunity to network with more than 40 exhibitors who provided complete solutions demonstrations on both the hardware and software sides of the channel.