REGIONAL CHANNELS
Distribution’ s go to market. Mazières also points to the demand and rapid growth of security products in the region, which builds the third pillar of Gulf Software Distribution’ s go to market in select countries of the region.
In addition to analytics, middleware, and security, Gulf Software Distribution will also include IBM’ s cloud, Big Data, and IoT offerings, to complement the three primary pillars.“ So, a vast majority of the IBM portfolio is covered here and this is what we are bringing to the market with our business partners.” However, Mazières rules out the inclusion of hardware and box pushing as part of Gulf Software Distribution’ s future activities. As a valueadded distributor, it is focused on high value, complex solutions built primarily around the IBM software portfolio.
“ I do not do hardware. I just do software and we are focusing on where we are good at. We are focusing on the software proposition, which brings value for the market. I am not here to push boxes and to do quantity. I am here to do something which is really a high value proposition with business partners,” is how Mazières describes the IBM software game plan for this distributor.
Another important aspect of Gulf Software Distribution’ s go to market strategy is its ramp-up plan. As an IBM value added distributor, the mandate of Gulf Software Distribution is to buy from IBM. Its mandate is also to find and enable business partners, to operate in the high value business and not mass market. After completing a year of operations, a key priority in its channel partner enablement approach is to select partners based on their technology competency. This includes competency in analytics, middleware, and security.
Once these operations have been stabilised, Mazières intends to look at channel partner enablement based on their vertical market competency as well.“ For the time being we are involving partners according to their competencies on what software they are capable of selling,
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• A key priority in channel partner enablement is to select partners based on their technology competency
• A vast majority of IBM portfolio is covered and this is what we are bringing to the market with our business partners
• Another mandate is to find business partners capable of reselling IBM software
• As a value-added distributor it is focused on high value, complex solutions built around IBM software
• As an IBM value added distributor the mandate of Gulf Software Distribution is to buy from IBM
• By increasing portfolio of non-competing vendor partners it intends to address markets where Gulf Business Machines has not been active
• Channel partners who are ready to begin a hybrid cloud journey with their endcustomers need to be educated and certified
• Cloud is another model of financing and partners understand long-term they will probably make more money than they are doing today
• Hardware business in terms of financing is different from software business
• I am here to do something which is really a high value proposition with business partners
because I think this is the fastest route.” to begin their cloud journey with the end
Other than IBM as a vendor partner, customer. Currently channel partners both Gulf Business Machines and Gulf are mostly selling on-site licensing but Software Distribution are channel there is a gradual movement to the cloud. partners for Dassault Systems, vendor for Data privacy legislation needs to be put 3D Experience and Catia 3D modelling in place to define which data needs to be software. Gulf Software Distribution is also saved in-country and which can be saved a distributor for ERP cloud vendor Oracle in the cloud, similar to European and US NetSuite. Does the cloud ERP suite from regulations, before broad based, regional Oracle NetSuite conflict with IBM’ s cloud Saas cloud adoption can take place. To suite?“ It is an ERP, and IBM does not move forward end-customers will need to have an ERP system,” clarifies Mazières. take the initiative in data legislation and
On the contrary, Mazières believes that data privacy compliance. for its channel partners Oracle NetSuite is Mazières believes channel partners a complementary offering to IBM’ s Saas need to get started down this road as well. cloud stack.“ Oracle NetSuite is a leading“ Partners have to start. This is our goal as ERP in the cloud. And it is only in the well to enable the partners to adopt that cloud. We are really into that market as model. This is the enablement that we are well, on-premises and on cloud. We see a bringing to the market today.” nice merge as well, wherever we are.”
Currently cloud licensing sales are
By increasing its portfolio of noncompeting, complementing vendor challenged by the financials of pay-as-
limited because channel partners are
partners, Gulf Software Distribution also you-go versus the traditional perpetual intends to address markets with its channel licensing and upfront annual licensing partners where Gulf Business Machines payment. But for channel partners who has not been active. are deeply embedded with their endcustomers this is an opportunity to
Gulf Software Distribution is putting in a lot of effort to enable its channel partners move to the next generation of software
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