ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY choice , technology solutions and IT services available to them . “ We established a Central Cybersecurity CoE ( Centre of Excellence ) to support all of MEA , this was followed by the establishment of a Centre for Artificial Intelligence which has launched our AI Academy . This along with other centres of expertise in Cloud and IoT have been setup to support our channel partners ,” he said . “ All countries get our focus and each has its opportunities . Our footprint covers Turkey , Lebanon , Jordan , Saudi Arabia , UAE , Qatar , Oman , Kuwait , Bahrain , Pakistan , Egypt , Libya , Sudan , Morocco , Tunisia , Algeria and all of French speaking Africa .”
Given that some companies have adopted a hybrid working policy , Ingra Micro has been following government guidelines in positioning itself to ensure that businesses in the MEA market continue to utilise solutions within its stable that support remote working .
According to Baghdadi , Ingram Micro follows government guidance in different countries it serves as well as its common safety measures should they be stricter . “ That said , we continue to invest in many programmes that support our employees who work from home . It is not easy for some to operate from a home , but we have managed to provide the necessary support in terms of equipment , training , health , advice and more ,” he added .
Aside from the COVID-19 pandemic , the MEA channel has encountered other challenges not least the currency fluctuations in many emerging market in Africa , lockdown restrictions and limited number of staff working from the office , all making it difficult for some resellers to forecast and plan for their business properly . “ From a technology standpoint , I believe it is chip shortages and travel restrictions . Of course , some market segments which are suffering economically , like tourism and travel segments have a big impact on partners focused on these areas ,” he explained .
Looking ahead , Ingram Micro is optimistic that the opportunities that have emerging as a result of the pandemic will foster a culture
We continue to focus on cybersecurity , cloud , Artificial Intelligence ( AI ), Internet of Things ( IoT ), unified communications ( UC ), remote service delivery and endpoint technology of all kinds .
By the numbers
250,000
• IT solution provider customers 2,000
• Manufacturer partners
35,000
• Associates provide support , worldwide
189
• Logistics and service centres worldwide
on innovation and is a huge focus in 2021 and beyond . The global VAD is preparing its channel partners for these new initiatives .
“ We have exciting initiatives that go beyond providing solutions from other manufacturers and vendors . We have already tested some products that we have developed which complement and drive our vendors ’ technology and generate significant business to our partners . Watch the space ,” he said . “ We continue to drive AI , cybersecurity , Financial Services , Cloud and much more . New channel programmes and initiatives will be announced and rolled out in a planned and timely manner .” •
INTELLIGENT
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS TECH CHANNELS Issue 40 23