Distribution Watch: Ingram Micro, Synnex, D&H Distributing

It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s Friday, which means it's time for Distribution Watch. The day brings a double dose of love for our distribution friends. Be still our beating hearts as we take a look at news from Ingram Micro (IM), Synnex (SNX) and D&H Distributing. Break out the candy hearts and commence the sugar rush …

Ingram Micro: The global distribution giant recently was named network security vendor Fortinet's U.S. Distributor of the Year. The award was presented during Fortinet’s Global Partner Conference in January.

"Ingram Micro continues to align with Fortinet's vision of success and their dedication to our mutual channel partners in the FortiPartner Program in 2013 raised the bar and provided significant value to our business," said Dirk Venzlaff, vice president of Distribution at Fortinet. "We congratulate Ingram Micro and applaud the company's relentless determination to become the top Fortinet distributor in the U.S.”

Synnex: The top line distributor announced the completion of the initial close of the acquisition of IBM's customer relationship management (CRM) business on Jan. 31. IBM's CRM business will be combined with Concentrix, a wholly owned subsidiary of SYNNEX, to become one of the world's foremost customer engagement services companies in the $55 billion+ CRM BPO market, according to the company.

In addition, Christopher Caldwell has been promoted to executive vice president and president of Concentrix Corp., and will lead the combined organization.

"This transformational acquisition makes Concentrix a global Top 10 player in a growing market," said Kevin Murai, president and CEO of Synnex. "Our collective strengths in the CRM BPO market including a strong team of executives and recurring revenues from IBM's blue-chip client base have created a truly compelling value proposition for our shareholders."

D&H Distributing: D&H is offering the Enablement Training Series for VARs to provide the information required to pass Cisco's SMB Specialization exam, a requirement for partners with the Cisco Select certification badge.

The D&H training program is an on-demand, module-based offering that VARs can take at no cost by visiting the dedicated landing page on dandh.com. Once the training modules are completed, the distributor will provide each reseller up to two testing vouchers, which covers the fee for the Cisco exam, all at no cost. The enablement course content is condensed yet rich, allowing resellers to learn the required material at their convenience and earn their Cisco SMB Specialization, according to the distributor.

D&H has launched a dedicated webpage where resellers can access the Enablement Training Series. It offers a set of modules for resellers' Cisco Account Manager (AM) and Engineer (EN) positions. The site also provides resources such as a FAQ section and a recertification checklist. And D&H's Cisco System Engineers will be available for live Q&A sessions, called "Office Hours," to support resellers who have questions about the material.

And that’s Distribution Watch for this week. Show your love for your distributors and don’t forget to call your mother and wish her a happy Valentine’s Day. And, as always, stay safe.