Vertiv Partner Summit: New MSP Program, Big R&D Push

Vertiv unveiled new MSP and Vertiv-as-a-service programs during its virtual partner summit on Tuesday.

The theme of the 2021 Vertiv Partner Summit is “disrupt IT.” The company’s portfolio of power, cooling and IT infrastructure solutions and services extend from the cloud to the network edge.

Pete Klanian is Vertiv’s vice president of channel sales. He said his company is using the word “disrupt” in a very positive way.

Vertiv’s Pete Klanian

“We are driving innovation and adding more value to everything we’re doing, not only for our customers but also for you, our trusted partners,” he said. “We are the largest solely focused provider of mission-critical IT infrastructure. And we are not part of a larger conglomerate and just a small division of that company.”

Vertiv plays in a $12 billion annual global market, Klanian said.

“Everyone knows that today, data is everywhere,” he said. “And the last year of work from home, learn from home and do everything from home has only accelerated the pace of change in the innovation from endpoint to the edge. Our part in that complexity is providing the foundation, meaning stable power, the right thermal and cooling environment, and in case of an emergency, how you get back-end connectivity if the network’s down. All of these are where we can help you solve customer problems.”

Market Opportunities, R&D

The biggest market opportunities are in retail, high-tech manufacturing, smart logistics and anything in the outdoor segment, Klanian said.

Vertiv became a public company in February 2020 after completing a $5.3 billion merger with GS Acquisition Holdings, a public company led by investor David Cote. He’s now Vertiv’s executive chairman.

Rob Johnson is Vertiv’s CEO.

Vertiv’s Rob Johnson

“We’re very excited about the new ownership structure being public and being able to double our R&D over the next couple of years,” he said. “And I think you’ve seen that already through some of the innovative solutions, but there’s a lot more to come.”

Scroll through our slideshow above for everything you need to know from the Vertiv Partner Summit.