Ingram Micro One 2014: Day 1 News Roundup

Ingram Micro (IM) released a slew of news this week as part of its second annual One conference in Las Vegas, where more than 900 channel partners gathered at the Aria Hotel and Casino to learn about Ingram’s cloud services and partner solutions.

While there weren't any big surprises during the general sessions, Ingram did introduce its new Unified Computing Communications (UCC) portfolio as well as it new data capture and POS solutions on the show floor. The distributor also added to its executive lineup, bringing on Bob Gutschenritter and Jeff Yelton, and showed off its newest designations as an HP ExpertOne Partner and Citrix Authorized Learning Center. Read on for a breakdown on all the major announcements.

Expanded UCC Offerings:

Ingram Micro unveiled its expanded portfolio of UCC solutions as the company looks to help channel partners grow its UCC presence among small and midsize enterprises. The distributor will also give channel partners access to pre- and post-sales services including design and quoting support, targeted voice and video readiness network assessments and more to beef up its overall portfolio, according to the company. Telecom industry veteran Bob Gutschenritter will head up the initiative as the director of UCC for Ingram Micro North America.

New Data Capture/POS Offerings

Ingram Micro also expanded its data capture and point of sale (POS) business, with the company citing five strategic technology pillars as the focus of the revised program. The distributor will focus on ramping up its payment, mobility, networking, omni-channel retailing and software-as-a-service solutions. Industry expert Jeff Yelton has been named as the new executive director and general manager of the North America data capture and POS business.

Ingram Micro Named Citrix Authorized Learning Center

Ingram Micro has earned the title of Citrix Authorized Learning Center (CALC), the company announced this week. With the certification, Ingram Micro is recognized as able to provide Citrix (CTXS) partners access to new training resources and enablement tools, according to the company. Citrix and Ingram Micro have held a distribution relationship since 2008.

Ingram Micro Named Global HP ExpertOne Learning Partner

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has named Ingram Micro as an HP ExpertOne Learning Partner, which means the distributor can offer HP ExpertOne courses for the HP Enterprise Group and Printing and Personal Systems globally. Ingram Micro previously earned two PartnerOne Growth Distributor of the Year awards as well as the title of HP Enterprise Group Fastest Growing Distributor, according to the company.

HP’s ExpertOne program is an integrated training and certification program to help channel partners learn the educational infrastructure needed to grow their sales, according to the company. Ingram Micro’s latest designation is expected to help drive partner compliance with HP program requirements.

Ingram Micro Signs U.S. Agreement with SoftLayer
Ingram Micro Cloud has teamed with cloud service provider SoftLayer to offer the company’s solution portfolio to channel partners in the United States. The deal also will help expand Ingram Micro’s relationship with IBM, which purchased SoftLayer last year.

Ingram Micro now will be able to market and sell SoftLayer’s suite of infrastructure-as-a-service solutions, including its bare metal and virtual servers to partners and within the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace, according to the distributor. Ingram Micro also plans to offer cloud onboarding capabilities, marketing support and end-to-end technical and operational support to help channel partners build cloud solutions.

Expanded Vertical Market Reach into Retail and Finance Sector:

Ingram Micro is expanding its U.S. vertical market strategy to branch into the retail and finance sectors, the company announced this week. Both new markets will be additions to the distributor’s existing efforts in the public sector, including its healthcare efforts. New vertical market customers will have access to dedicated business, marketing, sales and technology experts through Ingram Micro to help drive their businesses.