Dell Pushes PowerEdge to Channel Partners

Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) is backing its data center advice to channel partners with some new heft in the form of marketing, training and support. The computer-maker-turning-solutions-builder has rolled out a series of PartnerDirect videos surrounding the second wave release of its 12th generation PowerEdge blade, rack and tower servers.

A recent video plugging Dell’s PowerEdge servers and their importance to channel partners features Greg Davis, Dell general manager, Global Commercial Channel, laying out the vendor’s case to partners on technology, channel strategy and programs.

“The 12th generation [PowerEdge] announcement has significance for our channel partners in a number of ways,” Davis said in the video. “We’ve shown as a company that we continue to make investment in our server products. Selling into the data center is a great opportunity for our partners to leverage their service capability, for our partners to leverage their intellectual knowledge and capital.”

What Davis is selling to the channel is that this new Dell — the one that wants partners to move higher up the sales continuum — also wants to be considered by partners as synonymous with integrated data center solutions.

“When you look at our channel programs, they’re specifically focused on servers, storage, networking and solutions around asset management,” he said. “The opportunity now with 12th generation servers is to sell a complete stack. We want to enable our partners to have a conversation with their customers around Dell solutions in the data center — not just Dell server solutions or storage solutions or networking solutions, but how does putting all this together into a solution for your customer make sense,” he said.

Just how does Dell want partners to view the company? Said Davis, think of Dell in three ways:

It’s hard not to be impressed with the constancy of Dell’s messaging to the channel: “Move up stream with us … and here’s why.”