that talent, tap into that leadership and expertise, which just expands our ability to deliver better services to our customer base.” And what drew him to Ingram Micro in the first place was just that—the ecosystem and the people. “They care,” he said. “I know if we’re having trouble with anything in our business, I can reach out to someone at Ingram Micro and get help. It doesn’t matter what the issue is, what the need is, when or where, I know I can depend on Ingram Micro and their people. They continue to check that box.” Whether it be a Microsoft issue or tapping into more of Ingram Micro’s security offerings through its marketplace, “they’re helping us stay ahead of our competition.” “They’re always forward-thinking, and they listen,” he said.
The fact that the team at Ingram Micro comes to the table and shares that they’re not perfect but that they’re always working to better themselves is what impresses Essayian. “They help you throw people at the problem if people are the issue, and they throw technology at the problem when technology is the issue,” he said. Ingram Micro is developing an experience for everyone inside and outside the company so they can use and live inside the Xvantage platform. And the team cares about customer feedback. “They’re asking, ‘Do you like the experience? Do you like how it feels?’” he said. “I can’t believe how focused Sanjib [Sahoo, executive vice president and chief digital officer] is on, ‘If you don’t like how this works, how this looks and how this feels then you won’t use it.’ It’s uncommon for me to hear from a vendor, ‘What do you really need to make our job mutually better together?’”
Xvantage Insight: Asking—And Answering—The Right Questions
The ease of navigating the cloud marketplace, marking up products to turn a profit and helping Melvin Williams’ business grow is why he remains an Ingram Micro partner. “It’s allowing us to have Hardware as a Service as one of our product lines, and it’s also allowing us to have a bunch of servers at our access at any point in time,” Williams, CEO of Blue Bell, Pa.-based M&N Communications, told CRN . “We just have to go into the portal, purchase it and get it out to us, and our delivery is
The Power Of Ingram Micro’s Certified Engineers
It’s one thing to be one of the largest distributors in the world and have a multitude of vendors on its line card, but for David DeCamillis, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Madison, Wis.-based Applied Tech, it’s the people. “They have so many certified technicians and engineers that are actually certified directly with the vendors like Microsoft, Dell and all the way down the list,” he told CRN . “You have access to the experts when you’re in need, whether it’s to gather a quote
Melvin Williams CEO, M&N Communications
David DeCamillis SVP, Sales, Marketing, Applied Tech
really good too, as well as if we have any problems. I’ve had a really good experience with them as far as getting credit and getting things taken care of on the back end.” But it’s not just about product delivery. Williams taps into Ingram Micro’s team to help him stand out from the competition. They ask him where he’s looking to take his company and what products can complement those in his portfolio so that he can show his customers different types of solutions. “They asked me, ‘What are you trying to accomplish? Where are you looking to take your business? How are you looking to do Hardware as a Service? What exactly are you looking to do?’” he said. The team at Ingram Micro was then able to demonstrate the value of the hardware marketplace. “Our general conversations have been about what goals are we looking to accomplish and how they can steer us in that direction,” he said. He also has high praise for the Xvantage portal and said he appreciates the data insight on products he should be buying that he didn’t even consider. “As soon as you log into the portal, there’s a recommendation on what’s going on, what you might purchase,” he said. “I’m definitely getting more suggestions on what I should be buying.”
to doing a presentation, scoping a project, engineering it and deploying it. You can actually start an MSP, not have any other employees and have Ingram Micro do the whole thing.” And that’s possible no matter where a solution provider’s business is located. “To be able to tap into that talent no matter where you are and deliver from a professional team is amazing,” he said. Also a Trust X Alliance member, DeCamillis likes that his company has a breadth of knowledge he can capture through peers in Trust X that he knows he can rely on. “We have direct access to all the decision-makers and leaders from these 300-plus MSPs,” he said. “If I need a SharePoint architect or a Salesforce engineer, there’s boots on the ground in Kansas City the same day. I can just use the website and go right to the partner and they will immediately respond and help us out.” The Trust X group does monthly calls and meets quarterly to share best practices, business ideas, plans for salespeople, marketing campaigns and more. “It’s basically an extension of us,” he said. “It makes us a larger and better company because now I can tap into
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