Monday Morning Impact – September 23

CenturyLink Expands EMEA Channel Program

CenturyLink has expanded its global channel program in EMEA as part of an initiative to grow its existing channel base and attract new partners in that region.

“The expansion of our channel partner program gives our current North American partner base direct access to resources in EMEA to better service customers, as well as allows CenturyLink to recruit new partners in the region who can take advantage of our extensive global solutions and network footprint,” said Craig Patterson, vice president of indirect sales at CenturyLink. “This regional launch underscores our continued commitment to our Partner community and recognizes the critical role the indirect channel plays in enabling our mutual customers to become more digital.”

Key elements of the updated program include dedicated account teams and sales, marketing, development, operational and maintenance support throughout the entire customer life cycle. A partner portal offers a variety of materials and training tracks, providing partners with the tools and resources to sell and deliver tailored customer solutions.

“Organizations are increasingly seeking providers that can help them transform their businesses through improved operational efficiency, IT agility and security,” said Bart van Aanholt, CenturyLink’s vice president of Continental Europe and MEA sales. “Our expansion in EMEA combines innovative technologies with industry-leading, dedicated channel resources and a focus on providing an exceptional customer experience, to give partners a strong platform for success.”

The program is designed to work with a variety of business models, including value-added resellers (VARs), direct, master and sub agents, system integrators, solution providers and consultants. It addresses a comprehensive portfolio of solutions spanning networking, security, hybrid cloud and IT, voice and unified communications, and managed services and IT consulting.

Channel Impact^®
In addition to supporting the company’s recruitment efforts, the updated program is also expected to help partners meet accelerated market demand as organizations continue to transform their businesses with digital solutions.

Ingram Micro Named Global Distributor for Microsoft HoloLens 2

Ingram Micro has been authorized globally to market, sell and support the Microsoft HoloLens 2, a pair of mixed reality smart glasses that retail at $3,500 per unit.

“It’s an exciting time of innovation, collaboration and change across the IT industry – especially when it comes to IoT and immersive technologies where the business applications are growing exponentially,” says Mike Zilis, executive vice president and group president at Ingram Micro. “We’re seeing a growing demand for mixed reality and IoT in a variety of vertical markets across the globe.”

Acting in concert with Microsoft, the Irvine, California-based distributor will take a phased approach to marketing and selling Microsoft HoloLens 2, starting in North America and select areas of EMEA and Asia Pacific. The new Microsoft portfolio is being supported by Ingram Micro’s global IoT practice, which was established in 2017, and is differentiated by its online marketplace and uniquely orchestrated and growing “secure-by-design” portfolio of solutions, kits, components and services.

“Ingram Micro’s integrated IoT and mixed reality strategy is aligned with Microsoft’s vision of intelligent edge and intelligent cloud computing, and will help us jointly enable businesses across the globe to work smarter using and learning from the experience HoloLens delivers,” says Matt Fleckenstein, Head of Mixed Reality Marketing at Microsoft. “Microsoft is pleased to expand our relationship with Ingram Micro and work across the organization to bring HoloLens 2 to the global channel.”

Channel Impact^®
The announcement demonstrates the expansion of Ingram Micro’s IoT business, and provides allied channel partners with worldwide access to Microsoft’s Mixed Reality portfolio. Ingram Micro attributes the alliance to its expanding focus on advanced solutions, IoT, AI, and big data. Mixed reality now gets added to that list.

ServiceNow Expands Mobile Capabilities

ServiceNow has launched an expanded new mobile platform designed to assist in managing complex enterprise workflows across functions, departments and systems. Capabilities include management of IT issues, purchase of gear, finding a conference room, getting help from human resources, approving purchase orders, travel requests and legal documents, or finding answers to questions.

The announcement also includes a new employee onboarding app, which combines a variety of multi‑departmental tasks into a single mobile experience.

 “Just as mobile was at the center of transforming our lives at home, we believe mobile will be at the heart of delivering great experiences at work,” said ServiceNow’s Chief Product Officer Chirantan “CJ” Desai. “Employees today expect their employers to offer native mobile‑optimized tools. Mobile is the way many people want to get everyday work tasks done.”

The release also includes innovations in Natural Language Understanding (NLU), which is integrated into ServiceNow Virtual Agent. With NLU, employees can interact with Virtual Agent by using simple human terms to quickly find answers, order items or get help for common problems.

ServiceNow has launched an expanded new mobile platform designed to assist in managing complex enterprise workflows across functions, departments and systems. Capabilities include management of IT issues, purchase of gear, finding a conference room, getting help from human resources, approving purchase orders, travel requests and legal documents, or finding answers to questions.

The announcement also includes a new employee onboarding app, which combines a variety of multi‑departmental tasks into a single mobile experience.

 “Just as mobile was at the center of transforming our lives at home, we believe mobile will be at the heart of delivering great experiences at work,” said ServiceNow’s Chief Product Officer Chirantan “CJ” Desai. “Employees today expect their employers to offer native mobile‑optimized tools. Mobile is the way many people want to get everyday work tasks done.”

The release also includes innovations in Natural Language Understanding (NLU), which is integrated into ServiceNow Virtual Agent. With NLU, employees can interact with Virtual Agent by using simple human terms to quickly find answers, order items or get help for common problems.

Channel Impact^®
Coming at a time when enterprises are always looking for new ways to enhance efficiency, the new platform is expected to help streamline IT, employee and customer workflows by connecting separate systems and processes onto a single platform.