Sania Shakil, distribution channel director, UAE, GCC and Pakistan, APC talks about helping channel partners to capitalise on opportunities in the power management sector.
What’s been APC’s focus and business strategy for the Middle East channel this year?
During the first quarter of 2015, our channel partners have continued to show us loyalty and commitment. The company has reiterated its focus to implementing a multiple component package for all channel partners and resellers to help them open up new streams of revenues, including training and workshops for awareness, and Software Partner Programme as a handy tool to stay informed and connected.
How is APC helping its channel partners to take advantage of the improving business climate in the data centre segment in the Middle East?
The data centre growth has unfortunately also led to mismanagement of energy and power resources. Traditional data centre models, for instance, utilise power much more rapidly than the modular or green counterparts. In order to enable channel partners to be reliable consultants to customers, APC uses technology which allows them to identify and eliminate areas where customers are wasting energy in their IT infrastructure.
What channel initiatives is APC rolling out in the Middle East this year?
APC will be re-introducing its Channel Partner Programme across the Middle East this year, which substantially prepares our partners so as to be able to correctly identify and position the right product for the right need or application, thus ensuring that the end user is adequately protected and that the solution deployed is one as efficient as possible. Our Channel Partner Program actively promotes the development of technology awareness and these transfer of skills through many online training resources and materials, as well as classroom type trainings sessions as well.
Power management remains a challenge for most organisations in the region. How is APC working with channel partners to help businesses adopt efficient power management strategies?
In order to educate businesses on energy and power management, Schneider Electric’s education programmes and on-line courses help industry professionals to enhance know-how on how daily practices can go a long way in managing energy and being greener. Through the Energy University, a free online educational programme created to enhance knowledge about sustainability and energy efficiency, APC features over 350 courses that provide product-neutral information and guidance to improve energy efficiency in enterprises.
What role is your distribution partner such as Logicom and reseller partners expected to play as cloud computing becomes widely accepted in the Middle East?
The uptake of cloud computing and virtualisation in the Middle East provides numerous advantages to corporates today, much of which cannot be unlocked due to lack of technical understanding, challenges in implementation and investment in niche skill-set. For channel partners, this presents a unique opportunity as they are in a position to grow their business and their role as trusted advisors sharing best practices and industry intelligence to jump-start business growth via IT.
As a specialist vendor of UPS and power management solutions for the modern data centre, what value do your distribution partners bring to APC’s business in the Middle East?
A call for accountability, sustainable practice and regulatory restrictions are leading the momentum for green data centre adoption in the Middle East. In this case, the channel has an important role in promoting the ecologically responsible use of technology as this practice will drive the migration to more efficient data centre technology.
What would you cite as the biggest advantage your company offers over the competition?
APC by Schneider Electric offers a differentiated Channel Partner Programme, which helps partners maximise their core competencies and areas of expertise. With four tiers Registered, Select, Premier and Elite, partners can leverage pricing benefits and access to market data. Schneider Electric’s relationship with the channel goes two ways as it provides promotion and visibility.
How is APC helping channel partners to leverage the alliances they have with the company to expand business opportunities?
As part of the Channel Partner Programme, APC has developed a tiered certification programme that provides partners with an opportunity to develop sales and engineering competencies in power, cooling, security and environmental management. The programmes offer clear and differentiated paths allowing channel partners to leverage pricing and promotional benefits, gain full access to APC’s network of qualified and dedicated solution engineers, and ongoing support and visibility in the market.
What technology or business trends is APC tracking in the next two years?
APC closely monitors the technology trends making headlines among the region’s corporates. These include Software Defined Networks (SDN), big data, internet of things, and developments within cloud computing and datacentre infrastructure (scalable, modular and green datacentres).
Another field of growing interest is emerging technologies for the healthcare and hospitality industries- including UPS, Building Management Systems (BMS), smart panels and mobility solutions. In addition, APC is tracking demand for security-based technology as cyber threats are on the rise among governments and organizations holding mission-critical data, potentially crippling to any business.
