Fayez Eweidat, Head of Enterprise for Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Juniper Networks explains that channel partners must adopt vertical specialization to meet industry-specific needs, leveraging AI-native networking solutions to enhance healthcare, retail, and education, fostering innovation, efficiency, and customer-centric growth in the Middle East.
In the current era of digital transformation, partners are increasingly adopting vertical specialisation as a strategic approach to meet the diverse and evolving needs of customers from various industries. This strategy empowers channel partners to develop deep expertise in targeted vertical markets, delivering tailored networking solutions that address precise industry challenges and capitalise on the exciting potential of AI-native networks.
Vertical specialisation empowers partners to align closely with specific industry verticals, offering solutions that optimise operational efficiency and elevate customer engagement through personalised experiences and expanded digital capabilities. Within sectors such as healthcare, retail and education, specialised partners can play a pivotal role by providing secure, AI-native networking solutions integrated seamlessly with advanced technologies that can enhance overall operations and experiences for their staff and customers. What’s more, these AI-native networks can serve as a solid basis to support the ambitious goals of Middle Eastern countries, such as the UAE and KSA, to become global leaders in the field of AI.
Tailored Solutions for Customers
Channel partners can gain huge benefits by specialising in specific verticals. Consider healthcare, as an example. The establishment of an innovative, state-of-the-art and accessible healthcare system that focuses on enhancing the quality of life of individuals, supports healthy lifestyles, and enjoys the highest levels of future readiness and quality in specialised care is one of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ national plan’s key objectives.
Partners can enable healthcare customers to implement smart healthcare systems, resulting in improved patient care with robust networking infrastructures that support telemedicine, secure data transmission and integrated use of BLE tracking, to provide overall faster and safer healthcare for patients. Customers in healthcare will appreciate a partner that is dedicated to the healthcare space and has a deep understanding of providing effective and efficient networks that can enhance staff and patient experiences. Many healthcare providers are under strain due to high-pressure environments, therefore, a network that can aid staff and patients enables a safer and better experience overall and can also support cost-saving.
Partners can also leverage innovative AI-native solutions to provide in-depth, AI-powered analytics for retail customers with benefits such as personalised in-store shopping which can connect seamlessly with their online shopping experience on their phones. In today’s society, there is an increased demand for enhanced digital experiences from businesses including retailers as shoppers are more digitally enabled than ever before. In fact, research reveals that the Middle East has among the highest consumer digital engagement in the world while the region’s consumers also prefer combining the convenience of online shopping with the confidence of buying in-store.
Consequently, retailers are implementing digital features created to enhance shopping to ultimately create improved shopper experiences and drive their own growth. Partners that can provide retailers with the right solutions to help them develop a competitive edge through better shopping experiences are more likely to form lasting business ties.
With education being one of the four main pillars of the ‘UAE Centennial 2071’ plan, there are plenty of opportunities for partner specialisation in this industry. Educational institutions can benefit from AI-native network solutions, which can support interactive learning environments, remote education capabilities and secure, campus-wide connectivity. In today’s agile environment, students can benefit from an improved digital experience on campus and ensure they don’t have to compromise for a poor connection whilst they are living and working away from home. Another significant benefit that educational institutions can also implement is location services. Using an AI-native network universities and schools can provide location services to ensure a high standard of student welfare and safety.
Partnerships built on vertical specialisation foster innovation and differentiation among channel partners; having a specialisation sets them apart, particularly for a customer who wants the implementation of a new network completed with efficiency and innovation at its heart. By focusing efforts on specific vertical markets, partners can successfully deliver specific business outcomes and cultivate enduring customer relationships grounded in expertise and trust.
For partners that want to delve into a specific vertical, this journey requires continuous learning of both solution capabilities and market demand for that specific industry. Collaboration with partners and vendors in the ecosystem can be an effective way to co-create solutions that anticipate market trends and effectively address evolving customer needs. This collaborative approach ensures that partners remain at the forefront of industry advancements and are well-positioned to deliver relevant, value-added solutions to their customers.
The Future of Specialising in Industry Verticals
Looking ahead, adopting tailored business strategies is essential for partners seeking to establish themselves as leaders in their respective markets. Vertical specialisation empowers partners to leverage technology as a strategic enabler of growth, agility and customer-centricity, thereby achieving sustainable competitive advantage in today’s channel landscape. Partners who embrace specialised strategies are better equipped to innovate proactively, respond dynamically to market shifts, and capture new revenue opportunities.
As the Middle East’s digital transformation continues strong, channel partners have a pivotal opportunity to strengthen customer engagement and drive their profitability via vertical specialisation. By embracing specialised business models and leveraging industry expertise, partners can navigate customer complexities with confidence, unlock new revenue streams and achieve sustained success in their chosen vertical.
