CJ and I attended a TD SYNNEX Endpoint Solutions Partner Summit in Greenville, South Carolina, last week. This event addressed not only the United States but part of 100 different countries. The IT/data firm counts 23,000 co-workers and $82 billion in gross sales, with 250,000 customers in the world and 30,000 located in the USA.
The meeting opened with a two-hour presentation that was informative and highly relevant, focused on ensuring profitability for the independent dealer. To set the agenda, the program began with opening comments from George Lutkitz, senior VP of Product Management (above, right), and Gary Palenbaum, EVP of Revenue and Customer Success (above, on left) at TD SYNNEX, which enjoys the partnership of 1,400 users who fully understand how important their relationship is. Included in their opening remarks was the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) and Windows 11. (See our cybersecurity story that reports on the upcoming Microsoft Windows 10 “sunset” re: support.)
Often, we get so accustomed to addressing manufacturers from Japan and other Pacific Rim countries that we sometimes forget Xerox is an international reseller. It is not hardware manufacturer, per se, but is in every way a global provider. The acquisition of Lexmark is not the last of their acquisitions that will broaden their offering to their partners. The importance of this event was all about AI and how hardware devices interact with the technology. These two executives made clear that Xerox is addressing what they referred to as “The Technology Revolution.” More on that partnership in a moment . . . .
David Chao, director of business development at TD SYNNEX, framed his contribution to the proceedings as integrating AI with legacy infrastructure. His remarks set the tone for what we are dealing with by referring to technological introductions in the early 1900s when automobiles were first introduced. He quoted observations from the consumer public that they felt automobiles would never replace horse-drawn carriages. It was an apt description of how alien thinking can be when the latest technology is introduced. Chao concluded that those who were early adapters and adopters of the automobile became industry leaders.
Desiree Cruz is TD SYNNEX’s vice president of product management for Print, Visual, Unified Communications, and Physical Security.
Desiree Cruz, VP of product management for Print, Visual, Unified Communications, and Physical Security, discussed how to increasie print reliability with cloud services. She cut right to the basics, citing that there are $1.6 trillion in the global market of printers and display devices. For TD SYNNEX, she said, it’s not only about increasing revenue but also ensuring profitability. The company provides the means to extract increased revenue for what already has been sold as well as improve revenue from the hardware dealers are currently selling. And, make no mistake: There were many dealers sitting in at this event.
TD SYNNEX – Xerox Partnership
Breakout sessions followed wherein the individual parts of the discussion were addressed in depth. One such session was presented by Charlie Rand, Xerox’s director of new business development, who asked how many Xerox dealers were in attendance; CJ and I estimate about one-third of the audience out of 50 to 60 attendees. Rand’s presentation was about global partnership and how Xerox is integrating technology into its hardware products. Most specifically, he spoke about Lexmark making a unique product by virtue of what they were adding to that brand.
We can only guess as to what is the basis of making Xerox present over all other TD SYNNEX partners. As global partners, you can say that the two parties have a unique relationship. The development of this relationship never has been more important to both companies as Xerox is developing a strategy of differentiation.
We all know what Fujifilm is doing, and Xerox does need to show they are different from the other manufacturers who sell the same hardware products. Where they are on the same page with TD SYNNEX is they are attempting to show how they can improve their dealer’s performances.
The two-day meeting was all about technology providing highly competitive technological services that yield significant profitability. We highly recommend that dealer owners embrace this concept of utilizing AI and cloud technology. It’s not about buying a new, hot piece of hardware but taking what you already have and adding technology services to the equation. In addition, add services that provide not only differentiation but also profitability. Should you heed our advice, chances are you won’t be disappointed.
Charlie Rand, who directs new biz development at Xerox, led a breakout session.
