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R Ravichandran
Director, Sales
Intel South Asia
Year 2008 was memorable for various reasons.
It was the year when we saw quad-core technology adoption going completely mainstream. When we started, we said multi-core would be the future—and it is now the norm. We also saw niche segments such as media and animation buying into the latest technologies. Also, we saw higher notebook adoption among SMBs.
What does 2009 hold? I see some key tech and market trends that will drive the adoption of IT in the country. The biggest challenge here is the poor PC penetration rate, and the low availability of broadband. The industry is already coming together to solve this, but we will need to do much more.
Last year we introduced the Atom processor for a new class of simple, affordable and Internet-centric devices called nettops and netbooks. These devices should spur PC and Internet penetration. We also see SMBs becoming more energy conscious. Because of older technologies, power consumption is a huge expense, and many are proactively choosing new technologies which reduce costs in the long run.
For partners, 2009 holds some real opportunities and challenges. First and foremost is the server opportunity. We expect Nehalem-EP systems in Q109. We will also see Nehalem-based MP server processors in H209. Also, most installed servers are single core, which means there is immense scope to offer quad-core servers to customers for consolidation and energy efficiency.
Given the new products available for SMBs, and the fact that they prefer to purchase from the channel, this is a mine of opportunity. Partners should also start looking at value addition through ways like becoming managed service providers and offering basic ERP packages. With customers beginning to look for higher ROI for their IT investments, channels must move up the value chain to offer solutions with visible ROI.
Our intiatives
Intel will roll out various initiatives aimed at demand generation and channel enablement. Core i7 and netbooks/nettops are new opportunities for channels to seize. We will continue with our extensive training program—specifically the Intel Channel Conference.
We are setting up walk-in centers across the country for post-sales support. Plus we are working to create end-user demand by setting up a ‘Where to Buy’ site which lists partners closest to customers.
My take-aways for channels: go into refresh, offer VAS, and look for new opportunities such as those in tier-2 and -3 cities.
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