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 More power to the channel
This year we decided to expand the scope of the CRN Channel Champions Survey and split it into two parts. The previous issue of CRN (February 15, 2010) consisted of Channel Champions rankings for component and consumer products.
In this issue we feature the results of the commercial product categories sold largely to SMBs and enterprises.
We have added some new categories this year—scanners, network security, end-point security and commercial UPS. Last year, network security and end-point security were clubbed under the broad heading of enterprise security, while commercial UPS was clubbed with PC UPS under the broad category of UPS.
Overall, 1,159 unique respondents from 150 cities took the survey across the component, consumer and commercial product categories. Of these, 604 respondents voted for the 13 categories of component and consumer products, while the remaining 555 voted for the 10 commercial product categories.
With each reseller voting for an average of five commercial product categories, we received a total of 2,887 vendor evaluations across the 10 categories. For each product category, respondents voted their vendor preference and satisfaction on eight parameters and 22 sub-criteria.
What’s heartening is that nearly half of the respondents who took the survey came from class B and C cities. This demonstrates the wide channel connect which CRN enjoys. It also proves that resellers in smaller cities are becoming increasingly important in the IT value chain, and that they are also finding their voice to highlight their issues and preferences.
Only four companies in the 10 commercial product categories managed to retain their Channel Champions crown. This is an indication that the IT channel is maturing, and that many partners are becoming vendor-independent and customer-centric.
It also indicates that partners are choosing to align with vendors not just out of loyalty or because the vendors are market leaders, but also on the basis of the vendor’s channel policies, partner management systems, price-performance and overall commitment to the partner.
For long channel partners believed that their business was dependent on vendors, and those who were not loyal would get punished. But now they are realizing that it is the other way around, and it is the channel which makes or breaks the fortunes of vendors. Vendors need the channel more than the channel needs the vendors. Consequently, partners are now demanding equitable, fair and transparent relations with vendors.
The core objective of the CRN Channel Champions Survey has been to give more voice and power to the channel so that it isn’t taken for granted by vendors. We hope we have succeeded in achieving just that. |