Tech Data unifies services portfolio

Tech Data has moved to unify its services portfolio to make sure that resellers in the UK have access to a coherent package of offerings.

The distributor has pulled together the existing services that have been available in the UK as well as bringing in some of the options that have been developed in Europe.

That means it can now provide resellers with a number of  professional services like installation, technical training, and pre-delivery configuration plus consultancy and managed services around datacentre, security and the cloud.

The idea is to help plug some of the gaps for those partners that have not yet developed their own rounded portfolio of services.

“We are bringing together a consistent and coherent services value proposition that our UK reseller partners can draw on to meet the needs of their customers, and to develop and grow their business," said Andy Brown, services director, Tech Data UK.

"We have offered a limited range of services for some time, and we are now filling in the gaps and giving resellers access to a full portfolio from a partner they know they can trust,” he added.

There is plenty of activity in the channel at the moment with vendors and distributors increasing the support they can offer those resellers that are looking to transition towards a more services led revenue business.

Fujitsu yesterday struck a partnership with Cyxtera to give partners with the option to provide data centre services without risk, adding to the examples of assistance being given to those trying to move to the opex model.

Brown agreed that Tech Data had a role to play in delivering support for those resellers that were not yet in a position to provide self-developed services.

“For partners, the cost of developing services and investing in full-time technical resources to deliver them is often prohibitive. It also entails a degree of risk as they are expensive to employ, so there needs to be plenty of work for them to do and that might not always be the case while resellers are building up their own services practice," he said.

“We see it as our role, as a trusted advisor to our channel partners, to provide the services that they may not be able to develop independently or invest in swiftly enough to take the opportunities that are available. We are effectively making that investment in skilled resources, so that our partners can access the expertise and services they need to add value to their customers," he added.