Light Up Your Margins With Digital Signage

Kevin Prewett, VP, Pro AV & Digital Signage, Ingram Micro

Here’s an easy question for you:  Do you have customers in the hospitality, restaurant, education, healthcare or retail verticals? If yes, then here’s another question … are you offering them digital signage solutions complete with content creation services?  If not, then it’s very likely someone else is.

If you are looking for unique, high-margin opportunities to add to your services portfolio – look no further than digital signage.  As these high-profile solutions become more affordable, and therefore more mainstream, customers are starting to understand the role digital signage can play in their business and that’s where solution providers can help.

It’s time to say goodbye to static signage and hello to interactive media that engages and educates customers while they wait, while they shop, while they order, or simply while they pass by.

So how do you get started? Here are a couple tips. First, start small!  Identify a handful of close customers from one of those verticals that you think would benefit from digital signage. Sit down and brainstorm with them about what kind of solution would work in their environment, then lean on Ingram Micro and other vendor partners for the support you might need to bring this technology to life – from bundling turnkey solutions to providing custom content creation resources, we can help.  As you slowly build your signage business, showcase existing solutions as case studies for new customers on the fence and work to develop simple, yet compelling service bundles that your customers can easily digest.

Buffalo International Airport Deployment

Second tip, don’t forget that a digital signage solution is made up of more than just displays and wall mounts. It includes site surveys, pre-sales tech support, financial services, integration, content management software (CMS), content creation and ongoing customization and project management. You should approach digital signage as part of the greater managed solution you provide.  That’s where you can lean on our team of experts. As you grow this solution, we can offer you tech and field deployment support, business and marketing help, plus vendor management.

Done right, digital signage solutions can help forge an even closer relationship with a customer and a steady annuity revenue stream for you. Plus, once you’ve created a solution tailored to a particular vertical, it’s easy to replicate success with other like customers.

Bottom line:  Digital signage is a healthy, growing market for solution providers and it offers a low cost of entry and high, double-digit margins. There are not too many technology categories that offer that value proposition.

Got Virtualization?

Scott Zahl, General Manager & VP, Ingram Micro Advanced Computing Division

Some say that the recession is behind us, but if you look at what’s fueling IT spend in the business world – cost-savings, productivity gains, doing more with less, compliance – it’s easy to see that although businesses are investing in IT, they are rather conservative and very deliberate on what and where they are spending dollars.

Today’s business customers want to know and see firsthand how IT can help them build their business faster and more cost efficiently. Recession or not, this is the new normal and as the trusted advisor, VARs and MSPs must be prepared to offer solutions and services that meet these needs head on.

A great example is virtualization. As the belt-tightening in the corporate world continues, offering virtualized IT solutions that streamline workflow and increase productivity, but also leverage existing investments in IT is a winning investment for corporations.

Virtualized systems not only enable flexibility and scalability, they empower organizations to embrace the cloud and allow VARs and MSPs to easily wrap managed IT services around these offerings.

If you can build a portfolio of tools that allow you to manage, optimize, and plug those virtual environments into cloud, you are in a great position for 2012. Plus, projects focused on virtualization naturally lead you toward more advanced technologies, as well as help uncover security and compliance needs within customer organizations.

So as you prepare for 2012, ask yourself these questions: Do I have the vendor partnerships I need to profit from the virtualization trend? Am I ready to offer reliable, scalable virtualized solutions to customers from the SMB level up to enterprise?

If not, consider what products and partnership you need to add to your portfolio to turn virtualization – and its adjacent technologies and complementary services – into an ongoing revenue source for your business.

Scott Zahl, general manager and vice president, Ingram Micro Advanced Computing Division

Celebrating 15 Years of Excellence

Today, November 15, 2011, as we celebrate the 15th anniversary of Ingram Micro’s IPO, members of the company’s worldwide executive team commemorated the milestone by ringing the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange this morning.

Ingram Micro’s executive team has many great memories of our company, so we asked some of them to share their fondest memories of the past 15 years (and longer in some cases).

As always, you’re encouraged to share some of your own comments with us — especially your thoughts, experiences and memories about Ingram Micro and the IT industry over the past 15 years. We’d love to hear from you.

What is your favorite story or fondest memory of your time at Ingram Micro?

“The CIO 100 Innovation Award for the business – Information Systems teams work in developing its first cloud computing platform. It was not the complexity of the build or sophistication of the IT solution but the association of Ingram Micro to innovation in a broad industry context.” – Mario Leone, Chief Information Officer, Ingram Micro Inc.

“At Ingram Micro India, we are accustomed to receiving recognition from our vendor partners for outstanding performance in our region. However, until recently, we had never received an award for the best distribution partner worldwide, for any of our vendors. Imagine our elation when earlier this year, we were informed by Microsoft that we were being awarded the “Authorized Distributor Partner of the Year 2011,” an award that recognizes the distributor who made the most significant contribution to Microsoft business, worldwide!

I cannot describe the pride I felt when I walked onto the stage at the Microsoft WPC event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., to collect this award. I was proud of my team in India that delivered this outstanding performance and I will cherish this memory for a long time to come.” – Krishnan Jaishankar, Managing Director, Ingram Micro India

“My fondest memory is centered on the 10th anniversary of the company’s initial public offering, which occurred five years ago. A group of us had the privilege of ringing the closing bell on the New York Stock Exchange. That, alone, was exciting enough — but what made this event particularly special was it with the company’s longest-tenured associate, Donato Garcia, who was the appointed bell-ringer.

Donato had been with the company for more than 25 years, working in our first warehouse before the company was even Ingram Micro. The head of the NYSE gave Donato instructions on how to ring the bell, emphasizing that he must wait for exactly the right second, ending with, “Don’t worry – only a few million people around the world are watching you.” As you can imagine that made Donato extremely nervous, but when the bell rang strong and on time, he was beaming!” – Ria Carlson, Senior Vice President, Communications and Brand Management

 “I’m very proud of the way our team performed during two major projects we conducted in 2004 and 2005, when we worked together with experts from Ingram Micro worldwide and systematically brought global operational best practices to China. The project has proved a great success not only in terms of process improvement, but also continuous momentum for business growth ever since 2005.” – Frank Zhang, Managing Director, Ingram Micro China Group

“My fondest memory is of the night before we closed the Nimax acquisition in 2004. I was talking with [North America President] Keith Bradley, and we both felt it would be an interesting ride into the AIDC/POS market, given the experience we had leading up to the close. There were some challenges getting things right at the beginning, but it was worth it to start the process of getting to our current position with a global business in this market.” – John Soumbasakis, President, Ingram Micro Latin America

“My fondest memories involve, really, any associate event where we come together to celebrate something. It could be our annual Halloween event or watching the World Cup on the big screen in the cafeteria, etc. When I look back, it’s the people I remember and the stories we make and share together.” – Keith Bradley, President, Ingram Micro North America

“I’ll always remember the day we went public following the many months of hard work and anticipation that all came to fruition. I remember turning on the TV at the opening bell and watching our stock trade for the first time. There was lots of excitement from our customers and vendor partners and most importantly, our Ingram Micro associates. Exciting times!” – Paul Bay, Executive Vice President, Ingram Micro North America

Change the Game

Paul Bay, EVP, Ingram Micro North America

One of the hardest aspects about running a successful business is making and managing change. When I talk with solution providers and MSPs about their game plan for success, I always emphasize that done for the right reasons change can be just the growth catalyst they’re looking for.

Over the past 18 months, Ingram Micro North America has undergone a lot of change to evolve our business model to better service the needs of our channel partners. We’ve introduced several divisions, specialized solution sets and tightly honed business units and now offer different sales model and programs such as the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace and the Business Intelligence Center that keep us at the top of our game. While it certainly wasn’t easy and we aren’t done, we calculated the risk, took the leap, and the results of our efforts are already paying off for us and our channel partners.

Before you ring in the New Year, take an honest look at what worked this past year, and what didn’t. What drove your success in 2011? Which partners were most impactful – negatively and positively?  Where did the business stumble and why?  What technologies and markets were profitable?  Where did new business come from?  What did you do to grow incremental sales?  These are just a few questions business owners should ask before the draw up the playbook for 2012.

Taking the time to do a thorough and honest assessment of your business and ask the tough questions before you start planning for 2012, will help ensure your success. In today’s competitive and dynamic marketplace, those who stand still are risking far more than those who take the ball and run with it. Change the game and take the lead.

By Paul Bay, Executive Vice President, Ingram Micro North America

Educating Your Customers On The Power Of Cloud

Consumers’ knowledge of cloud is a double-edged sword for most solutions providers. As the old adage goes, most of your customers probably know “just enough to be dangerous” when it comes to cloud solutions. We’ve talked before about your responsibility to take control of your customers’ cloud strategy, including educating them about the impact of cloud within their businesses. For those of you in Southern California, Ingram Micro has a little help lined up.

On Monday, Nov. 28, Ingram Micro and Chapman University will host a cloud computing symposium on the Chapman campus in Orange, CA. During the half day (4 to 7 p.m.) educational event, the two organizations will bring together top cloud computing experts from Ingram Micro, Appirio, KnowledgeCentrix and Chapman University. The group will offer insight about how businesses are harnessing the power of cloud computing to drive new technological advancements, speed innovation, and save money.

Among those speaking are: Dean Menas Kafatos, Chapman University; Renee Bergeron, VP of Managed Services and Cloud Computing, Ingram Micro; and Mario Leone, EVP and CIO, Ingram Micro; as well as Narinder Singh, CSO, Appirio; and Chris Andreozzi, President, KnowledgeCentrix.

This symposium is open to business owners and decision makers as well as IT professionals, so feel free to attend yourself, or better yet, bring some of our customers so they can hear about the power of cloud from some of the top experts in the field.

For more information and to register, click here. The event is free, but space is limited so make your reservation today!

By Gennifer Biggs for IM Cloud

Ingram Micro Supports Junior Achievement

Ingram Micro’s commitment to being a good partner goes beyond our vendor and reseller customers by embracing the communities in which we work, live and play. One way we do this is by focusing our community relations efforts on programs and organizations that promote education and technology.

Holding true to this philosophy, Ingram Micro’s Community Relations program recently supported the Junior Achievement (JA) of Orange County through donations of time, money and volunteers to help further the organization’s mission of inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy.

When Sal Sarabosing Jr., director controls & compliance, and member of the JA board of directors began planning for the organization’s 8^th Annual Stock Market Challenge, he recognized a direct tie-in to Ingram Micro’s Community Relations strategy of supporting non-profit organizations through education and technology – and thought the organization would be a good fit for Ingram Micro.

With a monetary donation of $5,000, four in-kind donations of large display screens donated by Epson Corporation and a team of Ingram Micro volunteer participants, Ingram Micro was able to help JA raise more than $113,000 at its Stock Market Challenge held on October 20, 2011.

At the event, teams of four engaged in a stock market simulation as realistic as it was fun and fast-paced. Using state-of-the-art computers and wireless technology, participants “traded” stocks over a 2-hour time period competing for the title of “Highest Return on Investments” and “Highest Portfolio Gross.”

While the Ingram Micro teams didn’t take the top titles during this year’s Challenge, a fun time was had by all and, of course, the ultimate winner was Junior Achievement!

Proceeds from the Stock Market Challenge event support the delivery of JA’s economic and financial literacy programs and could meaningfully impact more than 20,000 K-12 students in Orange County, Calif.

A huge thank you goes to all the Ingram Micro volunteers and attendees for their time, leadership and dedication to supporting this worthy organization and our local communities.

Ingram Micro Stock Market Challenge participants included:

• Laura Bautista, risk management manager
• John Lencioni, executive director & assistant controller corporate
• Erik Smolders, vice president & treasurer corporate
• Jerry Thompson, vice president, tax – corporate
• Damon Wright, investor relations senior director
• Farouk Yaftali, executive director, corporate development
• Mike Zilis, senior vice president & controller corporate

If you’re not familiar with Junior Achievement, it is the largest volunteer driven, not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating students about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. Junior Achievement programs help to prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Through skills and concepts learned in JA, students are able to put their knowledge into action, helping to improve the quality of their own lives, as well as strengthen their communities.

Welcome to the Ingram Micro Blog!

Greg Spierkel, CEO Ingram Micro

Welcome to the Ingram Micro Blog, a place where you can read about Information Technology (IT) industry impressions, trends, commentary and, of course, all things Ingram Micro. However, this is not a one-way street. We want this to be a place to share thoughts and ideas, so please comment, post and provide your unique perspective.

This is a milestone year for us, as 2011 marks the 15^th anniversary of Ingram Micro’s Initial Public Offering (IPO). It’s also my 14^th year with this great organization and during this time, I’ve seen a lot of changes in our industry. One thing, however, remains constant and that’s our dedication to you, our vendor and reseller partners. We are here to provide the innovative tools, resources, advice and service you need to be successful.

In just 15 years, Ingram Micro has grown from being “the best way to get IT from the people who make it to the people who use it,” to a company that delivers so much more. We’re the valued, strategic bridge that brings vendors and resellers together through a diversified mix of solutions — from financing and credit, market reach and demand generation, as well as new offerings such as Data Capture/Point-of-Sale, Mobility and Cloud.

As we commemorate the 15^th anniversary of our IPO by ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on November 15, we invite you to join us and celebrate our successes together. It’s because of you we’ve been in the business since 1979, and we’re just getting started. We’re committed to keep coming up with ways to help you grow and prosper.

It’s been a wonderful journey so far and I’m grateful to have you along as a partner. I look forward to our future together.

If you’d like to share some of your thoughts, experiences and memories about Ingram Micro over the past 15 years (or more), I encourage you to leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you.