This is the story of how technology buyers sometimes learn about MigrationWiz – a tool that makes other things work better. Technology distributors offer a wide range of vetted products and cloud services through a single portal. This provides a high level of convenience, economies, and an opportunity to learn about the products that support the technology solutions customers are buying.
Lon Clark, Senior Director of Channel Sales at BitTitan, has seen how companies receive timely advice from their distributor – and how it makes the difference in a project’s success.
Lon tells the story of an enterprise company that was making a major investment in servers: “Their distributor discovered that they planned to migrate a chunk of their infrastructure. So they asked what tool they had in mind for the migration. They hadn’t considered that – perhaps thinking they’d be doing the migration manually. Fortunately, the distributor was able to introduce them to MigrationWiz and hook them up with the right licenses.”
Value added by distributors
Technology distributors offer more than one-stop shopping for equipment, software, and cloud-based solutions. Customers rely on them as aggregators and educators who cut the time it takes to research and acquire necessary technology. Distributors add value in many ways:
Vetted solutions – Distributors research, select, and test the products they offer to make sure buyers are confident they’re getting the highest quality solutions.
Education – Distributors help customers scope their projects so they have all the tools needed for success. This includes recommending the right MigrationWiz licenses when data migration is part of a project.
Bundled solutions – Distributors are increasingly creating packages based on marketplace needs. This is especially beneficial to small and mid-sized businesses that can now source everything they need in one place.
Purchasing power – Small and medium sized businesses and their technology service providers are often able to save money on purchases since distributors are buying in bulk. Think of it as a Costco warehouse for technology and cloud solutions.
Cash flow – By providing a single line of credit, technology distributors add significant efficiency to purchases, billing, and cost allocations.
Local market expertise – Distributors not only know the language and culture of their local market, they understand the business environment and practices – wherever they are in the world. This assures that nothing is lost in translation for important technology projects.
One-stop sourcing – Most distributors will set MSPs and ITSPs up with a single platform they can use to meet the needs of all their customers. This allows service providers to spend more time on technology projects and less on product sourcing, ordering, and invoicing.
The future of technology distribution
Technology distribution has evolved significantly with the growth of the cloud. Continued changes are on the horizon as distributors develop new ways to increase convenience for customers and partners.
“Distribution has changed in the cloud world,” said Lon. “Their focus is on enabling comprehensive technology solutions and educating their customers – not just moving product.”
The role distributors play in educating customers is expected to increase with the proliferation of technologies and their complexity. For example, companies are getting insights on how to maximize their use of Teams and get a handle on Teams sprawl. This means providing practical solutions for cleaning up collaboration environments and increasing overall productivity.
Whether you turn to technology distributors for large purchases, packaged solutions, or ongoing account management, you can also expect to occasionally be surprised and delighted with a recommendation for the perfect-fit technology tool. Perhaps MigrationWiz is your next Lego brick separator.
Lon Clark, Senior Director of Channel Sales at BitTitan, was recently named on of CRN’s 2021 Channel Chiefs. If you’d like to learn how technology distributors help their customers increase efficiency and save money, contact Lon today.
