Over the past couple of months, the EDGE360 team has been talking with IT Channel experts about the lessons learned from 2021 and what to expect in 2022. From major mergers and acquisitions, to supply chain issues, to shifting from hardware sales to Software-as-a-Service, there has been constant change for VARs these past couple of years. Yet, leaders at Cisco and TD SYNNEX see bright new opportunities on the horizon to support partner growth.
In this latest podcast episode, we spoke with Jay Denton, Senior Vice President and Global Cisco Partner Executive for TD SYNNEX, and Michael Perez, Director for Partner Operations at Cisco, to get their thoughts on how Cisco and EDGE partners can prepare for the year ahead.
One major shift that occurred in 2021 was the SYNNEX merge with Tech Data to bring together two of the biggest organizations in distribution. Now, as a larger organization with more resources, TD SYNNEX is uniquely positioned to help partners through some of the challenges that lay ahead.
“It was two sizable organizations coming together in what was very much a merger of equals to create the combined organization now called TD SYNNEX,” Denton explained. “At the end of the day, it is the best of breed type coming together as a larger organization with many more resources. Many of them very specialized, especially in the case of the Cisco business.”
“Our first impression from a Cisco perspective was…wow!” Perez commented. “Two of our largest and fastest-growing distributors were coming together with really strong Cisco relationships on both sides. Now, how do we build on the unique opportunities of being the largest distributor to deliver specialized and value add capabilities and to drive partner transformation? It’s great for Cisco, great for our partners, and we are excited to see how it moves forward.”
The EDGE program, which was developed in 2013, continues to provide partners with ongoing Cisco education, trainings, certifications, incentives, and other sales enablement tools to support partners’ businesses. And it will continue to evolve as partner needs and expectations shift.
“We are continuing with EDGE and it will be the signature go-to-market program for the combined entity,” Denton told us. As the program is refreshed, it will bring together the best of the previous “Momentum” program offered by TechData, while supporting the program’s existing elements designed to help engage, develop, grow, and extend a partner’s Cisco business.
The opportunities for Cisco partners to grow in 2022 are significant, according to Perez. “The momentum continues for us and our Cisco partners,” he told us. “The biggest opportunity we’re seeing for our Cisco partners is around hybrid work and security. I believe that will present itself across every segment from small businesses to large commercial to the public sector. And the need for our partners to respond to that demand in the coming year is going to position them for success.”
So, while there may be ongoing challenges that will remain in 2022, both Perez and Denton predict that staying adaptable, flexible, and aligning with partners that can provide VARs with the resources they need will translate into a successful year.
To hear how Jay Denton and Mike Perez sum up their predictions for 2022, please listen to the full podcast conversation here:
