IBM Streamlines Executives Into 'One Channel Team'

IBM formally took the wraps off of its new "One Channel Team" channel operations strategy Tuesday, which it says will fuel new growth for an emerging breed of partners via a simpler, more consistent and streamlined channel organization.

"The need for transformation by partners, to deliver comprehensive data and cloud solutions to partners, has never been greater. And that’s why we have created the One Channel Team, which is designed to help partners build skills, drive new demand in the marketplace and increase profitability," said Marc Dupaquier, general manager, IBM Global Business Partners, during the opening session at IBM's PartnerWorld Leadership Conference in Las Vegas.

Dupaquier said the revamped channel group more tightly aligns core IBM business units, including SoftLayer, Watson, security, mobile, systems, services and analytics, into a unified channel team. "As IBM continues its move to higher value solutions in strategic markets, we are helping business partners solve business challenges for clients by providing them deeper skills, collaborative tools and new growth opportunities," Dupaquier said.

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"With the One Channel Team, we've built a strong, dynamic partner ecosystem that is designed to make it easier for business partners to build more profitable lines of business," Dupaquier said, addressing thousands of IBM partner attending the conference.

For partners, the move to a One Channel Team couldn't have come sooner. Chris Gabriel, CTO of Logicalis, a longtime traditional IBM partner that sells System z, Power and analytics solutions, said that IBM's channel was becoming outdated as solutions became more complex, requiring a more horizontal approach to solutions vs. a vertical approach.

"Working with IBM has been a hit-or-miss as our needs become more complex," said Gabriel. "We are transforming our own business and it's nice to see IBM transform right along with us. With so many different IBM product groups, it makes sense to bring them under one roof. It couldn’t have happened sooner."

Thierry Roux, CEO of QSL Group, a French IBM partner and ISV that does close to 15 percent of its business in North America, said IBM’s channel had lacked a unifying structure and the One Channel Team is a welcomed change.

"We'll be watching carefully to see what happens in real life over the next couple of months,’ Roux said. Bringing all IBM channel teams under one streamlined management team would streamline QSL Group's IBM business as well, he said, allowing the company to be more profitable and put more time in going to market with Big Blue solutions as opposed to navigating several different channel incentives across a half-dozen business units.

IBM Tuesday also introduced a new Watson reseller program, the expansion of its Business Transformation Initiative workshops to include 300 new offerings, an increase in co-marketing funds aimed at digital and social campaigns and increased compensation and incentives around IBM Power systems, storage and services.

Dupaquier made his pitch to what it said was one of the most diverse PartnerWorld audiences ever, including ISVs, MSPs and traditional storage and services partners. For the past year, IBM has been placing a stronger focus on systems integrators, ISVs and born-in-the-cloud business partners. The company says it has added 10,000 new partners, 620 of which were in attendance this week.

By creating the One Channel Team, IBM frees up resources to recruit and help develop new business partners and partner types, Dupaquier said.

IBM’s launch of the One Channel Team comes as the company steps up its courting of higher-value services and the partners that are most tightly aligned around strategic opportunities including cloud, analytics, mobile and security.

During the opening session of PartnerWorld, Dupaquier was joined on stage by a number of IBM business unit leaders including Robert LeBlanc, senior vice president, Software and Cloud Solutions Group, who discussed keys.

"The cloud is allowing companies to transition and transform and reinvent themselves and redefine their industry and make more money," LeBlanc said. To reinforce how IBM is more tightly aligning business units in favor of one that works more horizontally than vertically, LeBlanc said that IBM's cloud and mobile team were now joined at the hip driving new solutions for partners.

"Mobile is driving the cloud and the cloud is driving mobile," LeBlanc said. "That's why we put the leadership for cloud and mobile together."

As part of IBM’s move to a One Channel Team, it said it consolidated Big Blue's Global Business Partner teams from other business units within the company, creating a new unified channel team. Dupaquier added that the move will give individual business units clearer roles and responsibilities, increased scope and tighter alignment with sales for improved transaction management for partners.

"It's about the solution, not just about the technology," said Steve Mills, senior vice president and group executive, Software and Systems, IBM.

PUBLISHED FEB. 10, 2015