Interviews

"Indian market is challenging, passionate and something close to our hearts"

by VARINDIA 2014-09-22

Maurits Tichelman,
Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group, Intel.

Despite the trend in the APAC region that points to the use of a huge number of mobile devices, Intel was slow in getting into the segment. But in view of the entry of new local players into the mobility segment, the company is now capitalizing on it.Talking about global trends, there are somewhere around 750 new brands that have announced their own tablets. Of those, today, there are 300 active players in the eco-system, built around Intel-based technology.

Apart from providing CPUs, Intel helps them build the eco system. So if entrepreneurs in South-East Asia or in India want to build a market specific eco-system, then Intel can help them develop the solutions. Additionally, the company wants to add more value in terms of technology and knowledge in verticals such as the fast-developing Internet of Things (IoT), and make sure that our customers are ready to use the opportunity when the IoT community is built."Starting this year, a separate content repository in the form of an IoT will exist on the ITP portal, and help the channel learn about IoT solutions and provide guidance on selling to end customers," says Maurits Tichelman Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group, Intel.

Boosting Channel Power…

There are specific trends that have and will continue to drive Intel’s channel strategy in India. There is exponential growth in the Indian market, beyond metros that is providing ample opportunities for channels to tap this under penetrated market. The final goal is to make technology understandable for the end-user, whether consumer or business. "What is essential for the channel partners is to understand our offering, before advising customers," views Maurits.

Channel being an important aspect for Intel, the company is looking forward to invest immensely in its channel strategy by improving its training capabilities for channel partners. For instance, Intel has been evangelizing the channel eco-sphere through the 2400+ Intel Technology Providers in the state of Tamil Nadu and encouraging the adoption of Intel based products in the region. This year Intel has hosted seven Intel Channel Symposiums across the country.

The company believes in helping channel partners grow in their respective regions. Intel’s strong and long running membership program has been crucial in this regard, and the backbone of its channel engagements. In the year 1995, Intel had launched a membership program called the Genuine Intel Dealer program; over the past nineteen years, the program, now known as Intel Technology Provider program has evolved to keep up with the changing channel dynamics with over 20,000 technology providers registered across India.The Intel Technology Providers have been an integral part of Intel’s growth story in India. The company has one of the longest running channel programs in India and the ITP program has evolved with time to keep up with the changing dynamics of the channel.

The Intel Channel Symposium (ICS), held every year across locations, is another platform to showcase the latest range of desktops, mobile devices, servers, devices enabling Internet of Things and security devices based on Intel processors.

Intel is also working on evolution of online activities for channel partners and making the online content more customized for partners.

The road ahead …

Given that India is one of the most technologically aware and sound markets, Intel's task here is challenging, yet passionate. Each market comes with unique opportunities and challenges. Given the fact that one strategy doesn’t fit all markets, Intel has to apply different strategies. "The biggest challenge in India will be its diversity, and with the large scope of varied target customers we have here, it is important to have a regional outlook," states Maurits.

One of the main areas of focus for Intel is the desktop strategy, which aims to reinvigorate the category through compelling new form factors, including the Next Unit of Computing and portable All in Ones, to remodel themthrough brand new usage models and experiences.New personal computing form factors such as tablets and 2 in1s are also an excellent growth opportunity for Intel and its channel partners.

The other big growth opportunities include the IoT and Servers. Intelligent systems play a huge part in fuelling the IoT mainly through Digital Signage, Intelligent storage, POS and Surveillance, Cloud Services, SMEs, and Workstationscontinue to fuel server growth.

samrita@varindia.com