Dell Plans Partner-Led Services Model

Dell Plans Partner-Led Services Model

 By Ramdas S, CRN, October 14, 2011

Dell is eying systems integrators with specific skill-sets to grow its branded services business. The company also plans to integrate its latest acquisitions to build a larger services portfolio, and intends to do so through a partner-centric model.

“In the past three years since we introduced the channel model at Dell, we have made significant progress in the consumer, SMB and commercial segments. We are further augmenting our GTM to provide our vast and growing channel ecosystem an opportunity to have a bigger play by enabling them to sell and co-deliver Dell branded services,” said Tim Griffin, VP, Dell Solutions & Services, Asia Pacific & Japan.

According to Griffin, Dell has already expanded the channel play in the selling and provisioning of its various post-sales services under the Dell Gainz and Global Commercial Channel programs; these include extended warranty, advanced warranty and other value-added support offerings.

“We today provide onsite support in 650 cities, and it’s delivered completely through partners. Our plan now is to get partners with niche expertise to co-deliver advanced Dell services to customers. We are in the process of floating a separate program for Dell services which will be part of the Global Commercial Channel Program,” Griffin said.

Services that would be co-delivered range from consulting and integration to testing, business process automation, infrastructure management, configuration and deployment.

Two services that Dell will soon start offering through partners are systems management and cloud integration services. Dell has inherited these capabilities through its acquisition of Kace Networks and Boomi respectively.

In addition, Dell has decided to take its Global Commercial Channel Program beyond class-A cities. “The expanded program will now be made available in 105 cities. We have doubled our channel management team for the same,” said Suresh Reddy, General Manager, Global Commercial Channels, Dell India.