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AMD has an image problem and the company knows it.
It is a distant second to processor market-share leader Intel Corp., and as such, it is often perceived as the one with the less-desirable product.
Pretty much all end users historically have gotten from AMD by way of marketing is the sense from print and online ads that machines with the vendors chips are cheaper.
And since “cheap” in this context has a dual meaning, the AMD brand has gotten stuck with both.
Perception of course is frequently out of sync with reality, but perception unchanged is perception become reality.
Now the vendor has a real opportunity to change that image through its efforts to build a channel infrastructure that acknowledges the existence of VARs, integrators, solution providers and ISVs in addition to the system builders that for years have been inserting AMD chips into low-cost machines.
The question is whether AMD is up to the task. For channel partners to lead with the AMD brand, the vendor had best be prepared to put some serious investment behind supporting the partners and marketing to end users.
In announcing the Commercial Channel Access Program, the company said a lot of the right things.
AMD is making available to partners a host of web-based resources, including white papers, product information and channel-specific customer support, all of which has unquestionable value.
