For a company that built a business model around disdaining the channel, Dell sure gets a lot of attention in the channel. And that is only about to intensify as the vendor changes its public attitude toward VARs, integrators and service providers.
As widely reported, after years of pretending it wanted nothing to do with the channel, direct-selling Dell finally has acknowledged that it does about $4 billion of business annually through channel partners, and the company is looking to launch a formal partner program by years end.
The vendors moves come as IT distributors, with which Dells own logistics apparatus competes, take steps to make their businesses more service oriented.