NComputing getting into perfect shape

NComputing, one of the leaders in end-to-end desktop virtualization and providers of desktop computing solutions, is increasingly focusing on building a strong channel partner ecosystem. This is a part of its effort to address the requirements of customers from various segments such as education, SMB and enterprise, and have deeper penetration in the Indian market. Apparently, it is a 100% partner-centric organization and its revenue growth is essentially driven through channels.

The company realizes that effective presales and technical support are vital for its products to gain more acceptance in the market. Hence, it has invested significantly in building a team for the same. This team works very closely with partners and provides support to develop and deploy effective solutions. It has a technical support team in Chennai, that provides telephonic and Web support to both partners and customers.

For NComputing, the Indian market is divided into 4 regions (North, South, West and East). Each region is managed by a regional manager (RM), who reports to the channel sales director, Raj Kumar. Kumar drives the entire India channel business and reports to the Asia Pacific headquarters of the company.

The channel sales director is responsible for meeting the national channel revenue goals. His primary focus areas include formulating the strategy for channel expansion and productivity enhancement, managing distributor relationship, and implementing go-to-market strategies. The RMs are responsible for their region's channel revenue goals and their primary focus areas are increasing channel penetration, improving channel productivity through sales support and managing channel-partner relationship. "NComputing is equipped with a strong team, to support the channel partners comprehensively from demand generation to post sales support. Besides the technical team, the channel sales team is supported by the business development and marketing teams. The India sales team reports to the APAC headquarters in Singapore, managed by the VP for the APAC region," said Raj Kumar, director-channels India, NComputing.

With regards to the different layers of the model of operation, the company has Redington as the national distributor, that provides support to more than 500 premium partners and resellers in the country. Besides these, its partners also include OEMs, system builders and integrators, who provide end-to-end solutions to customers. This business structure helps NComputing to increase penetration in tier-2 and -3 cities by effectively addressing the requirements of both channel partners and customers. "While increasing channel penetration is our focus area, we are very careful in choosing the right partners. More than quantitative considerations, such as annual turnover and number of branches, we check whether the partner is able to understand the value of our technology and has conviction and capability to communicate the value to the customers as well. Success lies in identifying and enabling passionate partners. Of course, if the partner has significant presence in the education, SMB and enterprise segments, then it will be an added advantage," stated Kumar.

 

Kumar further highlighted, "Our products are being used in a cyber café in a rural place of Tamil Nadu near Kanyakumari, as well as in a school in Jammu and Kashmir. The major challenge for us is to reach customers located across India and communicate the benefits of our solutions. Building a strong channel network only will help us surmount this challenge."

In order to enhance the skill sets, NComputing conducts regular training programs for the sales and technical team members of channel partners. It also conducts webinars on a regular basis. The company puts major emphasis on training, as it believes that articulating the benefits of virtualization properly is essential for successful sale. Moreover, the partners must have technical capabilities to position and provide appropriate solutions, integrating NComputing products. And as its channel community expands, the company will implement new India-specific training initiatives this year, that will take place across multiple cities throughout the country.

Kumar asserted, "The channel partner group is an extension of the company's sales force that represents us in the market. We work closely with our channel partner base and together grow the business exponentially and move up to the next level. Our channel sales team supports our partners and we recognize and reward our top performers that contribute to business. NComputing invests on enabling, training and motivating partners across the country on a regular basis, besides conducting joint marketing activities and demo programs."