TD Synnex Emphasizes Networking Business Opportunities with Ruckus in Central America and the Caribbean

Sebastián Ulloa, Vendor Manager Leader for CSA at TD Synnex

According to Sebastián Ulloa, Vendor Manager Leader for CSA at TD Synnex, the networking business is currently valued at more than US$ 500 million in the region: “Nowadays, customers are investing no less than 50% in infrastructure upgrades, wired or wireless,” he said. He also referred to the channel profile they are recruiting to serve this business.

Although the executive acknowledged that during the first year of the pandemic the network segment has been very affected, he affirmed that today there is a demand related to the boom in hybrid work, and pointed especially to verticals such as the hospitality and education sectors, which have had to speed up their modernization. He added: “We see, for example, that sectors such as finance, retail, logistics, have turned all their efforts to ensure that they are at the forefront with these new technological needs for these networks”.

In that sense, he pointed out that the network needs are no longer the same as they were before the pandemic began since even at home, users are looking for new technologies. “In the specific case of Rukus, in 2020 we had Wi-Fi 5, and today, in addition, we have Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6e,” he added.

Differentials

Ulloa emphasized the main differentials of Ruckus’ portfolio to meet these new market demands: firstly, he referred to its simplicity: “It interoperates with any other vendor in the market and is very easy to use. Nowadays, it is not so easy for companies to invest in an IT resource to maintain their internal infrastructure, so if you sell this client a solution that does not require maintenance, it will be much easier,” he said.

He also mentioned the robustness of the brand’s portfolio: “They have the best performance ratio in the market, which means that you will need two or three from another manufacturer for what you can do with one of Ruckus’ equipment,” he said.

Opportunity for the channel

“I believe the investment opportunity is on the table, that is, the network market is growing rapidly.
To put the business in context, at this moment the network business is a business that for Central America and the Caribbean means more than US$ 500 million dollars; where currently customers are investing no less than 50% of their IT budget in infrastructure upgrades, either wired or wireless, that is, basically the portfolio that is working with Ruckus, “said the interviewee.

“Right now there is a very strong need to turn all investment efforts to networks versus what might have been previously, for example, on endpoint or automation issues.”

In that sense, the interviewee said that the role of TD Synnex for these channels is to be their “copartner” so that “both can develop and challenge the needs each of their customers have, meeting their specific requirements in addition to offering cross-vendor activities, which helps them to provide solutions and bring more deals to the table”.

The executive also referred to the channel recruitment in the region: “We are looking for partners who sell solutions, with a profile so that they can understand the need, transform it in such a way that the client does not see it as a transaction but, on the contrary, that they are selling a solution to their initial problem,” he said.

“We are looking for a channel that addresses those efforts towards new technologies, such as IoT or business analytics, that is a consultant that focuses on new trends, for example, in Cloud areas.”

“Of course, from TD Synnex, we also ensure that each of those solutions are tailored to the needs not only of the end customer but of that type of channel we are looking for so that we can leverage that ecosystem in the best possible way,” Ulloa added.

“Ruckus has always been known for being at the forefront of networking. We were the first to announce Wi-Fi 6 equipment, we are the first manufacturer to announce Wi-Fi 6e equipment and the same is happening with wired networking with the switch portfolio.”

Finally, the executive stressed that “all Ruckus solutions offer high quality technical assistance services with industry professionals, specialists in each of these areas of technology,” in addition to the wholesaler’s own team, which also has a specialized engineering and support team. However, he clarified that the brand’s equipment “has an extremely low failure rate.”