Ingram Micro unveils VTN to UK channel

Distribution behemoth is looking to attract SMB-focused resellers to its successful scheme which helps drive business growth through collaboration

Ingram Micro is bringing its reseller collaboration scheme to the UK for the first time since it was launched in the US 15 years ago.

Known as VentureTech Network or VTN, the scheme aims to encourage resellers to collaborate, exchange best practice and partner with one another on business opportunities, as well as share advice on business, HR and legal issues.

The distribution giant has appointed a UK president, in the form of Mark Williams (pictured, right), partner and alliances director at Wavex, whose job will be to recruit members to the UK scheme and co-ordinate meetings and information exchange.

It also has a dedicated UK programme manager within the company, with Penny Thompson (pictured centre) taking up the mantle of programme manager VTN UK.

Brent McCarty (pictured left), managing director of Ingram Micro UK, said the scheme has been a roaring success in the US and Canada.

“We have a huge set of customers across North America, and this helps to improve visibility for resellers to get more visibility with vendors. We have around 450 in the US and 100 in Canada. It is a reseller-led initiative, Ingram Micro is the just the hosting body for VTN,” he said.

McCarty added that the scheme benefits Ingram because it allows the firm to ask partners how it can help them grow their position in their markets.

The North American partners meet twice a year, resulting in about 1,000 people in one room, he explained, with smaller "chapter" meetings taking place throughout the year.

Lauding the benefits of the scheme, Mark Williams said: “Historically I have been disappointed with distribution, there has been little trust and a lot of resellers just look at them based on price. There has also been a lot of rhetoric from them about them helping resellers to build their business.

“But when I saw VTN I thought it was something different and something that has not been done in the UK market before. With the leadership from the Ingram side it has been a success in the US and it is a formula which will work in the UK and across EMEA.”

He said he had been out to a recent VTN meeting in the US, and was impressed with what he saw. “It was a lot like a Microsoft WPC conference and the partners were really into it. VTN has a very focused programme on MSPs to help them grow and evolve their business. It is something that smaller resellers need to help them get to the next level. There is around $2bn of revenue going through VTN in the US,” he added.

Although the members of VTN do compete, they compete on only one level, and to become a member requires an understanding of how they do compete.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for a lot of people to get a bigger voice and make money in a controlled manner,” Williams added. “The thing about the UK is we are very insular and don’t want to share, but it is the best way to grow.”

There are currently about 12 partners signed up in the UK, with around 16 more set to attend the first VTN meeting in Weybridge, Surrey this week.

Ingram’s Penny Thompson said that to qualify as a VTN member, resellers have to be focused on the SMB market, need to be an independent reseller and have two salespeople who visit customers.

She added: “They would also need to be an Ingram Micro partner, with a ‘reasonable percentage’ of their business coming through us.”