Ingram ramps up digital signage push

IT channel companies can do much better in audiovisual market, says distributor

The audiovisual market, especially digital signage, is one of the few true growth areas for the IT channel and more providers should be exploiting the category, according to distribution giant Ingram Micro.

Raj Pandya, digital signage and pro-audiovisual category head at Ingram Micro, indicated that the distributor, which announced its digital signage team back in 2011, is driving for increased sales in this area.

"We need to try to enhance our participation in the market," he confirmed. "What we want to try to achieve is just a bit more around the whole involvement with digital signage and the value we are able to offer to partners."

He suggested that Ingram Micro's experience with the market so far leaves something to be desired when it comes to reseller involvement. The digital signage angle does represent "a bit of a different approach" for IT VARs, as they are not the traditional sellers of such offerings.

Since the relevant technologies are continuing to converge, the AV opportunity remains - it simply seems that IT players are not doing as well as they could be in this increasingly IP-and-networking-focused category.

"We're not going after the big AV integrators at this stage, but we see a huge amount of IP-based business going through the IP infrastructure business," Pandya (pictured, right) said.

"We're doing all the collaborating and the networking and the corporate clients. So why don't we work more with you to get the whole space?"

Corporate clients are demanding better corporate communications, and this often includes taking advantage of the opportunity to display information and content using signage applications that can be updated in real time, for example. And it is no "black art", he said.

"I think the growth in the audiovisual market is one of the few markets that is showing double-digit growth," Pandya continued.

Ingram's focus is to take a vertical, integrated approach to digital signage opportunities and it is looking to assist resellers of all kinds to win them, crossing from the actual signage sale into end-to-end solutions for different requirements, management software options and accoutrements such as smart displays, he said.

"We are finalising our reseller consultancy and training offerings," Pandya added.