Aggressive Lenovo targets HP and Dell VARs for server push

Chinese titan's EMEA channel boss talks us through big plans for newly expanded datacentre business

As it closes its acquisition of IBM's x86 server business, Lenovo is planning an aggressive channel landgrab as it sets its sights on becoming king of the datacentre.

The vendor's EMEA vice president of products and channels, Vincent Fauquenot, told CRN the vendor has big plans to grow its newly expanded datacentre business across the region, and hopes to woo HP and Dell partners.

"We are going to shake up the marketplace and hopefully [allow] partners to rebalance their business if 70 or 80 per cent of their business is with one supplier," he said. "There are huge opportunities to grow with mid-market and SMB organisations. We want to grow big time in this space and bring in lots of resellers – and those are not just existing [Lenovo] partners."

Lenovo's EMEA boss Francois Bornibus hinted at the scale of the firm's ambition when he pointed out that "two years ago, nobody expected us to become number one in the PC market". Adalio Sanchez – who will remain in place as the boss of the x86 business – claimed his new employer will give Big Blue's technology the firepower to replicate that success.

"Lenovo gives System x the scale it was missing to be able to compete in the marketplace," he said.

Fauquenot claimed that the breadth of Lenovo's computing offering – encompassing phones, tablets, PCs, and servers – will give it the edge over its US-based rivals.

"We are covering a breadth of product that nobody [else does]," he said. "We are working with phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, two-in-ones, entry-level servers and mid-market servers. HP doesn't have phones, and Dell doesn't have phones. We will keep on innovating."