IBM partners give One Channel Team tentative thumbs up
Partners hopeful new single entity will eradicate siloed approach to channel
IBM partners have cautiously welcomed the formation of the IBM One Channel Team, expressing hope it will eradicate Big Blue's siloed approach to the channel across its various brands, and between its hardware and software businesses.
Unveiled earlier this month, One Channel is IBM's attempt to create a single entity managing all partner activities, encompassing its software, STG and ISV teams, as it drives into cloud, mobile, security and analytics.
In the UK, the new structure sees software channel leader Rebecca Smith, ISV leader Jenny Tydeman, STG channel director Andrew Gill and partner coverage leader Jeff Medway all reporting to newly crowned vice president of global business partners, UK and Ireland, James Edwards.
Partners bringing together several IBM components into a wider solution have in the past often had to simultaneously deal with disparate marketing, sales and partner teams with distinct philosophies, a scenario they hope One Channel Team will end.
Shamus Kelly, director of IBM partner Portal, said the announcement "appears obviously positive" to partners.
"Historically there have always been some silos with duplicated and separate leadership teams to work with," he said.
"This is true even just across the Software Group where different software brands could be operating differing channel partner philosophies. Partners like Portal, working for example with both mobile software and enterprise social software, would have had two routes to pursue in terms of planning market development. And that is without additional teams involved in including sales of IBM's cloud infrastructure solution, SoftLayer.
"The more this is simplified with a single unified channel team through One Channel, the better."
Chris Roche, managing director of Celerity, said the move "can only be a good thing", adding that IBM Software had not always been channel friendly.
"If they are now all singing from the same hymn sheet, rather than five or six, it makes life easier for everyone," Roche said.
"We doubled our software number last year and have a number of managed services contracts. But the experience with IBM Software is that it has not always been the easiest group to deal with – they would take deals direct if they could. They haven't always been channel friendly but that is changing and we are seeing more go through the channel."
In an email sent to partners, seen by CRN, Edwards said the One Channel Team would deliver simplicity and consistency to IBM partners.
"Our mission is to strengthen our partnership with you and accelerate delivery of value to our clients through alignment to strategic growth opportunities in cloud, analytics, mobile, social and security solutions," Edwards said.
"IBM has invested over $25bn (£16bn) in delivering market-leading products to address these new market opportunities which are the areas of most interest to our mutual clients."