What future for the hybrid?

Ingram Micro's acquisition of CCD is probably the biggest acquisition of the year in the channel and it is a very interesting move.

Yirrell: SCH is the only hybrid giant now remaining in the UK

It is widely known that Ingram has wanted to get into the enterprise space for some time, and acquisition was the best way forward.

We at CRN have known about this deal for many weeks. In fact, Johan Vandenbussche told me it was probably one of the worst-kept secrets in the industry this year ­ but until everything was signed, it was still just a rumour.

The move presents an interesting situation for the hybrid model.

We are left with just one hybrid giant in the UK now: SCH. As Sir Peter Rigby said
at the CRN Channel Conference last month, the businesses are kept separate and operate in different markets.

Computacenter is now purely a services and infrastructure giant ­ which is where its strengths lie ­ and I’m sure it will make some acquisitions to further ramp up business.

The sale reminded me of Intechnology, which sold its distribution business to Arrow in 2006. As a result, both firms have gone from strength to strength and another hybrid was laid to rest.

I wonder how much longer the hybrid model will survive. What do you think?

Sara Yirrell is editor of CRN ­. Contact her at [email protected]