Industry Voice: Q&A with SGEF
CRN interviews SGEF’s Head of Technology Vendor, Vincenzo Scalzone on their involvement in this year’s CRN Channel Awards.
1. Why do you think awards like the Channel Awards matter?
It is important to celebrate achievements. The Channel Awards does exactly that, celebrating the greatness of UK resellers.
2. Why are you sponsoring the Channel Awards this year?
This is the second year Societe Generale Equipment Finance (SGEF) is sponsoring the Best Vendor of the Year Award, for us it is important to be there and show our support. SGEF has strong partnerships with Vendors such as Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks and Microsoft. All these Vendors are selling great technology products through channel partners. SGEF is helping Resellers sell more and more efficiently while supporting customers to get the right product at the right time by optimising their IT budget.
3. What would you say is your company's proudest achievement over the past year?
Our focus on circular economy. As a Technology Finance expert, SGEF is looking at innovative ways to create value for the channel while reducing the carbon footprint of customers. The climate impact of the use and procurement of IT products is an area that can be influenced within the framework of scope 3.
We propose solutions that are leading the tech industry into a transition towards the circular economy and sustainable user behaviour allowing customers to recycle, refurbish and reuse equipment, reducing their carbon footprint and help the planet. SGEF has partnered with international providers to develop devices as service arrangements that transform ways in which corporate customers consume technology. We help customers to maximise the lifetime of each of their devices by facilitating repair, upgrades and refurbishment through our eco-system of partners.
4. What have been the biggest challenges of 2023 so far and how have you overcome them? How have your people helped with that?
The continued rise of inflation in 2023 and the uncertainty created by the wars have discouraged some customers from making the necessary steps towards a renewal of their IT estate which would have been less energy intense and have a longer usage period. To help customers with that, SGEF has engaged in devices as a service arrangement by partnering with international providers that transform ways in which corporate customers consume technology. We help customers to maximise the lifetime of each of their devices by facilitating repair, upgrades and refurbishment through our eco-systems of partners.
5. How do you think the channel has changed over the past year and what changes do you think it still needs to make?
More green awareness and the shift to as a service, which results in the rise of the MSPs, is changing the channel and to some extent its role too.
6. What do you see as the main opportunities for the channel in the coming year? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?
We see green solutions and circular economy growing in the channel to help customers with scope 2 and 3 emissions. A good example is the Cisco Green Pay solution that SGEF is helping Cisco Systems to operate throughout its channel partners in the UK. This solution is helping customers to enter the circular economy and address their sustainability goals.
This Article is sponsored by SGEF.