BlackBerry announced this week it has expanded its relationship with SYNNEX to include the BlackBerry Enterprise Mobility Suite, a suite of software and services for securing communications and managing access control to Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
The relationship between BlackBerry and Westcon-Comstor arm of SYNNEX already spans years in Latin America and Asia Pacific markets. SYNNEX is also a distributor of the BlackBerry Cylance endpoint security offerings and is now one of only two major distributors in the U.S. representing Blackberry’s entire portfolio. The other distributor is Carahsoft, which focuses on the public sector.
Blackberry currently has about 1,200 global partners, with 400 of them operating in the U.S., says Richard McLeod, vice president of enterprise software channels for BlackBerry. The IoT sector, expected to be valued in excess of $3 trillion by 2025, represents a major growth opportunity for BlackBerry partners, says McLeod.
“These solutions require super connectivity and ultra-security,” says McLeod.
However, not every channel partner is well suited to tap into an IoT opportunity that requires a keen understanding of the workflows that drive profit and growth within a specific vertical industry segment, adds McLead.
In most cases, IoT solutions will require channel partners to be able to combine application development, analytics, cybersecurity, and networking expertise in one offering. Some partners may elect to partner with others to attain that expertise, but it’s also clear a wave of mergers and acquisitions is being driven by the need for channel partners to develop expertise that goes beyond managing the deployment of IT infrastructure.
In the meantime, channel partners will be watching which vendors are looking to the channel to drive IoT solutions. Many large vendors appear to be taking many IoT contracts direct because the solution being developed are unique to a specific customer. Savvy channel partners, however, may not want to wait around for vendors define repeatable IoT frameworks for them before tapping into one of the biggest potential market opportunities to manifest itself in recent memory.
Be First to Comment