Andrew Diamond (Nutanix)
Ingram Micro has signed a distribution agreement with Nutanix in New Zealand, in a move designed to capitalise on the expanding hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) market.
Terms of the deal will see the distributor gain access to a portfolio spanning enterprise cloud, data centre and HCI solutions, backed up by alliance vendor partnerships.
Specifically, Ingram Micro will leverage existing agreements with Lenovo and Dell EMC in the market, with both vendors holding OEM arrangements with Nutanix.
“We’re still in the early stages of the adoption curve, but interest is rapidly accelerating,” Ingram Micro senior general manager of advanced solutions, Jason Langley, said.
“I expect 2018 to be the year HCI takes off on a logarithmic scale and with a market comprised of a high volume of SMB and mid-market businesses, New Zealand is an ideal landscape for HCI to resonate and proliferate.
“Nutanix is a leader in this field and we’re incredibly excited by what the next 12 months holds in store for us both.”
The announcement comes after Nutanix revealed new partner incentives for the channel, with the vendor expanding its standalone software license offerings with Dell EMC.
As reported by Reseller News, the new incentives include a rebate of up to five per cent for winning new Nutanix customers and a $3,000 per node, rebate for selling qualified Dell EMC XC core nodes with Nutanix software.
The new incentives aim to encourage channel partners to promote the latest infrastructure solutions, helping customers take advantage of new enterprise cloud technologies.
“HCI and enterprise cloud help businesses in New Zealand meet the often-conflicting demands of flexibility and managing outage risk, while providing an overall better TCO and easier-to-digest spending model,” Nutanix channel director A/NZ, Andrew Diamond, added.
“Because of the benefits these solutions provide, the New Zealand cloud market is maturing and growing at a rapid place with the hybrid cloud model as the centrepiece for managing all workloads.
“Ingram Micro is uniquely connected to partners at the heart of that growth and will help us extend our footprint in the region.”
Diamond was promoted to the role of channel director across A/NZ in December, having previously ran the Nutanix and Lenovo alliance locally.
Going forward, Diamond is responsible for leading the vendor’s channel business, while further developing existing partner relationships, as well as identifying new partnership opportunities on both sides of the Tasman.
“A direct engagement with Nutanix greatly enhances Ingram Micro’s HCI and cloud automation offerings in what is a rapidly growing segment,” Ingram Micro business manager of Lenovo and Nutanix, Kaz Otsubo, said.
“Given the volume of complementary vendors Ingram Micro already represents, our new partnership with Nutanix gives our channel partners easier access to comprehensive, best-of-breed, multi-vendor HCI solutions and technical expertise.”
In New Zealand, Otsubo said market demand for HCI and hybrid cloud solutions has increased over the last 18 months, particularly as businesses seek to optimise efficiency and flexibility while balancing the costs of running their complex IT environments.
“Our team embraced the advantages of HCI and hybrid cloud workloads early on and already has significant experience in helping channel partners sell Nutanix solutions through existing OEM partnerships,” Otsubo added.
“We have strong relationships with our broad, nationwide base of channel partners and as a result, Ingram Micro is well positioned to take immediate advantage of Nutanix solutions.”
