Brian Aebig
LAS VEGAS — As Hewlett-Packard Co. prepares to split into two companies — HP Inc. with the printing and personal systems business and HP Enterprise with the software, hardware and services business — distributor Avnet Canada likes where it’s sitting.
At HP’s Global Partner Conference, CDN caught up with Avnet Canada vice-president and general managed Brian Aebig not long after he accepted the distributor’s second consecutive award as HP Canada’s distribution partner of the year for enterprise.
While revenue may have been used to judge these awards in the past, with HP’s business changing profoundly it is seeking more to recognize solution-based selling and adding value, which is Avnet’s bread and butter.
“It was a great commentary that we provide with our partners,” Aebig said. “Winning for the second year in a row is a reaffirmation of what we’re doing and the success we’ve been achieving.”
While the drop in value of the Canadian dollar is impacting Avnet as it is all companies, when progress is tracked by in currency Aebig said Avnet Canada’s performance remains very strong.
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“Within the product portfolio, servers and storage are clearly the bread and butter. We’re seeing the dynamic in the industry move to cloud consumption models and that’s right in our sweet spot,” said Aebig. “We need to be right in the middle of that and be the ones driving that change for HP.”
When it comes to the split of HP that becomes effective Nov. 1, Aebig said it will mean little change for Avnet and should prove to be a positive for his business, which is nearly entirely focused on the HP Enterprise side of the company.
“Now 100 per cent of their efforts, their decisions and their investments will be in areas directly applicable to Avnet,” said Aebig. “Our partners tend not to be as enterprise-focused exclusively; they play on both sides of the house. Change is always difficult and can create some uneasiness, but there’s a general sense of optimism as well.”
As for the other recent big HP news — its intent to acquire Aruba Networks — Aebig gives the deal a thumbs up.
“We already have a strong relationship with Aruba and this can only be a good thing,” said Aebig.
For more, watch our video interview above.