Technology Reseller v32

CONNECTIVITY technologyreseller.co.uk 35 More links in the chain also PoE injectors that people were using to power the desk phones they took home, which we didn’t expect. They were plugging them into routers and needed power. Since May, we have seen a swing back to B2B-type products, to our business-class WiFi solutions and switching solutions. As our partners and, more importantly, their customers have returned, we have moved back to 65% business solutions and 35% consumer solutions, which is the ideal mix for us.” Managed services appeal D-Link sells its B2B solutions through a community of VIP Plus partners that benefit from training, incentives and rebates. Traditionally, it has concentrated on IT resellers, but with the launch of its Nuclias network management platform 18 months ago, Routledge says D-Link has become an attractive proposition for managed service providers (MSPs) as well. “We are signing lots of partners from the MSP channel. We are also seeing some of our traditional VIP Plus partners move to more of a service model than the pure supply of goods. Nuclias offers itself really well to that type of business.” He adds that D-Link has gradually been expanding the range of devices that can be managed remotely via the Nuclias platform, from Wi-Fi networks 18 months ago, to cloud-managed switches and soon cameras. Ultimately, the aim is to be able to manage any device across all deployment options. “There is a pure cloud solution, where we host the solution in the cloud; there is a software solution, so an MSP can host it themselves rather than using our hosted facility; there is also a Nuclias Connect Hub that allows the management piece to sit on the customer site. One of the by-lines we use in marketing is ‘Your WiFi managed your way’: on-site, managed by your provider or managed by us in the cloud.” New technologies Nuclias is one of the key pillars on which D-Link plans to build future growth. Another, as Technical Pre-Sales Engineer Craig Kirby explains, is new technology, notably WiFi 6 and 5G. “We are hitting 5G from two angles. One is portability, where we combine WiFi6 and 5G in one device to provide mobile connectivity as you move around and travel. The other is fail-over 5G connectivity, where we build 5G into a standard router with a firewall to protect your home network or business network so that should the ADSL/VDSL/fibre internet connection go down you can jump over to a 5G connection. “Something we have seen with 4G, and expect to see with 5G too, is people in certain parts of the country using 4G and 5G as their main connection, because they get better speeds, and using their (weak) ADSL connection as a back-up for sending email if there is a problem with 5G or they have run out of data or something like that.” Technology Reseller finds out about the growing opportunities offered by D-Link’s expanding and diverse product range If there’s one thing we have learnt during the coronavirus pandemic, it is the importance of connectivity and the requirement for ever more robust and secure links between multiple sites – home, office and cloud. With 35 years’ experience in routers and switches, a fast expanding product range with 400 to 500 SKUs, a diverse customer base and an expanding partner community, networking specialist D-Link is well placed to capitalise on this demand. “We have such a broad, high quality range and everybody wants more connectivity, so it is a good business to be in,” claims Paul Routledge, UK and Ireland Country Manager for D-Link. “We go from a £19.99 smart plug to a top-of-rack datacentre switch costing thousands of pounds, and have multiple products in between – IP surveillance cameras for professional and home use, indoors and outdoors; thermal cameras; WiFi for home use or business use. There are 400, maybe 500, SKUs in our price list.” As its product mix has continued to evolve, D-Link has become an increasingly interesting proposition for B2B resellers. “I became country manager in 2014 and at that time we were very active in the B2C marketplace,” explains Routledge. “We haven’t abandoned B2C, but over the last six years we have looked at developing the B2B side of the business more, even entering new areas like industrial networking for security solutions, construction, warehousing. At the end of last year, we got involved in the CrossRail project, supplying industrial network devices for tunnelling machines, which is a world away from a £19.99 smart plug. There are so many areas of business that we touch.” The benefits of having a diverse product range were demonstrated during lockdown when D-Link experienced a surge in demand for its B2C products, such as 4G Wi-Fi dongles and PoE injectors, as office workers strengthened their home networks. Now that businesses are re- opening their offices and reinforcing their IT infrastructure, Routledge is anticipating a swing back to the company’s B2B portfolio. “In April we had a massive swing to B2C products, mainly 4G products but continued... Paul Routledge