5 Plans For Dell Partners In 2021: Channel Chief Rola Dagher

‘We look at the cloud as our new data center because of everything we’re going through,’ says Rola Dagher, Dell Technologies worldwide channel chief in an interview with CRN.

Dell’s Rola Dagher On 2021 Plans And Advice To Channel Partners

Dell Technologies worldwide channel chief Rola Dagher wants to make the channel partner experience more personalized and simpler in 2021, while also having plans in store to accelerate VMware’s value proposition within Dell.

Dagher, who became the $92 billion Round Rock, Texas-based company’s global channel leader in August, wants partners to dive deeper into hybrid cloud and as-a-service offerings in 2021.

“From a technology and innovation perspective, we look at the cloud as our new data center because of everything we’re going through,” said Dagher in an interview with CRN. “Then, the internet is the new network. So how do we continue to innovate to provide our partners the ability [to transform] because at the end of the day, technology is the enabler, but our partners are the ones who are going to help us transform. That’s what we continue to focus on. We’re going to launch all the changes in end of January. It’s exciting. Our team is so energized and we’re ready to roll.”

Here are five plans Rola Dagher has in store for Dell Technologies’ thousands of channel partners along with advice on where partners should invest in 2021.

Accelerate The ‘VMware Value Proposition With Dell Technologies’

When I’m talking to [VMware’s global channel chief] Sandy [Hogan], I talk about three things: activate, accelerate and elevate. How do we activate more of the VMware strategy with Dell Technologies, how do we accelerate it, and how to we elevate and actually go out there and amplify it. Because I will tell you, the relationship now is stronger than ever. To me, I look at VMware as the differentiator from value perspective in terms of speaking to a customer and that’s what customers are looking for, ‘Tell me what I can do that I’m not doing today and give me a value proposition to help me accelerate my business.’ So Sandy and I are on the same page.

We continue to talk about how to we accelerate and how do we go-to-market with our partners. Also, how do we engage our partners and internal sellers to start a conversation around VMware. Because at the end of the day, you hear me talk about changing workloads and that’s part of the conversation our team will make sure we’re accelerating around the VMware value proposition with Dell Technologies.

As-A-Service Is ‘Everything’

Everyone is talking as-a-service model and everybody is asking, ‘What does the model look like for us?’ At the end of the day, it’s the partners that are investing in as-a-service model that we’re investing in and making sure that every conversation that Bill [Scannell] has with Michael Dell and Jeff Clarke – as-a-service is everything.

We are the strongest in the industry that’s positioned to offer that end-to-end platform and the technology transformation journey. That’s when we talk about our client, our storage and with Project Apex bringing it in all together. That’s the focus on bringing all of our channel partners into those conversations. We need to also help them transform. We need to enable them and we need to empower them so they can go out there faster to the market.

‘Personalization’ Of The Partner Experience

From my perspective, the partner experience is everything that we’re actually aiming toward improving -- from tools and automation to improving the way we do business and how partners do business with us. We’re doing continuous simplifications around the partner experience because we’re living in a world where it’s all about the experience and the personalization. That’s what we’re focusing on: the partners experience in terms of personalizing what it is they’re trying to do.

The partner experience is what we’re focused on [in 2021], anything that’s going to make it easier, simplified and more profitable for our partners.

Advice For Partners In 2021: ‘Invest In The Cloud Because It’s The New Data Center’

I would tell our partners, invest in the cloud because it’s the new data center. Invest in committing to ensuring that our customers understand that the internet is the new network for the world because identity is our new perimeter which is around security.’ That would be my technology advice for partners.

From a technology and innovation perspective, we look at the cloud as our new data center because of everything we’re going through. Then, the internet is the new network. So how do we continue to innovate to provide our partners the ability [to transform] because at the end of the day, technology is the enabler, but our partners are the ones who are going to help us transform. That’s what we continue to focus on. We’re going to launch all the changes in end of January. It’s exciting. Our team is so energized and we’re ready to roll.

Advice For Partners In 2021: Invest In People’s Mental Health And Safety

I would tell partners that they have to invest in their people. Today, it starts and ends with people. They have to invest in their people’s mental health, in their people’s safety and they have to provide a workforce environment that is going to help people adjust to the new normal, because I don’t think anyone is going to go back to where we were before.

It’s all around providing a safe environment for people because once you invest in people, your return on investment is ten-times back. … Lead with people and purpose, then the profit just follows.