Lenovo Channel Chief Rob Cato: AI Offers 'Huge Opportunity' For Partners
'AI offers the partners a huge opportunity to really sit down and consult with their customers in a new and different way, and opens up new opportunities for them in terms of services. Lenovo has got the depth and breadth of the portfolio, not only on the client side, but as you start to move into the data center and even the services around that. So we're super excited about it,' Lenovo Channel Chief Rob Cato tells CRN.
Lenovo channel chief Rob Cato told CRN the tech giant has a full suite of AI PCs as well as the partner program in place to help solution providers drive the value of its next-generation devices to customers.
“With the Lenovo 360 program, they’re able to tailor that around their AI journey. Both the partners as well as the customers are taking that same journey,” he said. “And so we'll have some very curated content and capabilities that we can provide, collaboration materials, for them to be able to help their customers as they start down that journey.”
As the number one PC brand by market share, the Beijing and Morrisville, NC hardware maker is betting on a massive 2025 driven by a PC refresh of the 1.5 billion PCs in operation throughout the globe. Lenovo is also making bets in data center with an expanded lineup of liquid-cooled servers and a pending acquisition of Israeli-based storage powerhouse Infinidat.
Lenovo is expecting overall sales to grow in the mid- to high-single digits for the year as demand for AI fuels the need for higher and better compute. With 80 percent of the company’s commercial revenue flowing through the channel, the technology represents a chance to win deals and lean into a new expertise, Cato said.
“AI offers the partners a huge opportunity to really sit down and consult with their customers in a new and different way, and opens up new opportunities for them in terms of services,” Cato told CRN. “Lenovo has got the depth and breadth of the portfolio, not only on the client side, but as you start to move into the data center and even the services around that. So we’re super excited about it. A lot of things for the partners to be able to take advantage of not only on the product side, but then also on our program side as well.”
CRN talked with Cato during his visit earlier this month to CES 2025 in Las Vegas where the company’s PCs were decorated with awards from the show as well as recognition from across the industry. Below is an edited transcript of the conversation.
It seems like there’s a lot of excitement around some of the new Lenovo devices. What should partners be taking away from this?
I've actually had some meetings with a few this week and the biggest takeaway is that you've now got a full portfolio of products.
PCs that are full AI-capable for customers that are ready to go ahead and make that journey or take that next step. With the new announcements around our new ThinkPad X9 with the Aura edition, you've got some really cool features and functionality.
Now with the Lenovo 360 program, they’re able to tailor that around their AI journey. Both the partners as well as the customers are taking that same journey. And so we'll have some very curated content and capabilities that we can provide, collaboration materials, for them to be able to help their customers as they start down that journey.
So that's what we want to focus on with them. We've got managed service providers. We've got GSIs, obviously. You've got your national solution providers as well. So we've got content and capabilities for all of them that we can provide.
I'd love to talk about the chip race to whatever extent you can talk about it. I know Lenovo has pursued silicon diversity in its supply chain and products, but some of the chips are new to the channel. Where are partners finding success with Qualcomm PCs for instance?
Obviously each one of them has their value-add that they're bringing to the table. And obviously Qualcomm, early into the AI PC space. Last year, they were the first to market, and they had a relationship that they developed, specifically with Microsoft, and were able to really take advantage of Copilot and start leveraging that.
What I've seen so far is a lot of customers who are testing the waters, and understanding what the value is that Qualcomm brings. They’re certainly capable around extended battery life and some other things that they're pushing pretty hard out of the market, but they've also got to continue to work with the ISVs to make sure that the product and the software and the hardware work very well together.
I think that's the stage that you're in. Now that you’ve got both AMD and Intel releasing their new chips that kind of levels the playing field, if you will, across the AI space. And so working with all three of them, and each one of them, again, also for partners, has their own unique value in terms of programs and other things that they're bringing to the table in terms of resources, etc.
What I'm really focused on right now, back to your point, is working with the partners, making sure they understand the Lenovo 360 value that we're bringing with our programs, and then, frankly, letting them make the decision with their customers, which is the right chip set to to put forth in their environment.
What are the speeds and feeds that are making it real for them? Is 45 versus 70 TOPs? Is it NPUs? I mean, is that exciting people, or what is it driving this?
I don't see a lot of my partners today really talking speeds and feeds, as much as really understanding their environment, what they're trying to get done. What are their pain points? How do we help go solve that?
And so that's where we're coming from a lot of times is making sure that when we're putting content out there, we're designing it, they can go out to our communication center, and this will actually be one of the new features that we're launching later this year, being able to actually get the content that they want for their needs.
And so whether that's through the Lenovo Solutions Hub, or through the Marketing Center for the collateral that they need to be able to pitch to the to the to their customer. Partners will be able to do that. So that's where we're focused a little bit more than on speeds and feeds right now.
Rob, what’s the message to partners around AI here early in 2025?
I think AI offers the partners a huge opportunity to really sit down and consult with their customers in a new and different way and opens up new opportunities for them in terms of services.
And so this part of the portfolio that we're obviously excited about launching here at CES.
It just gives them the knowledge that Lenovo has got the depth and breadth of the portfolio, not only on the client side, but as you start to move into the data center and even the services around that. So we're super excited about it. A lot of things for the partners to be able to take advantage of not only on the product side, but then also on our program side as well.
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