New Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Channel Chief On Not 'Fishing Where Everyone Else Is'

‘I think there’s an opportunity to get at the market and drive growth in customer value in a way that isn’t necessarily going head-to-head with the competition always because a lot of people go to the same place,’ Matt Cook, the company’s new senior vice president of global partner sales, tells CRN.

Matt Cook, the new head of global channel for Ericsson Enterprise Wireless, has a few big ideas on how to unify Ericsson, Cradlepoint and Ericom partners as they shift away from selling point solutions to selling a next-generation portfolio of 5G connectivity and private networking offerings.

Ericsson Enterprise Wireless is the combination of the company’s wireless portfolio with Cradlepoint, which Ericcson bought in 2020 for $1.1 billion, as well as cloud security specialist Ericom. Cook, who has held channel leadership positions at Ciena and Cisco Systems, has been tasked with leading global partner sales for the business unit and, to do that, he wants to simplify the partner program and engagement model across the once-disparate companies while keeping in mind different partner dynamics and playing to their strengths. He has plans to foster growth and profitability, particularly in international markets, by making the global local.

Ericsson’s portfolio is timely, considering the increasing demand for edge networking, security and new forms of connectivity, such as private 5G. In fact, many of these offerings are complementary opportunities for partners. With the Enterprise Wireless portfolio including cutting-edge technology from Cradlepoint and based directly on Ericsson technology, it’s granting partners the ability to build full-on wireless practices for enterprises.

Cook talked with CRN about his new role, his vision for the global channel and the big opportunities for partners. Here’s what he had to say.

With Cradlepoint now rolled under Ericcson, where are the big opportunities for partners?

As you look at this merger of multiple companies into one group, it’s one of those things where you just contemplate the investment that Ericcson made—it’s billions. That’s really the message that I want the partners to see As you look at this merger of multiple companies into one group, it’s one of those things where you just contemplate the investment that Ericcson made—that this isn’t just a matter of bolting on one or two companies. Cradlepoint has been bolted in for the last three years, but this is really about bringing these companies together into one culture. That culture affects employees. It also affects the partners. And so, there’s some work to do because right now when you look across Ericom, Cradlepoint and Ericsson, it is three different approaches to partners, three different types of partners, three different program types, three different philosophies, and how you spend money in MDF and growth, or how you price. So, for me, the [first] thing is, focus on that culture of employees as well as the partners and get it to where it’s a simplified connection between the two. And when I say ‘simplified,’ there’s work to be done on the program. I’ve never heard a reseller really enjoy an overcomplicated program and I’ve never heard a reseller say, ‘I like three different programs from the same vendor.’ So that’s going to be one. It’s going to be simple.

Two, we’re going to focus on business growth together, making markets together. Especially as you’re looking in international markets, there’s markets to be made. There’s opportunities there, especially when I see the investments that are going into 5G infrastructure being made in the U.K. and Germany and in Australia. I think there’s opportunities there for us to grow with our partners. When I look at infrastructure investments being made in the U.S., for example, you’re starting to see the government let go more funding for infrastructure development for cellular, private networks, as well as fixed wireless, things of that sort. I think there’s an opportunity for us, with our partners, to provide some really good solutions out there to the cities and communities that are needing it. Or, if you’re looking at verticalization across manufacturing, there’s opportunities for us to attack those types of markets together. So really this combined portfolio is what I see as opportunity if we get the people part right, if we focus on the culture of our people and the culture of our partner community and simplify the way we communicate and engage with each other, I think there’s a large opportunity for us to unlock.

Can partners expect one partner program across Ericcson?

As we’re moving forward, we are Ericsson Enterprise Wireless. We took the cultures of each of the companies. I’m not deleting Cradlepoint culture any more than I’m deleting Ericsson culture, but there is a new culture that emerges when you bring all of these together and create one that works for everybody. I think it’s complicated for VARs to manage too many programs when they are too detailed, so I want to get back to the simplification of: How do we grow and how do we get business done? And that means a relook at incentives, not to cut, but to really think through what makes sense for the enterprise market. How do we harness the power of the full portfolio and the full platform to target these markets and build these customers together? And I don’t think that’s a product-by-product requirement and different incentive mix and things like that. We want to go out there and sell the platform, not a bunch of point products.

What do partners need from you to sell the Ericsson platform, not point products?

Definitely a lot of enablement and awareness. We’re going to have to get the resources out there and open to books as far as what these products are, how they fit together, and what the advantages are in talking about it in this way. I think that a lot of the partners are potentially already using some of these technologies or selling some of these technologies. One thing I’m seeing is that they are two different channels. One works with distribution, a reseller type, whereas legacy Cradlepoint works with more of those VARs that the traditional IT world knows. The WWTs, the ePluses. The thing that’s going to be interesting is, how do these products cross-pollinate? I definitely see a play for both sides, but then it’s how do you equalize these programs and bring it to a point where you have, for one, partners on equal footing, and then two, you’re continuing the strategy and mentality of rewarding that partner who’s driving that value, who’s creating the opportunity, who’s got the customer relationship, and really standing by those partners who are bringing those full solutions to their customers and making sure that they benefit from it from a profitability perspective and continued growth perspective.

How will your experience at Ciena and Cisco help you in your new role leading the channel for Ericsson?

Anybody who’s worked with me knows that I get to solutions of growth a little bit alternatively. Whether you call it blue ocean strategies; I don’t like to fish where everybody else is at. So, in talking about the way Ericsson traditional channel partners were versus the Cradlepoint channel partners, I think there’s an opportunity to get at the market and drive growth in customer value in a way that isn’t necessarily going head-to-head with the competition always because a lot of people go to the same place, and if there’s already three different manufacturers there, that may not be the right place for me. We could probably solve the problem a different way. So, one thing is getting there alternatively. The other thing is I enjoy [taking] ideas from other industries. For example, [in a past role] I helped this vendor create their multinational program. I got that idea by flying on three different [airlines], but I bought one ticket. It had nothing to do with IT. It’s just an idea from another industry that can be impactful if you bring it to our industry.

We’d like to bring things first to the market, but it’s not first to the world. These ideas exist. They just might exist in a different industry that makes a lot of sense here if you if you think about how to make it work. So, I would say that you’d probably expect to see a little bit more of that. I think you’d also see that when it comes to employee and partner integration, I definitely look at them as one extended group. I don’t look at partners as customers. I look at them as we’ve got a viable business that we need to grow together. You’ve got to hire people. I’ve got to hire people, so how do we grow this business together? And that comes down to the profitability of the businesses and making sure that we put together models that last for the long term and it’s not just short-term, opportunistic grabs.

What are your first priorities for the Ericsson Enterprise Wireless channel?

I would say the first priority is making sure that the people and culture is right. Second is simplification of the program. I would say the third priority is making sure that we’re doing market expansion in a way that’s right, and what I mean by this is there’s a way of doing business in the U.S., and then there’s a way of doing business in the U.K. that is a way of doing business in the U.K. And same with Australia, etc. So, my thing is that one, it’s rarely the same. Everywhere you go, it’s not the same investment. The partners don’t work with their customers the same way. The margin profile is not the same from country to country. So, for me, it’s really kind of getting my arms around that, make sure that we’re building long-term sustainable businesses that are very much global in nature from a program perspective but local in nature and how we actually execute and get things done and grow together.