Nassif Yazbeck, Channel Sales Director for the METCA region at Vertiv, discusses the current trends and opportunities for channel partners in the rapidly growing IT and power infrastructure market.
How would you describe the current IT and power infrastructure market in the METCA region?
The power and IT infrastructure market is witnessing significant growth, driven by multiple factors. Economic diversification efforts and technological advancements are playing a crucial role in shaping the industry.
One of the key trends we observe is the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure and digital transformation initiatives. Governments in the region are prioritizing investments in cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity, and physical security, creating a robust demand for reliable and efficient power solutions.
Additionally, urbanization and population growth are further accelerating the demand for advanced power infrastructure. As cities expand and industries modernize, there is an increasing need for high-efficiency, scalable, and resilient energy solutions to support these transformations.
What are the biggest opportunities for channel partners in this market?
The market outlook remains positive, with continued investments in smart cities, and hyperscale data centers, driving growth in the power and IT sectors across the Middle East.
In the Middle East, there are several opportunities for our channel partners across both IT and power sectors. The key opportunity lies in the ability to integrate both domains, allowing partners to offer comprehensive solutions.
Some of the biggest growth areas for channel partners include:
- Digital transformation
- Renewable energy expansion
- AI and edge computing
- Specialized solutions and alliances
These factors are driving significant investments and creating long-term opportunities in the region.
When discussing the addressable market, we must break it down by product and sector. The data center business, for example, is a combination of multiple technologies, including power, cooling, and connectivity, making it essential to analyze market demand at a granular level.
In Saudi Arabia, for example, we see a very strong market with high growth potential. Specifically, in the SMB and mid-market segments, we anticipate double-digit growth in the coming years, driven by digital expansion and infrastructure investments.
What makes your channel partner program different from the competition?
When we talk about our channel partner program and how we differentiate ourselves from others, the key factor is our customer-centric approach.
Our focus is on addressing customer pain points, which we believe is crucial. We build strong, long-term relationships with our customers by understanding their challenges and designing tailored solutions that meet their specific needs.
To stay competitive in this market, it’s essential to offer specialized solutions that directly address customer demands. That’s exactly what our channel partner program enables—helping our partners provide unique, value-driven solutions that set them apart from the rest.
Our partner program is designed to offer flexibility, allowing partners to focus on their specific region or market while still leveraging our global virtual presence.
The program offers a range of incentives and rewards designed to recognize and support high-performing partners. These include sales incentives to drive business growth, marketing funds to enhance brand visibility, and technical support to ensure seamless implementation of solutions.
Additionally, partners gain online access to design tools, enabling them to create tailored solutions efficiently.
To further equip partners with the necessary skills and expertise, the program also provides extensive training and certification programs, ensuring they are well-prepared to sell and support our solutions effectively. These elements ensure that our partners are fully equipped to sell and support our solutions effectively.
Our program is not just about understanding the technology and benefiting from rewards like marketing funds and incentives—it is about empowering our partners to deliver comprehensive, end-to-end solutions to their customers.
We are shifting our partners from simply selling standalone products to offering complete, integrated solutions. This is what truly differentiates us in the market.
Unlike competitors who may specialize in power management alone, we provide a more holistic approach, integrating both power and cooling solutions. Our goal is to help partners design and implement solutions for critical facilities, ensuring a broader and more concrete portfolio for their customers.
How do you ensure that your partners remain profitable?
Our program is designed to protect and support our partners, ensuring they can maximize profitability. One key advantage is that our partners are protected whenever they secure a project, providing them with stability and exclusivity.
Additionally, partners can increase their profitability by selling end-to-end solutions rather than standalone products. Our approach ensures that partners offer comprehensive solutions, covering everything from initial deployment to full product integration and ongoing services.
By providing value-added services alongside the solution—supported by our expertise—partners can enhance their revenue streams. The combination of selling integrated solutions, securing exclusive opportunities, and offering service-based support creates a profitable and sustainable business model for our partners.
Do you offer training to partners so they can effectively implement these end-to-end solutions?
Yes, we provide extensive training support for our partners. We offer online training programs that are accessible to all our partners, ensuring they can learn at their own pace. In addition, we also conduct face-to-face training sessions, where we invite our partners to our Customer Experience Centers—either in this region or sometimes in Europe or Turkey—for hands-on training.
These sessions allow them to see, interact with, and understand the technology in depth while engaging with the teams behind the innovation. Training is a key focus for us because we strongly believe in education and knowledge-building. The more trained and familiar our partners are with our technology, the more confidence they will have in positioning and deploying our solutions effectively.
