Polycom, a company that provides collaboration technology such as video and audio conferencing plans to roll out a new channel partner programme, which involves certifications and extensive training in solution selling aspects of the business.

"It is no longer about selling hardware equipments but more about solving the needs of the customer wherein software is increasingly starting to play a dominant role," said Jim Kruger, Executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer, Polycom.

The company is also looking to train a lot of their channel partners in solution selling, instead of box pushing as margins. This is mainly due to the fact that hardware in these kinds of equipments are getting commoditised and companies are not increasing their IT budgets, opine industry watchers.

We are driving Polycom's partner community to be a highly skilled, motivated, entrepreneurial and be innovative

especially at a time when modern day workforces are getting more dynamic in terms of usage of technology. Recently, the company upgraded Havells India's video technology, which covered around two dozen international locations.

The company does not give out details of the number of partners who are a part of its network but Kruger maintains that it is no longer about 'quantity' but 'quality'. Globally, the company has around 400,000 customers.

Kruger also said that the company is eying opportunities in the 'smart city' project envisaged by the government

of India and in areas like tele-medicine.

The total global enterprise video equipment market revenue in the fourth quarter of 2014 was $613 million, up from $529 million in the third quarter, according to research by IDC. The total number of videoconferencing units sold in the fourth quarter increased 15.7 per cent on a q-o-q basis and 25 per cent on a yearly basis.

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