Microsoft Windows Server Explained – What’s to Come? 

Windows Server Explained has a lot of exciting content coming up that resellers and potential partners should be very interested in. Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect and some of the points that’ll be covered in detail. 

Lenovo

Kirk Sinclair, Partner Sales Executive, OEM team (DPSS), Microsoft Canada, Devlin Norris, Distribution Account Executive, Intel Corporation, Louis Brunetto, Distribution Account Executive, Lenovo, and Aaron Rothfuss, Sr. Strategic Sales Leader, Lenovo, discuss the many advantages of Lenovo’s offerings with Intel inside. 

Lenovo is offering a complete yet cost-effective solution for channel partners. Lenovo ROK provides unlimited support throughout the first 90 days, ease of ordering, best-in-class availability, and a fully tuned image with Lenovo drivers pre-installed.  

Lenovo will handle both software and hardware support, meaning that you never have to bounce back and forth between software or hardware support teams who pin the tail on the other. With an enterprise contract, Lenovo’s support is unlimited, so no matter how many hours of support you end up needing, it will never run out as long as your contract is active. 

Lenovo execs also go over some of the top tips they have for software partners. These include making sure you have the right licenses, and counting your VMs to consider the advantages of switching to Windows Server Datacenter Edition. 

They discuss the many benefits of Optane persistent memory in Intel’s 3rd gen Xeon scalable processor in detail and how it can even boost legacy systems to make a significant increase in performance. It’s one of Intel’s lesser-known but most powerful and impressive offerings. 

Next, they go over the volume of server deployments in SMB, namely why the SR630 is selling so well. 

And lastly, they discuss the partner programs and reward opportunities and how the points all interconnect to make resellers more profitable. 

Ingram DaaS Program

In this episode, Kirk Sinclair, Partner Sales Executive, OEM team (DPSS), Microsoft Canada, and Devlin Norris, Distribution Account Executive, Intel Corporation discuss the ins and outs of on-prem vs hybrid and cloud computing. 

The physical security and ability to control assets with on-prem systems have their advantages, but times are changing. Hybrid offers versatility and security that standard on-prem systems can’t match. In the event of a disaster, for example, having your systems on the cloud would be essential to preserving them. 

This isn’t to say that on-prem is bad, but that a hybrid approach makes a lot more sense. 

Windows ecosystem caters to hybrid users very well with Azure and Windows Admin Center. These tools combined with Intel’s 3rd gen Xeon processors create a very powerful and versatile solution that is designed with the workloads of the future in mind. 

Older systems such as Windows Server 2012 should be refreshed to make way for more advanced and more efficient workloads as we move further into an era that utilizes the cloud in a variety of ways. 

Lastly, Devlin and Kirk go over where potential partners and resellers can find the best and most valuable resources to learn more about these opportunities. 

Dell

Kirk Sinclair, Partner Sales Executive, OEM team (DPSS), Microsoft Canada, Devlin Norris, Distribution Account Executive, Intel Corporation, and Ryan Leyden, Product Specialist, Dell Technologies, discuss Dell’s latest offerings. 

Dell’s 15th generation of PowerEdge servers, announced in April 2021, harnesses the power of Intel’s 3rd gen Xeon scalable processors. They’re purpose-built for AI, allowing for far more horsepower than the servers of yesteryear. They’re more secure than any of the iterations preceding them. And they offer automated systems management, which allows servers to scale with their organizations, and without the burden of human error. 

Dell also offers what they call ‘mass customization. With this, they provide a complete custom order that gets shipped directly to your end customers and a pre-installed OEM license. 

The R640 is what Leyden calls their mainstream server, which comes with significantly more horsepower and enables a light experience for hyper-scalers. 

Dell is offering Tailor Made, an aggressive discount program that resellers should take advantage of. This upfront discount applies across the board as you configure and customize whatever setup you want, making it a key opportunity for potential partners to take advantage of. It counts toward registration as well, providing leverage in competitive seller situations. 

Dell’s pro support piece includes both hardware and software. And Dell connects partners who purchase an OEM software license with the Microsoft engineering team, which is an excellent value add. 

Lastly, the advantages of Optane with Dell products were discussed in detail, followed by details about partner programs, and some knowledgeable contacts to reach out to for more information or assistance. 

Azure

Kirk Sinclair, Partner Sales Executive, OEM team (DPSS), Microsoft Canada, Devlin Norris, Distribution Account Executive, Intel Corporation, Matt Crumb, Windows Server Specialist, Microsoft, and Carter Wilson, Windows Server Specialist, Microsoft, discuss the perks of Azure Stack HCI, Windows Admin Center, and more. 

Last year, Microsoft released a hybrid product called Azure Stack HCI, which offers the benefits of hyper-converged infrastructure, Storage Spaces Direct, software-defined networking, and still runs on-prem but allows users to separate out the Windows Server workload. It’s a highly versatile product that can be used as a storage class memory module or multi-tiered storage solution. 

With a limited amount of additional overhead and licensing since Windows Server Datacenter Edition includes most of what’s needed, it’s an affordable solution as well. And in terms of hardware, there is a myriad of options in terms of how it can be deployed. 

The Windows Server specialists then discuss how Optane persistent memory assists in caching, and they go over some of the technical processes of exactly how Optane’s 3D Xpoint technology speeds up performance. 

Windows Admin Center provides a single solution for management, replacing the need for expertise in PowerShell. It supports all Windows Server deployments, allowing simplified and streamlined navigation and management. It even acts as a bridge to the cloud. And best of all, Windows Admin Center is totally free. 

Next, they discuss how devs can now develop apps that are based in Azure but interact with resources on-prem. 

The opportunity for resellers with Azure is an ongoing subscription with your customer. And for customers who are running old equipment, it’s a great reason to suggest an upgrade. 

Don’t miss the opportunity

The above is just a preview of the next four Windows Server Explained episodes. If you’re a reseller or you’re interested in learning more about the opportunity to become a partner, these videos will guide your way and define a path toward being profitable selling the above products and more. 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at Ingram Micro any time!