There is no denying the fact that 2009 has been among the most testing times for the IT industry. Still, the Indian IT buyers targeted a substantial amount of their investment capital towards networking in 2009. So, it became incumbent upon the suppliers to position themselves against this demand. One such networking vendor is D-Link that has positioned itself to push even harder in the networking space and has, indeed, established itself as a credible and viable alternative to other networking giants.

Though the networking market has done well in India, recession cannot be dismissed as a non-entity. As a matter of fact, the networking industry faced one of the toughest years in 2009 as big spenders on networking products went slow on spending due to the recession.

Talking about the current market scenario, Rajesh Sahore, Vice-President – Channel Sales, D-Link (India) Ltd., said, “Keeping the recent economic slowdown in mind, one needs to be aware of the fact that customers today are not only looking for quality but also for better returns. We, at D-Link, are always trying to make top-notch technology available at an affordable cost. This coupled with a strong support system gives our customers further advantage, thus ensuring best return on their investments.”

With an overwhelming presence in the networking business, D-Link has broad product range that addresses core networking requirements. The networking vendor has a wide array of products/solutions that includes network switching, Wireless LAN, Routing, Network security, IP Surveillance, Network storage, VOIP and Broadband. “D-Link is an award-winning designer, developer and manufacturer of networking, broadband, digital electronics, voice, data and video communications solutions for the Enterprise environments, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO), Small to Medium Business (SMB), digital home, and Workgroup. It is one of the very few companies to offer end-to-end solution,” said Rajesh
He further added, “D-Link products are very popular across the verticals. Some of the key segments are Retail/Manufacturing, Telecom, Corporate, Education, Hospitality, Banking (BFSI) and Government.”

Fortifying Channel
Following the recent demerger, D-link (India) Ltd. had announced its enhanced distribution policy. As a result of that, D-link has appointed Ingram Micro as its national distributor. And, at the same time, the company also continues to work very closely with its Regional Distributors (RDs) spread all across India. This distribution model not only gives D-Link access to some unidentified regions but also ensures pan-India availability of its products/solutions. Furthermore, D-Link partners now have the alternative of buying either directly from its national distributor or from any of its 25 regional distributors present throughout India. This would ultimately result in satisfying the needs of both end-consumer and channel partner. D-Link is 100% channel-driven. Thus, partners are an integral part of D-Link’s organizational structure. “It is our valued partners who have helped us establish D-Link as the ‘Most Trusted Networking Brand’. And, we continue to work closely with our partners and do business in a mutually beneficial manner,” says Rajesh.

D-Link has also strengthened its go-to-market channel model. Recently, D-Link had launched D-Link Premier League (DPL), an exclusive nationwide channel promotional scheme that provided partners an opportunity to fly to exotic places like Hong Kong/Thailand or win many other exciting rewards. D-Link takes the growth of the channel partners seriously and for this the company has also taken various initiatives like the periodic training on products, sales incentives as well as various platforms that give them direct access to the company. D-Link has also introduced “Sales Incentive Programme” (SIP) and “Secure Switch Promotion Programme” (SSP) with a special focus on channels. Sales Incentive Plan (SIP) was targeted towards providing an opportunity for Sales champions of SIs promoting D-Link products and Secure Switch Promotion (SSP) offered switch and firewall bundle at competitive pricing. Speaking about these incentive programmes, Rajesh said, “It has always been our endeavour to work closely with channels. And, partners can certainly look forward to many more such incentive programmes in future.”

In addition to being completely channel-driven, D-Link also has a vast network of branches spread over 17 cities in India. “Our sales team is in regular touch with our channel partners present all across India, who regularly updates partner on all the latest technology/products, pricing, schemes/promotions, warranty or any other issue,” says Rajesh.

Further, to keep its partners updated with all the latest technology and product knowledge, D-Link has also launched “d-partner” website, which contains huge D-Link data repository, tools and real case studies and project details. “This also enables our partners to participate in D-Link education programme to achieve higher position in partnership upgradation as well as more discounts,” added Rajesh. D-Link has high quality and reputable after-sales service that is strategically built to deliver customer satisfaction “D-Link has a strong pre-sales and post-sales support service system. We follow ‘Feet on street’ model, whereby our sales team is always in touch with partners to help them overcome any service-related problem,” says Rajesh
He further added, “It has always been our top priority to offer world-class products and services to our customers. For this, we have designed a very comprehensive and flexible service support system to match their specific requirements.”

As part of this endeavour, the company has set up Technical Support (toll-free No. 1800-233-0000 and e-mail service: helpdesk@dlink.co.in), Web-Based Support (unlimited access to technical documentation that includes installation and configuration guides, release notes, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and a management information database) and Hardware Support system (replace shipped product if the product is established as Dead on Arrival (DOA) by the Partner's inspection team within 10 days from shipment).
In addition, D-Link also offers “Lifetime warranty” on its entire business solution product line, which includes smart switches, unmanaged and managed switches, business wireless, and firewall security appliances. Thus, standing by its commitment of offering world-class service to its customers.

Key Strengths of D-Link
• 100% channel focus
• Offers a wide array of products/ solutions. In fact, one of the very few vendors to offer “End-to-End solutions”.
• D-Link has one of the best “pre-sales” and “post-sales” support.
• With over 17 branches, 25 Regional Distributors and now its enhanced distribution policy, D-Link has pan-India presence.

Finally…
Today, D-Link is one of the most-trusted networking brands in the country. “Our idea and mission is to make world-class technology affordable to our consumers along with best customer support. And, we continue to work on those lines,” said Rajesh Sahore, D-Link (India) Ltd. Worldwide, D-Link is known for its Quality products and services. D-Link has been recommended by many professional publications and has also been the recipient of many awards like “Digit-Best performer”, “IC Chip-Best Buy”, “PC Quest-User’s Choice”, and many more. In fact, D-Link has also been the recipient of “Best Networking Vendor” at Star Nite Award 2008 & 2009 held by VarIndia.
One of the key strengths of D-Link India is its innovative marketing strategy. This is evident from the fact that D-Link had recently launched “bits2009” – an end-consumer focussed multicity event with a conscious effort at bringing value-for-money and environmentally friendly solutions to its customers. And on the channel front, the company has launched “DPL”, “SSP” and “SIP”.
Over the recent years, IT and networking have become strategic to organizations and are becoming a CEO agenda. D-Link’s growth continues to be robust, and, as a market leader, its aim is to grow the overall networking market.