Unlocking the key to a whole new world of AI with Dell AI Factory

Anand Chakravarthy, Vice President, Advanced Solutions, Tech Data APJ, Tech Data speaks to VARINDIA on the broad topic of AI, giving an overview of the challenges that businesses face while providing advanced AI solutions to customers in view of several factors. He also gives us an insight on how Tech Data as a leading IT distributor offers end-to-end support to scale their partners’ AI capabilities -    

What are the technical challenges that businesses encounter while integrating AI technologies into their existing systems? 

There are several technical challenges that businesses encounter while integrating AI technologies into their existing systems. Compatibility with existing infrastructures usually emerges as a challenge. It is critical to gain an understanding of current systems before starting with any AI implementation, from the current IP infrastructures of end users to data sets already in place and whether current systems are scalable through GPU architectures.

We simplify complexities for partners here as a leading value-added distributor. Through our extensive subject matter expertise with established vendors, we ensure that base systems are in line with AI requirements. Our partnership with Dell also helps with reference architectures, allowing partners to adopt a plug-and-play approach that empowers end customers to hit the ground running with AI.

How can businesses address the skill gap in their workforce when it comes to developing and managing AI solutions? 

With AI being all-pervasive, it is essential for partners to focus on retraining their workforce to build foundational AI skills. This is to ensure that employees know the basics of AI – what it is and how it works. Once this awareness is in place, the next phase involves specific product training, where employees can learn about the features and functions of the AI solutions that they’ll be working with. The final step is to explore use-cases, helping employees understand how the AI solution can be applied in practical, industry-specific scenarios.

Distributors play a key role in supporting partners through each phase by providing enablement programs, certifications and access to use cases. Tech Data, for example, provides self-paced learning courses and access to selected solutions and vendor practices via our Digital Practice Builder. Our Destination AI™ framework also offers tailored AI training, expert guidance and curated resources to support partners’ AI journey.

How can an IT distributor provide end-to-end support to channel partners in implementing AI? 

At Tech Data, our aim is to be a one-stop-shop for partners looking to craft and scale their AI capabilities. Our Destination AI framework helps partners at every stage of their AI journey - awareness, enablement, sales, and after-sales. In the awareness stage, we provide vendor-agnostic insights on AI trends and evolutions curated to partner needs. The enablement stage includes the training and resources necessary to build AI that can be integrated into business strategies. For sales, we support partners through our Solutions Factory methodology, simplifying the AI offering into a one-pager, and provide access to over 50 AI use cases to showcase real world applications, so partners know the essentials when they approach the market. On top of this, our team of over 100 subject matter experts provides an end-to-end consultation covering key elements of AI implementation, i.e., the platform, cloud, security, and so on. As part of our after-sales support, we are building a catalogue of services in collaboration with specialized third-party providers. These after-sales services will help partners maximize their AI investments and ensure the continued success of their AI deployments.

How can a channel partner measure the effectiveness and ROI of AI solutions once they have been implemented at the customer site? 

It is important to view AI adoption from the customer’s lens. For instance, if customers are using AI to enhance efficiency and productivity within the organization, some key parameters that can be measured are reduction in time taken to finish tasks without errors, time given back to employees for more strategic tasks, and so on. Beyond these immediate gains, partners can also look at cost savings, operational improvements, and scalability to measure the value of AI solutions. Looking ahead, Agentic AI is expected to advance in 2025 enabling the development of multiple AI agents that can handle a wide range of tasks and drive even greater productivity.

How does Tech Data view its recently announced partnership with Dell to enable the Dell AI factory in India? How will it further empower the Indian channel and its end customers? 

Our partnership with Dell leverages the company’s established successes as an infrastructure powerhouse. The computer, storage, network, and security solutions now under the AI factory, created through Dell’s extensive collaborations with global leaders in the AI space, hold the potential to help businesses unlock AI workloads at an accelerated pace.

With India’s AI market projected to reach $17 billion, we are excited to complement Dell’s offerings with our solutions and strengthen the market further. We have established a Tech Center of Excellence (COE) to showcase Dell use cases and product demonstrations, and we will be working with leading Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to deliver pre-validated, end-to-end AI solutions. Through our Destination AI program, we will further support partners with training, technical guidance, and pre- and post-sales services – enhancing their AI readiness. These offerings will seamlessly combine Dell’s advanced infrastructure with optimized software and simplify end-to-end AI deployments for partners.

What kind of marketing and sales support will you provide to channel partners to promote AI-driven solutions to end customers? Will you also offer any support in terms of training their staff on Dell’s AI tools and technologies? 

We are working to fill the various gaps we see in the channel when it comes to AI. On the capabilities front, we are working with Dell to create AI use-cases that are critical to making a tangible impact with AI in enterprises. This blends into us filling the education gap where we are helping partners across the AI enablement journey, as mentioned earlier. This also includes assistance on navigating key business concerns such as ethics, governance, compliance, etc., and developing AI readiness through continuous localized learning.