Ingram Micro’s New North America Boss Talks Cloud

Don’t tell my boss, but I was moonlighting over here at this other site last night, covering the promotion of Paul Bay to the job of president for North America at distribution giant Ingram Micro.  So what does this executive shuffling at the top of Ingram Micro (NYSE:IM) mean for MSPs? First some background. Paul Bay is stepping in as acting president effective today. Keith Bradley, the current president for North America, will leave that role at the end of 2012 to pursue new opportunities, the company said. And then on Jan. 1, Paul Bay will drop the word “acting” from his title.  Here’s what it will mean for MSPs.

Bay, who returned to Ingram Micro in 2010 after a few years at a software startup, is focused on the big trends, challenges and opportunities ahead for the channel, including managed services providers. He points to cloud computing, mobility and vertical markets as top trends for MSPs in 2013. That was some of the impetus behind Ingram Micro’s BrightPoint acquisition over the summer.

Bay says that he and Bradley mapped out a strategy together for the years ahead and he’ll be following that same strategy going forward. Accomplishments so far include the divisional restructuring that provided the company with access to more high-value solutions like the integrated stack boxes from vendors such as IBM and HP.

Bay also told me that for 2013 Ingram Micro will continue to help partners adopt and move into the cloud. Some of the challenges ahead will include shifts in how technology is delivered, specifically around software, licenses, and cloud-type product offerings in a service model.  All these initiatives sound very service-y to me, so stay tuned to MSPmentor for more news around Ingram Micro’s upcoming moves for 2013. We’ll keep you posted