RIDING OUT THE PANDEMIC

For Sm@rt SMB Magazine’s latest feature, Editor in Chief R. Narayan discussed with Value Add IT Distributor’s Key Executives how do they reply on existing Business Pipeline and Remote Working Tools to keep their Business Operations as normal as possible and productive.
.Here you can read VAD’s General Manager Mario M. Veljovic (MV) full Interview with the Editor:

1) At VAD, how are work from home measures being implemented? How has that impacted work productivity?

• MV: Productivity has good up and we keep calling this new era The New Smart. We are in IT and know how to use IT, we literally changed to work from home over night and continue to do so even after the authorities have relaxed restrictions for business in the UAE.

 
2) How are your partners coping with the challenges?

• MV: This is the area of concerns for us. While we keep ourselves busy with Partners and Vendors, Partners face bigger challenges to generate new Pipeline, if this is not for some in high demand solutions that help manage the current crises. We might be used to video conferences and webinars, but there is no alternative to direct and personal interaction in order to build a successful business relationship. Now we need to work harder and smarter to reach out to our partner ecosystem.

 
3) In terms of solutions, please elaborate on remote working solutions you offer from any vendors as part of the portfolio?

• MV: Solutions from our Physical Security Business Unit, such as Thermal Cameras to perform Fever Screening, are in big demand. Productivity Solutions, available through the Cloud, such FreshWorks, ZOHO are another area of interest. Last but not least, Remote Connectivity Solutions, such as TeamViewer’s Augmented Reality (AR) powered “Pilot” or its Flagship Solution to connect remotely, is experiencing a surge in demand.

 
4) Also, is cybersecurity an important aspect of remote working from home?

• MV: Of course, Cyber Security is always in demand and as more People now remotely access Company IT better Protection has to put in place.

 
5) How are you reaching out to partners and customers in terms of initiatives?

• MV: We obviously running a lot of Webinars for our Partners and along with our Partners for their Customers. The rest of the Day is filled by Video Conference Calls to ensure we are on top of our Business and active Opportunities.

 
6) do you see partners attending to support initiatives for customers who are implementing or scrambling to deploy remote work from home arrangements?

• MV: Very much, in fact In collaboration with our vendors we have been able to give our partners access to Work from Home solutions for their own use completely free or with very high NFR (not for resell) discounts. That in turn has helped Partners to run POC and Demo’s with their Customers.

 
7) Do you see cash flow challenges squeezing the supply chain economics for the short term ahead?

• MV: Unfortunately, Partners have still not improved on ensuring proper Working Capital Deployment for their Business. Hence, now in times of economic slow down and complete lock down in some parts of the Region, they are squeezed. We are offering some relieve to our Partners that showed strong Payment Performance over the years with extended Payment Terms.

 
The full Feature and the May 2020 Edition of Sm@rt SMB can be found online here:
https://issuu.com/smartsmb/docs/smartsmb_may_2020/12
or just visit: www.smartsmb.net