Dave Frederickson, vice-president of the solution partner organization at HP Canada, had one of those years where all the stars align. He and his team could do no wrong.
The highlight of the year was HP hitting the US$100 billion mark in the channel.
That was quite an accomplishment and it began with the appointment of Mark Hurd as CEO.
Hurd has established an aggressive culture within HP and it has resonated down to all the subsidiaries.
For Frederickson, he set what he thought were aggressive targets which ended-up leading to more success for HP’s channel.
“We had a lot more success than what I would have guessed. I guess we are breaking new ground,” he said.
His biggest surprise was the growth in the PC business. An area that manufacturers hope remains flat was a growth area for HP Canada.
One of the biggest compliments paid to HP came from Microsoft channel chief Alison Watson who credited HP and its success in the channel for triggering Dell to embrace the solution providers.
As for Dell entering the channel officially, Frederickson has already been covering his bases in anticipation of this move by its rival.
He, again, has instituted an aggressive strategy with the partner community that involves a lucrative program.
Frederickson is also trying to instill a proactive attitude within the channel team in HP Canada and he hopes this resonates with the channel in Canada.
Another area of accomplishment for Frederickson is the ease of doing business with HP.
HP Canada has been more responsive to deal requests and has simplified channel access across the entire portfolio.