AI has moved beyond simply being in cloud-based solutions & enterprise data centers. It is now becoming one of the key capabilities used every day in business computing, and it transforms how your customers work and make business decisions. The increasing demand from organizations using AI to increase employee productivity creates new opportunities for channel partners with the need for AI-ready devices.
The new generation of AI PCs are designed specifically to easily manage the demanding AI workloads and this is the key aspect of the ongoing transformation. Intel's Ultra Core series has been the best in enabling these AI PCs to seamlessly run powerful applications locally, providing improved application performance, increased security, and greater power efficiency.
Channel partners should leverage this transition in presenting more than just a new hardware refresh cycle and position themselves as leading the workplace conversation towards AI readiness and building long-term business value.
Understanding Rise of AI PCs
The three computing engines — CPU, GPU, and a dedicated NPU make up the AI PCs, enabling them to process AI workloads efficiently. This combined architecture allows businesses to use AI-based productivity software, collaboration platforms & apps directly on the device rather than depending on cloud services.
Faster response times, improved data privacy, lower end-user application latency, and better performance are some of the key benefits for businesses to invest in AI PCs. Businesses need to consider this as a future-ready, long-term investment to stay ahead of their competitors.
Why Intel Matters in AI PC Era
Intel has brought AI to mainstream commercial PCs with its most recent generation of Intel Core Ultra processors.
Specifically designed for the AI demand, these Intel-powered AI PCs allow your customers to:
- Experience accelerated AI-assisted performance, thereby boosting productivity.
- Improve multitasking
- Energy-efficient performance for mobile users
- Have an intelligent collaboration experience
- Have advanced security features
Instead of thinking about AI as a separate product capability, Intel integrates AI acceleration directly into the end-user computing experience. This allows your customers to use smart applications while still receiving high performance and low security risk.
Therefore, Intel-powered AI PCs are ideal for nearly every type of your customer — including business professionals, developers, designers, analysts, and frontline workers.
AI PCs Are Changing Customer Conversations
The way companies purchase technology is changing.
Historically, most customers were making their purchases based on how fast (processor speed), how much (memory), and where they could store (storage capacity) their data. Organizations today are asking broader questions:
- How can AI help employees become more productive?
- Are there devices that are better positioned for future use with AI?
- In what ways can AI facilitate improved collaboration without compromising security?
- What technology investment(s) are likely to be viable over the next few years?
The shifting nature of these priorities necessitates that partners begin to view their discussions with potential customers from a solutions perspective as opposed to just talking about the technical aspects of the hardware products they sell.
As such, this represents a major opportunity for vendors to transition from being viewed by their customers as simply salespeople for specific products into trusted technology advisers.
Helping Customers Prepare for Future
Commercial PC upgrades are being planned by many companies today due to changing organizational requirements as well as to support hybrid work models and meet their businesses' requirements of having an "AI-Ready" environment. Channel partners can provide additional value in helping customers determine:
- What workforce mobility will be needed?
- Are there AI applications that require specific devices?
- What are the customer's security/compliance requirements?
- How long does the customer plan to use each device?
- What is the goal for long-term scalability?
By understanding these areas of interest, channel partners can make recommendations on what Intel-based PCs (specifically, AI-enabled PCs) would best fit their customer's needs, as well as the customer's potential for future growth.
Building Expertise Beyond Products
With advancements in AI technology continuing to grow, it is also becoming increasingly important for channel partners to be well-informed on what is occurring as well as how this will affect their customers in the future.
Customers expect channel partners to have a good understanding of what new technologies are available today, how they can positively affect their business, and make recommendations regarding which solutions best fit their needs.
In this highly competitive marketplace, having both technical expertise and knowledge of products being sold, along with ongoing education opportunities, will become more valuable than ever to differentiate from others.
Partner enablement programs offer value to partners in various ways. Those include the Intel® Partner Alliance, providing access to Training & Certifications, Technical Resources, sales enablement materials, and exclusive benefits. This enables the partner to keep up-to-date with Intel's most recent advancements in areas such as AI PCs and emerging technologies. Through continued investment in education opportunities, the partner will be better positioned to support customer discussions related to these topics and further enhance their competitive position.
Opportunity Ahead
AI Ready PCs are becoming a mainstream opportunity for channel partners, but there is still much evolution ahead of us. As businesses continue to seek ways to put AI at the center of their daily operations, they are increasingly looking to AI-ready PCs to enable them to do so.
Channel Partners will have many opportunities with AI-ready PCs that go way beyond just selling hardware. These new computers offer an opportunity for Channel Partners to engage in broad business discussions on how to modernize their workplaces, AI adoption, increasing productivity, enhancing security, and deploying and lifecycle management.
AI is transforming how businesses use technology and how they enable their customers to work. Powered by Intel Core Ultra processors, these AI PCs are becoming the heart of the workplace revolution, unlocking new levels of experience and intelligence while improving productivity, security, and collaboration.
Channel partners need to have a better understanding of the ongoing AI demand, understand customer challenges, build their technical capabilities, and be able to recommend solutions that provide sustainable business value.
Through programs like the Intel Partner Alliance and by leveraging the latest technological offerings from Redington Online, channel partners can stay well informed and make better business decisions.
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