Pinnacle has once again walked away with the Channelwise Distributor of the Year Award, just pipping Axiz to the post with a scant one-tenth of a percent lead.
They were followed by Tarsus Distribution, Mustek and Rectron in one of the most intensely-fought Channelwise Awards ever, with close to 2 000 resellers having cast their votes to choose their favoured distributors.
“Challenges to the local channel in 2022, brought about by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain issues and a growing skills shortage, have brought out the best in South Africa’s ever-adaptive distributors,” says Channelwise editor Mark Davison.
“Resellers voted in their numbers this year, sending some clear messages to their vendors and distributors about what worked this year, and the changes they would like to see next year.”
Resellers voted for their favourite resellers in a number of categories, as follows:
- Infrastructure: Axiz, Pinnacle, First Distribution, Tarsus, Mustek
- Networking: Pinnacle/Datanet, Axiz, Mustek, Rectron
- Printers and peripherals: Mustek, Tarsus Distribution, Drive Control (all within a single percentage point of one another), followed closely by Rectron and Axiz
- End user devices – Pinnacle, Axiz, Tarsus Distribution, Mustek, Rectron
- Security – Axiz, Pinnacle/Pinnsec, Tarsus Distribution, First Distribution, Rectron
- Components and accessories – Pinnacle, Syntech Distribution, Rectron, Mustek, Axiz
First Distribution takes home closely-fought Customer Care award
First Distribution has been chosen as the distributor that showed resellers the most care in 2022, walking away with the Channelwise Customer Care Distributor of the Year Award.
The calibre and adaptability of South Africa’s IT distributors was amply demonstrated in this year’s Channelwise Awards, with almost 2 000 resellers casting their votes in the Channelwise Awards.
The Customers Care Distributor award measures distributors on various qualitative criteria: stockholding, communication, value-added services, self-help tools, adaptability, innovation, and going the extra mile.
Where 100 resellers or more cast their votes for a distributor, these scores were averaged to find the Customer Care Distributor of the Year.
“There was intense competition for this award,” says Channelwise editor Mark Davison. “Resellers have made it abundantly clear what they want and need from their distributors, and have been quick to acknowledge when they’ve received it.”
The voting makes it clear that distributors have been agile and pivoted quickly to address industry challenges, with scores for the Customer Care Distributor of the Year coming down to the wire.
First Distribution took the top honours with an average score of 4,5. Syntech Distribution – the winner for the past two years – was snapping at its heels with a 4,4 average. Third place was shared by Mustek and Axiz, both with an average score of 4,3; closely followed by Pinnacle, Rectron and Drive Control, all on 4,2, and Tarsus Distribution with 4,1.
These are the channel’s favourite vendors
South Africa’s resellers have once again made their voices heard, voting for their favourite vendors in the 2022 Channelwise Awards.
“Over the years, the Channelwise Awards have tracked the progress of the South African IT industry, reflecting each year how technology and the various players have grown, matured and changed,” says Channelwise editor Mark Davison.
“And, despite a raft of challenges in 2022, the IT industry has risen to the occasion, with resellers continuing to service their customers with the support of vendors and distributors.”
For the Channelwise Awards, reseller partners chose their favourite vendors and distributors in the following categories: Infrastructure, Networking; End User Devices; Printers and Peripherals; Security; and Components and Accessories.
The vendors selected by popular vote in the 2022 awards are as follows:
Infrastructure vendors
Servers: Dell, HPE, Lenovo
IaaS and PaaS: Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Axiz Cloud
Virtualisation: VMware, Microsoft, Nutanix
Hyperconverged infrastructure: VMware, Dell, HPE
Storage subsystems: Dell, HPE, Lenovo
Backup solutions: Veeam, Dell, HPE
Cloud storage: Microsoft, VMware, Veeam
UPS: APC, Mecer, Eaton
Inverters: Mecer, RCT, Apex
Networking vendors
Networking devices: Aruba, Cisco, Dell
SD-WAN: Aruba, VMware, Cisco
Cabling: Molex, Netgear, Zone by Datanet
Edge computing: HPE, Dell, D-Link
Cabinets and racks: APC, Mecer, HPE
Network management: Dell, VMware, Cisco
Printers and peripherals vendors
Laser printer and multi-function devices: HP Inc, Canon, Brother
Inkjet printer and multi-function devices: HP Inc, Canon, Epson
Projectors: Epson, Acer, Dell
ECM and Scanners: HP Inc, Fujitsu, Ricoh
Monitors: Dell, Samsung, HP Inc
End user device vendors
Personal computers: Dell, Lenovo, HP Inc
Workstations: Dell, Lenovo, HP Inc
Thin clients: Dell, Lenovo, HP Inc
Gaming PCs: MSI, Dell (including Alienware), Asus
Notebooks: Dell, Lenovo, HP Inc
Gaming notebooks: Dell (including Alienware), Asus, Lenovo Legion
Tablets: Samsung, Lenovo, Apple
Security vendors
Endpoint security: Kaspersky, Microsoft, Sophos
Hardware (appliances): Cisco, Fortinet, SonicWall
Network/cloud security: Fortinet, Check Point, McAfee
Security management: Fortinet, Cisco, SolarWinds
Cameras: Hikvision, Dahua, Axis
Components and accessories vendors
Bags and sleeves: Targus, Port, Kensington
Headphones: Logitech, JBL, Jabra
Keyboard, mouse, joysticks and VR headsets: Logitech, Microsoft, Dell
CPUs and GPUs: Intel, AMD, Nvidia
Graphic cards: Nvidia, MSI, Gigabyte
Memory: Kingston, Crucial, Transcend
Disk drives: Seagate, Kingston, Samsung
Sensors (IoT devices): Xiaomi, Raspberry Pi, Zebra