Dell aims at services and small users to grow
Valor Econômico
After giants such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard (HP) consolidated as suppliers of a wide range of services, leaving behind the portfolio almost exclusively made up of equipment, it now is the time for Dell to follow the movement. In the formula to achieve such new market, Dell included two main components: the knowledge of Perot Systems and the potential demand of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Dell's strategy began to draw when the company announced the purchase of Perot, in September 2009. The agreement formalized that Dell, until then a synonym of computers, finally began investing to become a supplier of an array of information technology (IT) products and services. With that, Dell intends to try to recover the lost time and consolidate as a company capable of meeting all the demands of the customer data centers, especially SMEs.
The goal is confirmed by the Global Executive Director of corporate products of Dell, Antonio Julio. The small and medium-sized enterprises have been the engine of growth for many countries, because they are more agile and less bureaucratic than large companies, says the Brazilian Executive. Julio reveals the segment of SMEs currently responds for 33% of Dell's global earnings in the corporate market, and there are also the divisions of large enterprises and public services.
By the definition of Dell, the SME market includes companies with up to 500 employees. According to Julio, company researches indicate 98% of the Brazilian companies fit the profile. Although there is no official classification in Brazil, resources such as the Simples Nacional - system of collection of taxes - define small businesses are those with gross annual earnings of up to R$ 2.4 million (US$ 1.5 million).
With an eye the on potential universe, either in the number of employees or in income, Dell elected Brazil as one of ten strategic countries in the plan of the small businesses, says Julio. According to Tony Parkinson, global officer for the development of new businesses for small and medium-sized enterprises, one of the particularities of the Brazilian market is that small businesses have a leaner IT infrastructure than their peers in other countries. Director of sales to Director final consumer and SMEs of Dell Brazil, Daniel Neiva says the quest for automation in the small local businesses grows to the extent the production costs increase and equate to the levels of other markets.
For 2011, the company plans are to at least keep the 50% growth seen in recent years in the local market. To do that, it is foreseen the increase of the team that caters to small businesses, the improvement of the model of sales and the expansion of the presence to Campinas and interior of Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais. In 2010, Dell's global income was US$ 61.5 billion. 12% greater than in 2009.