OEM technology and partnerships can enable businesses to ideate and innovate, and deliver the most cost-effective and efficient IT solutions possible.
Imagine an Out of Home Advertising solutions start-up who needs to deliver not only the software but also the relevant hardware solution, maximizing the resources at hand but struggling with validation at scale. Enter an Original Equipment Manufacturer or OEM team that helps them take their solution to the next level.
Just like the example above, OEM technology and partnerships can enable businesses to use the services of companies that are working together to deliver the most cost-effective and efficient digital solutions possible.
Multiplying Business Growth and Time to Value via Collaborative Partnerships
OEM partners offer a customized hardware/software solution that can be embedded, rebranded or integrated within their products. It is the level of flexibility in terms of not only product and solutions but also services that businesses can leverage to bring out the best possible solutions tailored to address their customers’ needs, that makes them stand out.
Ideate and innovate is a mantra that Businesses are increasingly embracing during the age of disruption. Implementing solid business practices and coming up with fresh, innovative ideas could be the way of coming out ahead in times of economic uncertainty.
While the imperative of collaboration with OEMs is evident, the natural next step is the identification of priorities to select an OEM. Finding the right OEM partner boils down to three key factors:
1. Product quality and reliability: The OEM product (software or hardware) needs to have the highest quality and reliability standards. This ensures that solutions delivered by you meet the stringent quality and reliability norms expected by customers using these solutions.
2. Partnership and program. It is always better to seek an OEM that has an established feature-rich program. There are many OEM vendors who can sell a product with minimal support. The essence here is to have a true partner – one who has thought through the program from a supplier, buyer, and end user perspective. In addition, the OEM’s supply chain and support solutions need to be fool-proof.
3. Speed and ease of onboarding. An OEM partner who can meet aggressive qualification and onboarding schedules should be a preferred choice to facilitate “faster time to market”
Key Benefits of an OEM Business Program
OEMs have always been visionaries and pioneers in embracing key technologies and adapting to emerging trends. Dealing directly with OEMs who are the main initiators of a given solution or service, can be of great benefit – both for the company and for the OEM itself.
One primary reason why businesses are looking at OEM technology and partnerships is linked to the fact that many businesses now have growing needs. Invariably, they don’t have the time or the resources to take care of everything in-house, even if they might like to. With the right OEM partnership, they can achieve more than what they believe is possible. That’s why it is so appealing.
Secondly, budgets are stretched across the board for many businesses, and it poses a major concern that requires immediate attention. Businesses can save money through OEM partnerships, which offer an affordable way to find a customized solution for their respective business needs.
By bringing together the dual benefits of saving money and finding solutions that are customized to the specific business needs, it is possible for companies to derive considerable benefits by leveraging OEM technology and partnerships.
Lenovo OEM Solutions: Powering What’s Next
As an industry solutions provider, every business wants innovative technology that sets it apart from the competition, improves efficiency, and accelerates the time to market with minimized lifecycle costs. In addition, one needs the services to optimize, deploy, and support the integrated solution for the long haul.
Lenovo has the most comprehensive portfolio of products and services in the industry, including Phones, Tablets, PCs, Laptops, Servers, Storage and multiple services right from Planning, Deploying to Recovering while managing and offering customized services throughout the lifecycle. Its OEM Solutions business is based on three core principles of predictability, innovation, and partnership.
For example, recognizing the critical importance of the Edge, Lenovo OEM invested in an entire product line called the “ThinkEdge” series. These products are designed with critical legacy communication protocols like RS422, RS232 and CAN (Controller Area Network) bus architecture to enable the traditional standalone infrastructure to communicate with the world’s most pervasive common interface – the Internet Protocol (IP).
Additionally, Lenovo is among the top three manufacturers of IT products and solutions from Phones to the datacentre and is acclaimed for innovation, quality, reliability, supply chain, and customer satisfaction. As a global supplier of IT products and solutions, it has shipped more than 20 million servers to 180+ markets and works with a global supply chain of over 2000 vetted suppliers. This network of suppliers ensures that orders are filled and delivered—on time, without fail.
Strong engineering capability is another area that sets Lenovo OEM Business apart. It offers ruggedized systems certified for challenging environments, long lifecycle products with managed product transitions plus incremental expertise through a range of partners. The company not only helps to modify products but can even build an entirely new solution or completely customize existing platforms to meet the exact needs of their customers and partners.
Lenovo has been partnering with customers, who are often disruptors in their industries. Together, they help bring new innovations to the market faster, and co-design solutions that continue to change the world for the better. For example, Lenovo’s technology powers its OEM’s solutions that are used to diagnose and treat diseases, reduce energy costs, and make factories more efficient.
In a world that is increasingly become digitalized, it is important for businesses to partner with OEMs, deliver highly tailored solutions, and engage in end-to-end IT management, right from vendor selection through post-deployment.