In this section you will be able to see some reviews of what the Media, Vendors and Market says about Al-Jammaz Distribution and operation:
2008 Media
Wining Formula
Publisher: Channel ME Magazine
April 2008
And so, after heaps of nominations, plenty of second-guessing and several nervous weeks of waiting, the winners of the first ever Channel Middle East Awards finally got their moment in the spotlight.
Monarch provided a fitting backdrop for a memorable gala dinner and ceremony attended by the cream of the region's IT channel community.
Even the IT channel deserves a spot of the red carpet treatment and that's precisely what it got at the inaugural Channel Middle East Awards.
The sight of 300 vendors, distributors and resellers uniting in appreciation of the exceptional work that has been carried out in the Middle East channel during the past year is a reflection of the vibrancy for which the market is renowned.
It was also an opportunity for channel executives to shut down their e-mail for the evening, switch off their mobile phones and catch up with colleagues, business partners and, dare we say it...competitors!.................
Those finalists that did not collect a trophy should not be downhearted because their good work is very much visible in the market. And, after all, there's always next year's awards!
Value Added Distributor of the Year award: Al-Jammaz Distribution
Criteria: The Value Added Distributor of the Year award goes to the company that has achieved excellence in providing value added services.
The award is open to all VADs that have made a noteworthy contribution to the Middle East channel, be it through their product specialisation, technical capabilities, reseller services, market development assistance or any other action that warrants recognition.
In a market that is still often very trading-focused, the emergence of a skilled and technically competent value added distribution channel has been one of the highlights of the Middle East market during the past few years.
Al-Jammaz Distribution stood out in a very competitive category as a company that has developed a highly-efficient value added business model.
The Riyadh-based Cisco and Sun Microsystems specialist now employs 120 people and has developed a strategy that allows it to meet the unique needs of both systems integration and service provider customers.
Judges' Verdict: As well as ramping up its on-site technical support and consulting capabilities, Al-Jammaz has built a strong reputation for its network configuration and project management support skills during the last year, enhancing its relationship with the reseller community.
As possibly the most recognisable and prolific IT market in the Middle East - evidenced by the fact that it is to host its seventh annual Gitex exhibition this month - Saudi Arabia is snapping at the heels of the UAE.
Channel Middle East asks key players in the Kingdom what the Saudi IT market has to do to capitalise on the incredible growth it has been enjoying.
In the modern Gulf IT climate Saudi Arabia has always been, for volume, the commander of the region. In 2007, spending on IT services alone in the Kingdom almost reached $US900m, a jump of around 10% on the year before.
The high end of the market retains its strength as enterprise end-users in Saudi continue to spend more than their counterparts in the UAE, Kuwait or any of the other major markets in the region
Khaled Hejazi, country manager for Saudi Arabia at HP, also feels that the channel - particularly the reseller tier - is not maturing at the rate of the overall market. "Actually, resellers are not sophisticated to the point where we are in the market.
This is why we are driving the specialisation and the focus on knowledge for partners," he explained. "At this time, yes, the partners need a little bit more of an edge to go and cope with the market."
It is not just the vendor community that feels this way; members of the in-country channel have been making similar observations. Asim Al-Jammaz, VP of Al-Jammaz Distribution, accuses resellers of looking for easy business.
They try to focus more on the fulfillment of the end-user instead of trying to add value and push the customer to buy certain technology. They sell what the customer wants rather than trying to recommend," he proclaimed.
Al-Jammaz confirmed he is referring to the small to medium sized resellers in the Saudi channel and that the retail giants making inroads into Saudi territory are offering ample amounts of value.
Small and medium resellers in the market have to understand that they need to get specialised rather than trying to do everything. If you compete in commodity products the margins are low.
Al-Jammaz also states that the distribution channel still has a long way to go. "There are different distributors in Saudi. There are those waiting for the call to come into their office.
There are also distributors developing business, but focused on the sub-distribution models. They are not willing to go the extra mile to the mid or small sized reseller," asserted Al-Jammaz.
Background: As a major Cisco and Sun player, Al-Jammaz is one of the leading value added distributors in Saudi Arabia. Last year PC vendor Acer also recruited Al-Jammaz for its reach in the commercial sector.
Cisco on show at AlJammaz
Publisher: Arabian Business News
June 2008
Al Jammaz, an authorised Cisco distributor in the Kingdom, is once again making its presence felt this week, showing the full range of value-added services and local touch that make it the partner of choice for networking resellers and integrators in Saudi Arabia. With networking spend looking strong for 2006 and beyond in Saudi Arabia, Al Jammaz is optimistic about the potential for future growth.
A recent study showed that Saudi IT investments in government and healthcare departments are resulting in significant benefits for citizens in the Kingdom, despite the limitations of existing network infrastructure and bandwidth constraints. The Net Impact study, which was sponsored by networking giant Cisco and under the patronage of the Ministry of Communications and IT, compared government and healthcare operations and services in Saudi Arabia to other countries in Europe and found Saudi organisations to be leading in most areas. The recently released study, which was carried out in 2005, compared the technologies present in Saudi to those found in European countries in 2004. The study discovered that technology use had helped Saudi Arabian public sector departments boost customer satisfaction by 44% in the last year alone.
