Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise integration capabilities ensure partner and customer commitment

One of the programs recently introduced is Plan to Execute – PlanX, which supports business partners and channel managers by providing a common view on business plans.

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) recently announced new cybersecurity enhancements to its OmniPCX Enterprise Purple solution. With the EU’s Network and Information Security version 2 (NIS 2) Directive coming to effect, the new enhancements adhere to the requirements whereby operators of critical infrastructure and essential services are to implement the appropriate security measures, and at the same time, report any incidents to the relevant authorities.

While the NIS 2 Directive is applicable to both private and public organizations operating in critical sectors such as government, transport, energy, health, and banking, any company supplying goods or part of an IT supply chain are also subject to the new regulation. This is not surprising given many businesses fall victim to cyber breaches due to security holes in their supply chain.

The NIS 2 Directive not only represents a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for cybersecurity but also complements the GDPR in EU. Primarily concerned with the security of network and information systems, the NIS 2 Directive and the GDPR will now see a comprehensive framework for data protection and cybersecurity in the EU.

Interestingly, while the changes are based in the EU, it could set the precedence for regulations in APAC. As such, ALE is ensuring they are prepared to meet customer and partner needs in the region, should there be any changes in regulations in the future.

For technology providers like ALE, aligning to globally recognized cybersecurity frameworks like NIS 2 and GDPR is critical given that ALE’s customers and partners in APAC may also engage with EU markets.

ALE in APAC

Prior to the enhancements of the OmniPCX Enterprise Purple solution, CRN Asia caught up with Damien Delard, VP of APAC channels at ALE to get his views on the partner ecosystem, especially on identifying opportunities in the market.

According to Delard, ALE launched a revamped partner program two years ago and has since embarked on a partner recruitment program. While they have recruited more partners, the issue now was ensuring they have the right partners that could deliver success.

One of the programs recently introduced is Plan to Execute – PlanX. As a new digital platform accessible through the ALE Partner Portal, PlanX supports business partners and channel managers by providing a common view on business plans and enabling collaboration between all stakeholders to achieve their objectives

“We recruited a lot of partners as that was our core strategy in APAC. We also provided them with a lot of training for free. We realized a lot of vendors reward partners incentives based on achievements. But this was a bit tricky as the success was hard to measure. So, we started providing incentives based on what’s on the pipeline,” said Delard.

This is where the training is imperative in their partner program. Delard said ALE offers training on pre and post sales as well as technical training. Specifically, there is a full framework, and ALE will work together with the partner to identify leads and plan marketing activities from there.

“Just imagine, if we give free training, everybody will say they want to partner with us. But it's not an easy business. First, we identify their presence in the marker and if they are willing to go through the program with us. We spend a lot of time and expect follow ups every month or every quarter. We also expect them to bring their customers when we do marketing events. Because, if you don't bring your customer, it's selective. The companies that just go, I want to be your partner, you need to justify why you want to be our partner,” explained Delard.

One of the biggest challenges partners faces is when it comes to investing. As such, Delard highlighted that ALE has invested in its cloud infrastructure on behalf of the partner and then launched it with the partner. This means there is no investment needed from the partner.

“We just run it for them, and it was quite successful actually. Since we launched this Singapore, we have more than 300 customers here. The key takeaway here is the partner does not want to invest for the vendor. Therefore, the vendor now has to take the proactive approach to launch their offer. It's a big change of mindset because in the past it's like the partners invested millions and go and sell it. Singapore is the first place we did it successfully and we are now looking at Australia as well,” said Delard.

ALE recently celebrated the outstanding achievements of its partners in Malaysia, who demonstrated dedication and commitment to driving innovation and customer success in digital age communications, at its Connex24 Partner Awards.

Growth in 2025

Nokia has been a key partner for ALE. In Europe, ALE and Nokia have partnered together to power the Grand Paris Express, one of Europe’s largest metro rail projects. Over in APAC, ALE announced an expanded distribution partnership with Nokia in the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) region last year. This partnership provides a broader end-to-end integrated portfolio for partners and their enterprise customers and fulfils network requirements as their business continues to adapt and change.

Delard also mentioned that while there has been positive growth in the last two years, the reality is, growth has slowed down this year. Delard pointed out that sales for traditional networking hardware equipment have remained flat, with a lot of vendors downsizing and reducing their investments.

However, he also believes the second half of 2024 is looking brighter with more growth in applications and security. He believes the market will bounce back in 2025 and ALE will be part of the success as well.

An interesting trend highlighted by Delard is the return to office requirements more companies are imposing on their staff. As employees make their way back to the office, there will be a need for better network security.

“WiFi 7 is already available. New phone technologies support WiFi 7. There’s an incentive to upgrade the network. Most offices have WiFi5 and slowly migrating to WiFi 6, but the acceleration is actually towards WiFi 7. Phones have already started seeing the switch and laptops will be next. So, are organizations prepared for this? We have a full range of WiFi products from indoor to outdoor to more ruggedized environments,” explained Delard.

In September, ALE launched its new Wi-Fi 7 powered campus portfolio, ushering in a new era of enterprise-grade, high-performance secure connectivity. The all-new mid-range and versatile entry-level access points are engineered to deliver best-in-class performance with unprecedented speeds, lower latency, and significantly improved reliability and security.

In terms of customers, government agencies represent a key vertical for ALE. Delard pointed out that ALE has been involved with government agencies in Singapore and Malaysia.

Interestingly, Delard also mentioned that the market is becoming increasingly competitive especially with the entry of Chinese and Taiwanese brands into the industry. While these brands offer similar products, Delard believes they may not be able to meet the same standards of quality that have been offered by ALE.

“Nobody wants to play in the low-end because we don't have much value there. There is not much margin. It's very competitive. So, we try to position on the mid-to-high, as customers also look at the alternatives. And customers that work with us remain with us. We have a low turnover rate because when we commit to a project, customers know we are in it for the long run,” added Delard.

Despite this, Delard stated that ALE has partnered with some vendors as its better than competing with them. Apart from Nokia, in Hong Kong, he mentioned that ALE has partnered with a Chinese vendor to offer its voice services.

“Microsoft Teams is a competitor, but we have many references where we integrate with Microsoft Teams. So, integration definitely plays an important role in growth especially when you want to expand your network. The market is changing. Customers don’t want vendor lock-ins and it’s a big shift on the mindset. For us, our differentiation is flexibility as we help customers integrate,” concluded Delard.