Partner Content: Why Collaboration with Channel Partners is Key to Huawei’s Growth Strategy

[March 25, 2020]Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, cloud computing, and 5G are no longer abstract new technologies; they have been put into use for some time now, making digital transformation inevitable. The process is well underway, with global market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC) estimating digitization will account for 60% of global GDP as soon as 2022.

Every sector is looking to apply these technologies to drive sales, make better products, and enhance customer relationships. Yet, since every enterprise has different needs, no single ICT company can solve every problem across diverse industries.

Therefore, collaboration is key for successful digital transformation. Huawei knows this well. As founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ren Zhengfei said in a round-table discussion with thought leaders and tech gurus, “Social progress requires collaboration for shared success. It’s simply impossible for individual countries to develop on their own in the information world.”

Mr. Ren is a strong believer in collaboration. “In the information era, it's impossible for a country to single-handedly make anything,” he said. “And only through open collaboration can we meet people's demands, and bring the benefits of new technologies to more people at lower costs.”

Aligned with Mr. Ren’s philosophy, Huawei is determined to build an ecosystem to make the most of the strengths of Huawei and its partners.

Partners Make Major Contribution to Rapid Business Growth

Huawei recorded an 18% year-on-year growth in annual sales revenue in 2019, totaling CNY850 billion (US$123 billion). The Enterprise Business Group (EBG) was the major growth driver: its sales have increased ten-fold since it was established in 2011. Over the years, partners have played an increasingly significant role, and they contributed more than 86% of EBG’s total sales revenue in 2019.

EBG is serving more customers and partners in key industries, including government and public utilities, finance, transportation, and energy. To date, 228 Fortune Global 500 companies, 58 Fortune Global 100 companies, and more than 700 city governments worldwide have chosen Huawei as their digital transformation partner.

A Prosperous Ecosystem Consists of Seven Types of Partners

EBG adheres to Huawei’s overall ‘inclusive’ strategy, adopting fair, just, transparent, and simple principles to steer channel partner cooperation. It teams up with partners to build a healthy ecosystem that advocates openness, cooperation, and shared success.

In 2019, Huawei worked with more than 28,000 global partners: 22,000 were involved in sales, 1200 in providing solutions, 4200 in services, 1000 in talent alliances, and 80 in investment and financing. Huawei will include more partners from both the hardware and software industry in the enterprise business ecosystem in 2020. It will focus on the development of components for Huawei’s Kunpeng Computing Platform and similar, ultimately to provide commercial services.

To ensure all participants in the ecosystem can grow together, Huawei continues to expand this partner network, providing more kinds of support in training, business consulting and network design, industry application development, joint solution incubation, project implementation, post-sales service, investment and financing, operation, talent cultivation, and standards formulation.

Huawei and Partners Build the Core of the Digital World

In this digital age, the digital world needs a sustainable core, and Huawei aims to build one — supported by ubiquitous connectivity, a digital platform, and pervasive intelligence. It requires close collaboration with its global ecosystem partners, who will be able to achieve transformation with the support of Huawei’s digital platform.

Many outstanding partners play an important role across the globe. Synnex International, for example, overcame considerable difficulties to achieve transformation, expanding its Huawei business to the international market and becoming a global distributor for EBG.

In Russia, Jet Infosystems moved to the forefront of its domestic market after the digitization of its IT system. As a service supplier, it provides large-scale IT solutions for some of Russia's biggest enterprises.

South Africa’s leading tech firm, Altron, similarly provides high-quality ICT solutions for local governments and customers in vertical industries, such as transportation and industrial engineering, working in cooperation with Huawei for almost a decade. It has also made a significant contribution to building a fully-connected South Africa.

Meanwhile, Compwire has transitioned from being a competitor for Huawei to becoming Huawei’s ‘Best IT Partner of the Year,’ rapidly expanding in the digitization business in Brazil.

The journey of digitization won’t just end here. Huawei is expanding its network of partners to build a prosperous ecosystem to cope with the challenges of digital transformation.

[Biography]

Ma Yue is the Vice President of Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group (EBG). He is also Huawei’s EBG Global Sales President and Partners & Alliances President, where he oversees the global sales and market development efforts of the entire business group.

Since joining Huawei in 1999, Mr. Ma has served as a Country General Manager and Regional Vice President for several locations across Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. During his five-year tenure in China as EBG President, the business group rapidly expanded its presence in the China market.

Before joining Huawei, Mr. Ma worked in a foreign trading role at the Foreign Economic and Technical Cooperation, where he spent ten years.

Mr. Ma holds a bachelor's degree in radio engineering from Southeast University.