Symposium 2025: Ingram Micro boosts the channel with Xvantage, cybersecurity and AI

Transform and digitally boost the distribution channel to face future challenges, in 360º with its Xvantage ecosystem, has been the proposal that the wholesaler Ingram Micro has made clear in the 22nd edition of its Symposium, a meeting that evolves and grows, supported by eighty manufacturers and 2.500 assistants.

With twenty-two successful calls, he Ingram Micro Symposium, the annual event in which the technology wholesaler brings together the entire value chain: manufacturers, distributors, resellers and clients, goes further in his edition 2025, held yesterday in Barcelona Gran Vía Fair, to highlight this year's motto: Driving the future of distribution, in which the digital transformation focuses on future growth.

The Symposium 2025 has met this objective, not only with him increase in exhibition space in the pavilion 2.1 from the Barcelona venue (of some 4.000 m2), but in terms of number and quality of presentations (more than forty) and debates on current topics and challenges in companies, as cybersecurity and AI, to which has also been added the new meeting area one to one to facilitate business and knowledge opportunities, with more than a hundred meetings during the event, and in a more relaxed atmosphere afterwards, that of tardeo de networking.

Digital evolution

"We are in full transformation of our company, creating an ecosystem that encompasses different platforms in Xvantage, that we started in 2022 and that today is a reality and a benefit for associates. An eevolution from distributor to strategic partner to support and drive channel evolution in the face of key trends such as AI, cybersecurity and cloud”, has pointed out Jaume Soler, vp & chief country executive Iberia en Ingram Micro, at the meeting with the media prior to the Symposium.

A commitment to the digital transformation of the channel in which Ingram Micro wants to contribute more efficiency, profitability and flexibility supply to the market, in which the Xvantage ecosystem is the core to achieve this.

“The improvement in the platform model is continuous,” says Soler., y he 80% of transactions are already done in Xvantage, with more than 1.200 customers enjoying easy access through our API; improving the 'time to market' of orders, where we have gone from a management of 10 minutes to just two. We have incorporated a AI based module (IDA), and this has helped us manage data very wells and perform a proactive customer contact, with effective calls with content”.

All of this is helping to make the year's results more than positive., that according to sources of Context In Spain, there is growth in the 14,7%, in which “the transformation and the Kit Digital It is being a very important contribution, with a large increase in volume area, mainly in software, with the tendency to sell solutions and in line with our platform strategy. “Spain is one of the fastest growing countries within the eurozone”, Soler stressed.

An area of ​​special relevance in the division Advanced Solutions has been cybersecurity, as explained Alberto Pascual, CEO of Ingram Micro, “in which we strengthen our portfolio with Bitdefender y Okta; we have secured the Kit Digital, and created a managed cybersecurity services platform”.

In it ProAV/UCC environment, Pascual emphasizes the good progress of this business, “which has positioned us as a leader in the deployment of interactive panels for education, around 20.000, and in which we have taken advantage of the changes in regulations in Outdoor Led screens, with such important cases with the screens installed during the America's Cup held in Barcelona”.

A UCC, Pascual also highlights the equipment renewal in work spaces and meeting and collaboration rooms after the investment made during the pandemic, "besides, Last year we presented an Xperience Center in unified communications that is increasingly consolidated”.

The endpoint split, directed by Herminio Granero, the results are equally positive and increasing, largely thanks to the Digital Kit, “with the sale of more than 200.000 PCs in Spain, half channeled by Ingram Micro, where we have been better than our competitors with Lenovo y HP as referents”.

A growing evolution that is also reflected in the cloud area of the company, how do you explain Pablo Ruiz-Hidalgo, responsible for this business in the Spanish subsidiary of Ingram Micro: “the cloud business will grow this year around a 22% in Spain and we are above. We already have 1.650 partners, of which two hundred are from this year, con 60 jointly developed projects with our partners, that will come to 145 this year, and our team already has fifty people”.

ProAV/UCC: Shared growth

With a turnover that increases year after year in the wholesale business in Spain, lThe ProAV/UCC division gains weight both with the awarding of public tenders in the educational environment, as in the case of more than 20.000 interactive monitors in the Junta de Andalucía or in the Copa América project and, most recently at the stadium Roig Arena, as in alliances with new manufacturers and joint projects.

“We have had a very good turnover, the UCC market works quite well, with significant growth Yealink y Cisco, and the incorporation of Dahua an AVPro, that opens a segment in which we were not”, point Alex Rincon, ProAV & UCC business manager of Ingram Micro Spain.

A growing evolution in which, as Rincón points out, “We carefully analyze our portfolio of manufacturers and products, looking for what we are missing or removing what does not work; It is not a question of opening up to everything and everyone., because that doesn't work and in the end the objectives are not met.".

In this sense, One of the new features for next year will be incorporation into the portfolio of this division of an important professional audio multinational, whose name will be revealed upon signing the contract, “With which we take a step forward in this market segment and which will make Ingram Micro the first wholesaler to have that manufacturer in Europe”.

In this growing operation, the model created with Xperience Center at its headquarters in Barcelona, “that never stops being used, both for partners and customers to see live solutions, in a real environment and prescribe project, how to training, with a continuous technological update”.

In the area dedicated to the professional audiovisual division and unified communications and collaboration, The common denominator in the first case has been the manufacturers' commitment to COB technology, as in the case of Philips Professional Displays, LG, Samsung y Dahua, integrated into its Led screens for different environments and applications.

The Philips Professional Displays proposal at the Symposium focused on two product ranges: and sistema All-in-One de 135”, with Full HD resolution, 600 brightness nits and integrated Android, “very easy to assemble and use, especially suitable for the corporate and collaboration environment”, explains Romain Sentile, regional sales manager France & Iberia of this company.

In the digital signage environment, The company showed the advantages of P-Line display, con 800 nits and metal chassis, indicated for demanding environments 24/7, such as public spaces or transportation hubs, and the range Q-Line 4050Q for digital signage, with a panel mate, Android 10 and a shine of 500 nits, in addition to a sistema T-Line 10” for room reservation.

For the first time as an exhibitor at the Symposium, The manufacturer Dahua showed visitors a system 135” folding All-in-One and COB technology, with pixel pitch 1,5 mm, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, speakers and motorized stand.

How do you explain Fernando Serrano, head of Pro AV business unit at Dahua Technology Iberia, “we wanted to differentiate ourselves with a solution like this, that allows you to join two screens and create one of up to 6 display meters for conference and event rooms, like the project we have carried out for Galicia Star. We are very happy to be here and have a wholesaler like Ingram Micro, which complements very well with other of our alliances, without overlapping.

In this area, the large-format LED screens for digital signage and conferences from LG and Samsung also stood out., with demonstrations with the incorporation of the wireless system ClickShare Barco, as well as equipment for the educational environment of SMART Technologies.

Completing the division's professional audiovisual proposal were the mobile and wall mounts of Vogel’s, as well as those of Neomounts y B-Tech AV Mounts.

In the UCC environment, Visitors could also see the E-Series screen 3 of Link Touch, a 15.6” touch device TouchPro PCAP of 10 retail contact points, hospitality and self-service.

As a novelty in this edition of the Symposium, was the manufacturer of advanced voice and processing networking solutions for hybrid and collaborative workspaces AudioCodes, among other proposals.