Photography and Video Content by Alice Schmalzl
BCS Connections has opened on the island of Puerto Rico with speeches by Craig Birmingham, vice president of business and consumer solutions at Ingram Micro, as well as Alexandra Harding, director of consumer technology solutions, also at Ingram. Birmingham opened the event with a fun introduction complete with costumed dancers and a light-up bike, as well as inspirational words about the first time the event has taken place not only on an island, but in person, after the pandemic.
“We picked Puerto Rico because in 2017, Hurricane Maria was the most devastating hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in over 120 years,” said Birmingham. “And so what we thought, let’s bring the healthy economy in Puerto Rico and help them get back on their feet. That was 2018. Who knew we’d go through a global pandemic until now.”
According to Birmingham, from a technology standpoint, the industry has fast forwarded during this time. The solutions Ingram Micro provides help the world communicate; there is a global need for technology, and Ingram, their vendor partners and resellers are all a part of that.
“it’s critically important that we communicate and collaborate, and that’s why we’ve got you all here,” said Birmingham, while also thanking he crowd.
He explained that during the day, they were going to talk about a new digital platform being launched by Ingram, as well as everything from find solutions and edge computing to gaming and eSports mobility, imaging solutions, computing solutions and their integration center. These will occur during the breakout sessions.
“We typically start with a big project and some of our smaller countries — the U.S. makes up about 45 percent of the overall business for Ingram Micro,” said Birmingham. “We were so confident in this solution. We’re starting it with us in Germany. So this is a big deal.”
Alexandra Harding also added during the opening some thoughts about how the company can help consumers improve, enjoy and optimize their homes better.
“We have all the technology, whether it’s some large screen TVs to remotely checking that your pets are being taken care of properly and monitoring the usage of your thermostat,” said Harding. “But all of that is part of working from home and living from home, which we can help provide solutions for.”
Ingram Micro helps businesses realize the promise of technology. It delivers a full spectrum of global technology and supply chain services to businesses around the world. Deep expertise in technology solutions, mobility, cloud and supply chain solutions enables its business aprtners to operate efficiently and successfully in the markets they serve.
