Fujitsu
More focus, more datacenter
No more Fujitsu PCs in Europe as from April The news came as a massive surprise, but according to the manufacturer, it is an important choice in terms of more focus on the future. A robust ecosystem of partners is already in place and the data center range is now becoming Fujitsu’s central leg in Europe. All the elements are there to make it a success.
Monday, 7 August 2023: a day those who distribute Fujitsu PCs will not soon forget. Out of the blue, the manufacturer suddenly pulls the plug on its Client Computing Devices (CCD) business in Europe to focus on its data center (DC) portfolio entirely. Before talking about the latter, it is important to put Fujitsu’s decision to discontinue PC sales in Belgium into perspective. According to Fernanda Catarino, Head of Channel, Product Business Europe, the choice is strategic. “There was a boom in PC sales during Covid, but deliveries were challenging due to numerous component shortages. Once that was resolved and the pandemic subsided, the market also went down. Moreover, we always aimed at the high-end market with our devices, which aren’t the biggest volumes anyway. Finally, the PC market is also much more volatile than the data center market. After considering all these aspects, Fujitsu decided to stop working retract from PC business in the European regione EU.”
No more PCs in Europe
Making that decision is one thing, but the subsequent impact on distribution centres, partners, and resellers is huge. Catarino is well aware of that and stressed that everyone was informed immediately after the news broke. “We are supporting them in clearing the current stocks and we will continue to provide support for every device sold.”
But everything has to be finalised by 31 March 2024, after which Fujitsu PCs will no longer be sold. That seems ambitious to us, but Catarino qualifies this, saying, “Obviously, the deadline is quite tight for those that very heavily invested in the CCD business. There are ongoing consultation periods and negotiations to meet that date.” “Lastly, I’ve also had a lot of partners informing us that they saw this coming. The market is hypercompetitive and shrinking. In fact, many say they are happy with the increased focus on the data center segment.”
Data and AI as an asset
As of now, everything within the EU at Fujitsu revolves around data centers, and building the right solutions whereby consultancy is also often important.
The integration goes much further, giving partners and distribution channels more room to add services. There has always been a robust ecosystem of partners, according to Catarino, and with a clear vision for the future, this can only get better. “I like to describe it as identifying the superpowers of our partners to differentiate them from others. The market is changing at hyper speed, and we need to evolve as an industry.” That evolution is already very much felt today with the lightning fast rise of AI and data. Artificial intelligence is already changing our lives today and will continue to do so even more in the future. Customers are getting more and more excited because they can streamline processes and business. “I think the most important evolution is being able to use your own people’s time to do more complex intellectual tasks instead of simple, day-to-day things.”
More specifically within AI, Fujitsu compute and consultancy offers an ecosystem with innovation partners. “AI is a very specialised skill that is not widely available. We therefore have in-house services and consultants who can be deployed for partner projects.”
Hybrid cloud and sustainability
The portfolio of data center products and solutions is one aspect, but today, Fujitsu is also betting heavily on uSCALE, hybrid cloud, DDS (Data Driven Services), and SAP. The four assets are important future growth pillars and the manufacturer is paying close attention to this. “We have a ‘pay-as-you-use model’ for uSCALE. Consumer-based IT is increasingly higher on the agenda because our customers are looking for flexibility, especially since the complexity of the environment is also increasing. We are also working closely with partners there to embrace recurring revenue.” Hybrid cloud will in turn be hot in the coming years, according to analyst firm IDC. Numerous companies will re-evaluate their cloud strategy in the coming period: which workload now suits which cloud, private or public? Lastly, Catarino brings up another important argument: sustainability. “We have seen a very strong focus on sustainable products among our customers in recent years, particularly since last year. Hardware often has to meet key parameters, something our systems pass with flying colours.”
We are here to stay
We had to ask: should partners fear that the data center business too will one day leave as has now happened to the PC business? Catarino laughs, but understands our question. “We are a leading technology company, tech is our heart and soul. We built the fastest supercomputer in the world and the fastest quantum simulator. Of all competitors, we have the most AI patents in our portfolio. Fujitsu looks to the future full of innovation with particular enthusiasm and has invested billions of dollars in this regard.”
“We are here to stay and we are going to keep investing and innovating to remain a leader in the technology world.”
For that to succeed, she stresses that a customercentric approach remains important. “Co-creation and joint to market remain hugely important for us. Rapid digital transformation requires extensive collaboration with partners. The market is changing at hyper speed, and we need to evolve as an industry to accommodate that, together with our partners.”
Fernanda Catarino
Head of Channel, Alliances & Ecosystems Europe