Dell Shareholder Vote: Can Davis Keep Partners Focused?
Dell may delay a July 24 shareholder vote on a buyout offer from Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners, The New York Post reported today. Meanwhile, Channel Chief Greg Davis is set to attend ChannelCon next week — a clear sign that Davis is striving to keep Dell partners focused even while the PC company’s long-term ownership remains in question.
Davis is set to speak on a Channel Chief Panel hosted by The VAR Guy on July 31. The ChannelCon event, formerly Breakaway, is hosted by CompTIA.
Ahead of the event, Dell shareholders on July 24 are scheduled to vote on a $24.4 billion buyout offer from Michael Dell and Silver Lake. Amid attacks from shareholder advocate Carl Icahn, rumors are swirling that Dell will delay the vote in order to pursue more support for the takeover. If true, it would be the second time a Dell special committee has delayed the vote.
Partner Focus Remains
Either way, Davis’s partner message has been consistent. In recent months, he and Michael Dell have assured partners that the PartnerDirect channel program will remain in place.
As Dell pushes beyond PCs into networking, storage and IT management solutions, channel partners that build and manage enterprise networks will become increasingly important.
The ChannelCon panel is expected to focus on IP endpoints — how VARs and MSPs can monetize and manage the increasingly diverse world of PCs, notebooks, smartphones, tablets and network infrastructure.
But no doubt, plenty of ChannelCon attendees will ask Davis for his real-time views on the buyout situation.