- Tech Data Corporation announced that 120 members of its Sales Division will be Digital Signage Certified Experts (DSCE) by the end of the month. That will more than double the number of sales representatives and members of Tech Data’s Digital Signage and Projectors Specialized Business Unit (SBU) who have already earned this certification. No other distributor has as many DSCEs on staff to help IT resellers build and grow their digital signage practices.
- “Our team of Digital Signage Certified Experts is helping resellers and vendors take advantage of the rising demand for digital signage,” said Tech Data vice president, peripherals product marketing Wendy Linsky. “That’s reflected in the Digital Signage and Projectors SBU’s outstanding growth during the last year and our performance with leading vendors in the category. The Digital Signage and Projectors SBU net sales grew 22 percent in the last year, highlighted by nearly 40 percent growth in large-format displays and triple-digit growth in digital signage software. We also now hold number-one market share with NEC, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and ViewSonic.”
- In addition to investing the time and resources to train its own sales team, Tech Data has partnered with the Digital Signage Certified Experts Group—an industry organization providing vendor-neutral education and certification standards for the digital signage industry—to help resellers obtain the skills they need to build strong, profitable digital signage businesses. Through its TDEducation services, Tech Data offers resellers access to the complete Digital Signage Experts curriculum developed by the Digital Signage Experts Group, including:
- Digital Signage Certified Expert – These individuals master a broad slate of disciplines related to digital signage. That includes a proven understanding of networking, displays, software, content creation and other technical components of a digital signage solution, as well as how to conduct a needs assessment, scope projects and provide end users with measurable ROI.
Digital Signage Display Expert – People holding this certification understand the science of light, color and vision and how displays interact with the environment in which they are installed. Training also explores advanced calibration and other technical aspects of displays. Those who complete the training—including members of the Digital Signage and Projectors SBU—are experts at helping resellers select which displays—LCD, Plasma, DLP or LED—are best suited for each digital signage installation.
Digital Signage Network Expert – After earning this certification, individuals have demonstrated an understanding of the networking components, infrastructure design and management, and security practices necessary to support effective digital signage solutions.
Digital Signage Sales Professionals – Ideal for resellers’ sales teams, this training provides an understanding of digital signage and how to best communicate its value to end-user customers. Once completed, sales representatives are familiar with the basic components of a solution and the most effective, profitable business models for bringing digital signage to market.
“Tech Data continues to set the bar when it comes to enabling resellers to take advantage of the exploding digital signage market,” said Alan C. Brawn, principal of Brawn Consulting LLC and member of the Digital Signage Experts Group Board of Directors. “Offering resellers access to our entire Digital Signage Experts curriculum and ensuring another 60 of their sales reps. are Digital Signage Certified Experts truly puts them in an elite class.”
