Jacques van Schalkwyk, Intel`s new regional manager, says although he is relatively new to the region, he is bullish about the prospects for both him and the company in the year ahead.
Van Schalkwyk was appointed to the position in December after Steve Nossel announced plans to move on.
There is no major shake up in the pipeline, says Van Schalkwyk. Instead, he will build on the "solid foundation" his predecessor established for the brand in the region.
Some of the key areas the company will focus on in the region include:
* The PC client refresh.
* Continuing to aggressively market the Pentium brand.
* Driving the adoption of mobile/wireless connectivity.
The good reviews the 802.11 wireless technology has been getting and the attention the soon to come WIMAX broadband technology has generated, should see the company attracting and retaining clientele, he says.
"Some of the usage modes that are coming to light will not add value to corporates if connectivity is not there, so the Centrino and Pentium M brands should do a lot in this respect," he says.
Another of the company`s focus areas will be further building up its reseller base, through the provision of building blocks and training. Intel is also looking at improving its call centre.
Van Schalkwyk adds: "We will also continue to support the education sector through various initiatives, and with the amount of potential and initiatives that are coming from our club houses, they will also continue to receive increased support."
Intel will continue to support its multinational partners such as HP and IBM.
Van Schalkwyk concludes that he is bullish about the uptake of Intel products in the consumer market as homes become more digital with the advent of home computing, digital photography and multimedia production.
However, the local uptake could be slow because of issues such as bandwidth, he says.
Related story:
New Intel manager as Nossel moves up
Share
