Last week’s EMC World 2014 event, held at The Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas, was one of  two live broadcasts brought to you by SiliconANGLE’s theCUBE. In this interview, co-hosts Jeff Frick and Steve Kenniston sat down with Bill Lipsin, VP of Global Channel & Systems Integrators at Brocade, to discuss what Lipsin deems a necessity for organizations to redefine both their business and their people.

The interview began with Kenniston asking Lipsin what he thinks about EMC World and what he likes about it. Setting the stage for the interview’s main topic of discussion, Lipsin first shared his thoughts on the event, approving of EMC World’s theme: “Redefine.” He spoke of  common conversations he’s had with Brocade’s partners around the world, many about their own process of redefining themselves as customers push them to be a new set of solution providers.

Challenge the Status Quo

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So how are Brocade’s clients are redefining themselves? By new technologies, Lipsin explained. They realize that the cloud is going to be here for a long time, betting on a hybrid model to support in-house, on-premise capabilities. This forces channels to re-think how they look at investments to ensure management of both the second and third platform.

“The key here is to challenge the status quo. So, what used to work in the past is not working anymore. They can’t afford to continue to scale up their networks to support storage, support data, support mobile. So, they have to find new, innovative ways to do that,” said Lipsin.

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• Thinking Differently

Looking deeper into Brocade’s software-defined networking (SDN) features, Lipsin to offered insight on the company’s market position and business strategies, saying “It really is about trying to have a vision as to where you’re taking your business as a channel partner.”

Reviving the topic of redefining, Lipsin also said software networking is critical in that it’s not just about supporting the traditional side of the business, but also about thinking differently. Take advantage of the Intel technology that supports the types of network function that used to solely be available on purpose-built routers and switches. He added that it’s really about making sure the customer’s applications are running, and doing it as easily and seamlessly as possible.

Best Practices for Redefining

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Frick then asked Lipsin what he’s seeing in terms of best practices for redefining organizations and their people. Lipsin said that it’s about both the business and the people. It’s about new skills, teaching sales and technical users how to handle the new world, while making sure not to abandon what’s currently working.

Lipsin then brought up a story about a recent meeting with a channel partner in the UK who expressed that he was comfortable with his current vendors because they were getting the job done. Frick was astonished that this partner was fine with being comfortable during a time of so much innovation moving the industry forward. Lipsen added that those who aren’t redefining themselves to take advantage of disruptive technology may not make it.

Kenniston then asked Lipsin to share his observations on what business aspects organizations are trying to redefine today, as opposed to pushing it off for the future. In Lipsin’s experience, organizations are interested in adjunct technologies and skills that can be added to an organization without being totally disruptive. He also warned, while having an evolutionary set of steps is a good strategy, you should be aware that there are others coming behind you.