D-Link 2008 Annual Report Download - page 11

D-Link Annual Report 2008 010
D-Link North America leveraged brand recognition, market share gains,
competitive pricing and aggressive sales incentives to shake o recessionary
woes.
According to leading industry analysts like Gartner, In-Stat
and Dataquest, economic recovery may begin as early as
late 2009 and into 2010. However, there are already signs
of progress for the North America region where D-Link’s
reputation and aggressive anti-recessionary measures
are helping growing small to medium-sized business,
enterprises and consumers get the most value out of their
constricting budgets.
In the business sector especially, the recession has prompted
SMBs and enterprises to seek cost-eective alternatives
for purchasing vital networking equipment. In 2008,
D-Link was chosen by value-conscious, brand-agnostic IT
managers and small business owners who were attracted
by a highly competitive pricing strategy, quality products,
exceptional engineering, responsive sales support and a
strong channel.
For 2008, D-Link took some giant steps, including
revamping its Reseller Partner Program to help its more than
6,000 North America solution providers and value-added
resellers (VARs) increase their prot margins through a wide
range of discounts, training, rapid response bid desk, sales
incentives and targeted promotions for industry verticals.
D-Link also introduced several new products to meet the
business market demand and build revenue with cost-
eective Ethernet and wireless switches, IP surveillance
cameras, SAN and NAS storage and network security.
D-Link introduced the industry’s rst “Test Drive”
promotion and was successful in allowing potential
customers to try out our switches for free. This “try before
you buy” concept was perceived as an act of condence
in our products and proved to be a signicant factor
in generating new revenues across all target markets –
government, education, hospitality, retail, transportation,
law enforcement and others.
In response to public demands for improvements in
energy eciency for networking equipment, in 2008
D-Link North America helped expand and build awareness
of the D-Link Green initiative which launched in latter half
of 2007, enhancing the global organization lead in the
development of innovative, power-saving technology that
doesn’t sacrice operational performance or functionality.
With the introduction of D-Link Green routers and switches,
D-Link has strengthened its commitment to protecting the
environment with products that conserve resources, reduce
the cost of ownership and include eco-friendly features
such as reduced power consumption, less heat dissipation,
extended product life, and reduced operating costs.
The Company remains the market share leader in
Canada for consumer networking. Across North America,
D-Link is a market leader in key markets such as 802.11n
home networking routers, network cameras and storage
enclosures. All of which serve as a foundation for the
digital home. Routers provide both Internet access and
connectivity to other devices such as storage devices,
media players and network cameras. Much like its strategy
in the business sector, D-Link is poised to emerge from the
economic downturn with opportunities resulting from our
broad range of home networking solutions and the fast-
growing transition to 802.11n wireless technology.
On the global playing eld, D-Link North America is an
important partner with Headquarters in the consolidation
of consumer marketing to be more consistent and ecient
worldwide, as well as helping to present unied global
business product messaging. The Company is focusing
on oering specic industry solutions – Home and Oce,
Small and Medium Business, Large Business, Government
and Education – to better meet the needs of specic market
segments.
D-Link channel sales and products were recognized
throughout the year with many honors, such as the Five-
Star Vendor Award from VARBusiness Magazine, the Best
Channel Vendor Award from Business Solutions Magazine
and Gold and Silver Awards from the Wi-Fi Alliance. D-Link’s
802.11n routers won 13 Editor’s Choice Awards from leading
industry publications.
D-Link’s continuing popularity among the SMB and
enterprise markets, and its time-sensitive adjustments to
consumer buying habits, are reinforcing the Company’s
goal and ability to achieve greater market share, while
preparing D-Link to be in an ideal position as the economy
rebounds.
>> North America