It’s time to see SHI in a new light

If you thought something looks a little different about SHI this morning, you’d be right. Today SHI launched our new brand identity to the world – a new look that reflects the evolution of a business early in its fourth decade and looking ahead.

I hope you like the new brand and design language as much as I do. But I want to take a few moments to talk about why we chose now to rebrand and what is behind the new look and feel.

Today’s SHI is very different from “Software House” – the $1 million reseller acquired by Thai Lee and Koguan Leo in 1989.  We still sell software, a lot of software. And hardware of all shapes and sizes. But increasingly that’s only part of the ‘select, deploy, manage’ value proposition we offer customers.

Outwardly, our evolution can be hard to track. We’ve used the same branding for the past 20 years, had the same CEO for 30, and our steady, private ownership generally keeps us under Wall Street’s radar – which is fine.

But internally our organization is a growing network of experienced resources constantly expanding professionally and shifting in response to the latest technologies, buying programs and changing business needs of our customers.

What’s different about SHI in 2022?

You could just as easily ask “what’s not different?”. But let me share a few examples of recent investments that are becoming increasingly popular with our customers and helping them to realize additional value from their relationship with SHI.

Realizing Digital Agility

Perhaps the most obvious example of this is the launch of our Stratascale business, a consult-first organization that helps our larger U.S. customers achieve what we describe as ‘digital agility’ – the ability to use cloud, digital experience, data intelligence, cybersecurity and more to help transform their business and be ready for the next market challenges.  Since launching in late 2020, Stratascale has both redefined our engagement model with our long-time enterprise customers and brought new customers to our door.

Cloud Equity

Most organizations are investing in hybrid and multi-cloud strategies. That’s why we have invested heavily in what we call ‘Cloud Equity’ – put simply, whichever of the major cloud platforms you choose, SHI will offer the same level of expertise, professional and managed services across them all. That includes migration, cost management, platform optimization, application modernization and more.

Delivering IT direct to users

SHI offered a Zero Touch deployment offering before ‘Zero Touch’ was even a thing. And we were the first to have a credible multiplatform offering that allows our customers true freedom of device and vendor choice for end user devices. But driven by the business and government response to remote work, demand for our Zero Touch X service – along with imaging and packing – has gone through the roof. Thankfully not literally, as our pre-pandemic investment in our Integration Centers meant they were built for volume!

Making it easier to explore options

There’s a reason we talk about ‘select, deploy and manage’ at SHI. Previously, ‘select’ often meant helping a customer find the most cost-effective licensing deal or procuring hardware at the best rates.  And while that’s still true, today ‘select’ can just as likely mean working with business and IT leaders at a customer to help them select the right strategies and technologies for their business.

We have a growing range of Executive Briefings, Workshops and Assessments available to customers, many offered as part of SHI’s value-add and at no cost.  A great example of these are the recently-launched SHI Executive Briefings, which focus on our four pillars of Transform, Collaborate, Protect and Optimize.

Executive Briefings are a fast and easy way for customers to engage with specialists at SHI to explore business issues, identify potential technology solutions and build a way forward into a formal planning process.

Still think SHI just sells software licenses and hardware?

Those are all examples of new offerings we’ve already brought to market, not the exciting projects our teams are busy working on right now for launch in the coming months and years.

And that just gives more reason to the rebrand. SHI not only has changed as a business, it will continue to do so as our customer needs evolve.  Our new brand quite literally invites you to “look at SHI in a new light”.

As author Wayne W. Dyer once said: “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change”.

Maybe it’s time to take a fresh look at how today’s SHI can deliver value to your business?