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EDITOR'S NOTE: Ed Anderson spoke with Associate Editor Michael Kanellos recently at the 23rd annual Technology Conference sponsored by Hambrecht & Quist in San Francisco.
When asked to explain their market, most resellers will spit out a shorthand version of their mission statement: "We're an accounting VAR," "We're a corporate reseller," "We provide quality services to members of the Fortune 1000."
Ed Anderson, president and chief executive of Dallas-based CompuCom Systems Inc., takes a different approach. He categorizes customers first and providers second. "There are three basic customer segments and three kinds of behavior. There is 'Big Bang' outsourcing, 'Best of Breed' out-tasking, and traditional in-sourcing," he said.
Big Bang customers want one-stop shopping nationally or globally. "They are not seeking...