It is a whole package: An Interview with Francisco Trujillo

Meet Francisco Trujillo, Services Manager at Adsum Soluciones Tecnológicas of Columbia, our Extreme Champion of the Quarter

What are the biggest challenges for networking vendors when approaching customers in the government sector, both from sales and technical support perspectives?

The biggest challenge when approaching state entities is moving beyond legacy infrastructure. Sometimes the existing solutions are obsolete, but they still fulfill their basic functions, so getting rid of them can take a long time. Additionally, government agencies cannot make major infrastructure changes due to certain restrictions or guidelines, which can delay or make a project more difficult.

Driving technological transformation is what puts Extreme at the forefront of technological leaders in the government market.

Other vendors were in the running for the Administrative Department of the Presidency’s network revamp, yet you managed to position Extreme Fabric Connect as a more complete, secure, and cost-effective solution. What arguments did you use?

Positioning Extreme as a brand was a joint technical and commercial endeavor done by the Adsum and Extreme teams. Explaining the advantages of Extreme Fabric Connect and Wi-Fi 6 technologies and Extreme’s innovations and market success helped us convince the customer to go with us.

There were a couple of very strong arguments behind Extreme Fabric Connect. First, the solution is based on new technologies for Layer 2 connections. It eliminates the use of spanning tree, therefore it helps you get rid of the loops that are generated in the access network.

Furthermore, Extreme Fabric Connect is an end-to-end solution for a virtualized network that can generate an automated configuration and solve problems that occur on the network without the use of manual, error-prone processes to reconfigure individual devices.

Winning this prestigious government contract in Colombia puts Adsum in a position for other government projects. Which Extreme technology or solution do you think holds the biggest growth potential for your business with the Columbian government?

The solution that holds the most potential and differentiates our business from the competitors is Extreme Fabric Connect managed by the ExtremeCloud IQ platform.

What do your customers need from your company and Extreme right now or in the future?

I believe that our biggest strength is to continue innovating and transferring that innovation to our customers. Additionally, we need to support Extreme’s brand positioning with marketing strategies through a boot camp that teaches our customers how to get the best out of what they currently have and everything new they can do if they buy more products. We need to focus on both older and new customers.

How does the Extreme partner team support you in your efforts to attract prospects and guide customers through the buyer's journey?

Extreme plays a vital role for our business. The commercial team really supports us by identifying opportunities in our market. The channel manager works with us to help look for more and better prospects. And the technical team provides great support in convincing the customer about the technology and its uses.

We recently met at the Virtual Partner Conference. Which breakout session did you enjoy most? What were you most excited about? What were you surprised to learn?

Kudos to Extreme for the amazing growth figures and the competitive edge Extreme holds over its competition. I really liked the welcoming part and the opening presentation. The conference was truly a great confidence builder.

What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?

Go to Spain for my master’s degree. It was different to be learning in a new place, but my genuine desire to travel and see the world motivated me to go for it.

What accomplishment, personal or professional, are you most proud of?

Supporting my brother in raising his children, who I consider my children, too.