Alberto Ruano, the top executive of Lenovo in Iberia, welcomes us to the company's Madrid offices with a smile, just after announcing his departure after thirteen years at the helm. In an exclusive interview, Ruano analyzes Lenovo's historic results, the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry, and the importance of maintaining a strategic balance between product, channel, and human relationships. Below, we break down the keys to his vision.

Historic Results and Sustained Leadership

Ruano highlights that Lenovo's fourth quarter has been one of the best in its history, attributing this success to a combination of factors: constant investment in R&D, a comprehensive ecosystem strategy, and motivated human capital. "If an organization is strong and its human capital is motivated, it is easier to achieve goals than with an organization full of doubts, stress, and problems," he states. The company has achieved balance across all segments—consumer, channel, education, and enterprise—which has allowed it to maintain leadership in Iberia and worldwide.

AI as a Work Methodology

One of the most relevant points of the interview is Ruano's vision of artificial intelligence. "Our entire work methodology will be based on AI," he asserts. With the launch of solutions like Qira, scheduled for September, Lenovo aims to integrate AI as an interactive agent across all its devices—mobile phones, PCs, workstations, and gaming equipment—surpassing the merely generative approach. For Ruano, the technical challenge is not only technological but also internal training: "We have to get past the first course, which is constant training for the commercial, marketing, and product departments."

In this context, security and governance are critical aspects. Ruano emphasizes that in infrastructure, alliances are indispensable to address cybersecurity and AI together. "In PCs you can still go it alone, but in infrastructure you need alliances, period," he explains. This vision aligns with current trends, such as the integration of security into AI agents that we analyzed in our article on Palo Alto Networks and Portkey.

In-House Manufacturing: Competitive Advantage in Times of Volatility

Given the forecasts of volatility in component supply for 2026, Ruano highlights that Lenovo's in-house manufacturing model, which covers 80% of its offering, is a differentiating advantage. "We can commit to any client to deliver within established deadlines because we have our own factories," he assures. This not only guarantees availability but also allows Lenovo to maintain a market share of over 50% in the Spanish public sector. Responsiveness is key in an environment where AI demands high-performance infrastructure, as explored in our analysis on edge computing and physical AI.

Convergence Between Devices and the Role of Motorola

Lenovo's strategy seeks to break down silos between mobility and the workplace. With the integration of Motorola, the company expands its ecosystem and reaches new audiences. "Motorola brings us youth, color, joy, and helps us reach people we couldn't reach with just the PC or infrastructure," Ruano notes. Convergence will be enhanced with Qira, which will unify the experience between laptops, desktops, and mobile phones, reinforcing Lenovo's 360-degree vision.

The Channel as a Strategic Pillar

Ruano is emphatic when talking about the channel: "Lenovo is a channel company. We cannot allow certain siren songs to convince us otherwise." He highlights that AI should help the channel be more productive, but without losing the human touch. "I trust human relationships much more. AI simply writes the sentence for you; you don't know if it's saying it positively or pejoratively," he reflects. This philosophy is reflected in programs like Kit Digital, which has created a new distribution channel with 500 digitizing partners. Ruano advocates for its continuity and for keeping the channel as a fundamental part of the value chain.

Infrastructure and Efficiency: The Challenge of AI Without Soaring Costs

To scale AI processes from the edge to the hybrid cloud, Lenovo proposes architectures based on efficiency and savings, such as water-based liquid cooling. Ruano insists that Lenovo's proposal is competitive in sustainability, performance, and productivity. "We are aware of the increase in resources that AI demands, which is why we offer a balanced proposal," he states. This vision is complemented by the need to avoid technical debt, a recurring theme in our analysis on VMware under Broadcom.

The Future: AI, People, and Channel

Ruano concludes with a reflection on the future: "AI is a fourth industrial revolution without limits, but we cannot lose focus on people." For him, Lenovo's success lies in having gotten the strategy right, maintaining balance between product, channel, and human capital. "Any company I work for, I will always recommend being on the side of the channel, not against it," he states. A lesson that transcends technology and points to the essence of business: human relationships as the foundation of sustainable growth.

Original source: ComputerWorld. Analysis and adaptation by ForgeNEX.