Founded in the suburbs of Seattle in November 1986, Zones Inc. began with a simple premise: to provide strategic IT solutions while simplifying the fulfillment process. In its early years, Zones developed by selling software and computer hardware via mail orders. Through this direct marketing approach, Zones successfully avoided incurring burdensome overhead expenses that retailers traditionally experienced with brick-and-mortar storefronts. Known as an IT “reseller” channel, this allowed Zones to price the company’s offerings at an increasingly competitive rate to better appeal to consumers.
Zones experienced exponential growth throughout the 1990’s due to increasing demand in hardware sales. Under the direction of newly appointed President and Chief Executive Officer Firoz Lalji in 1998, the company began to move away from consumer sales to instead focus on small-to-medium sized businesses. This shift in Zones’ approach was solidified when the company successfully brokered a deal with nearby behemoth Microsoft to be the primary supplier of computer products and distribution services to its then-20,000 U.S.-based employees. Zones continued to pursue relationships with additional industry-leading software suppliers and manufacturers, eventually establishing an extensive strategic partner program. The company also continued to diversify its B2B relationships in pursuit of mid-range companies with 250-5,000 employees.
Over the next seventeen years Zones continued to implement its B2B strategy, growing its customer base to more than 80 countries around the world. To provide seamless support and services that ensure the integrity of customers’ IT solutions, the company learned quickly that it would need to adjust to changing buying preferences and varying customer needs beyond distribution needs. To complement its core distribution operations, the company implemented in-house service account teams to provide strategic guidance. These account team members assist with strategic planning, integration and logistics, supply chain management, project management, and best practice methodologies to ensure the success of each client interaction and, when utilized, have been proven to increase customer satisfaction.
Today, Zones is a global leader in providing comprehensive IT solutions around Data Center, Mobility, Unified Communications, Cloud, Security, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Zones’ customer base is truly diversified and spans across all industries. With access to thousands of IT products and a complete range of deployment, licensing and technical services, Zones makes it easier than ever for organizations to benefit from the advantages of supplier consolidation and optimization.
As a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Zones strives to work with diverse business enterprises (DBEs) to foster relationships that will enrich business partnerships. Recognized for performance excellence and good corporate citizenship by clients, industry peers and publications, and numerous organizations, Zones continues to strive for excellence in meeting the needs of everyone the company serves. In 2017 Zones launched a branch in Pakistan under the name Zones PK.