3 December 2007
by Alex Scroxton
The channel has warned networking vendor Avaya it will need to assess prospective partners very carefully when it recruits a distributor in the near future.
A source familiar with the situation has confirmed to MicroScope that discussions with an as-yet-unnamed partner are close to conclusion as the vendor looks to widen its reach into the channel.
The move has been widely seen as an attempt by Avaya to increase channel exposure following Westcon’s merger with Crane. Last month, an insider hinted the relationship between the firms was likely to come under pressure since, according to sources, Westcon is handling up to 90 per cent of the vendor’s indirect business.
Any new distributor would be likely to attack Westcon’s market share directly instead of seeking to grow Avaya’s business, which could backfire for both vendor and distributor, one source contended.
Manny Pinon, managing director at networking infrastructure provider Ampito, conceded that with its current set-up, Avaya would be likely to seek out partners.
"Those two [Westcon and Crane] have played in the top end. Avaya probably wants to align to partners that can give it a wider footprint," he added. "There is a need to have more than one strong distributor from the point of view of credit management, stock and so on."
Avaya did not comment directly on the situation, but a spokesperson has previously made it clear the firm was aware it was perceived as "hard to do business with" and was seeking to rectify that problem.
Remarking on the recent departure of the well-regarded Pat Hume, former group vice-president of small and medium business solutions at Avaya, one partner said: "It has lost a lot of people and could be trying to improve its standing with the channel. We’re certainly expecting more from it."
Westcon was unavailable for comment.
