Wick Hill makes voice heard in security space

Kilpatrick: We have a large slab of committed marketing from both Wick Hill and Samsung

Wick Hill has hailed its deal to distribute Samsung’s communications kit as an important step towards a converged offering and is hunting networking VARs.

The Woking-based security specialist has signed up to distribute the vendor’s OfficeServ range of IP PBXs and its Ubigate gateways.

Wick Hill chairman Ian Kilpatrick claimed Samsung’s hosted IP telephony offering had also attracted him.

“Although we are seen as a security player, we are an infrastructure distributor and are already touching this market sector,” he said. “There are good opportunities for the channel in both product and services.”

Kilpatrick claimed that the Samsung range would receive a serious investment of time and money this year. He indicated some VARs would be recruited from Wick Hill’s existing base but many would come through recruitment drives and marketing activities.

“We have new people starting and will not be migrating existing staff,” he said. “We will work on end-user awareness and lead creation and have a large slab of committed marketing from both Wick Hill and Samsung.”

Wick Hill would look at other communications kit if the right opportunities arose, said Kilpatrick. But he stressed success did not depend on diversification.

“We have been looking at moving into the convergence sector,” he said. “In security, storage and networking people are struggling. It is not about whether you specialise in one area, it is how you deliver that specialisation.”

VADition distributes both security and communications kit. Director Barrie Desmond claimed hosted telephony would be a compelling offering for Wick Hill to take to
market, but added: “No matter what anybody tells you, voice is inherently difficult.

“It could work out for it, but it is a difficult one,” he said.