Expand favours niche distributors

Adam Davison: We have tooled up our partners in areas we can win

WAN optimisation specialist Expand Networks has overhauled its distribution line-up and narrowed its market focus to help VARs win more business.

The vendor recently appointed Cloud Distribution, CDG UK and Sematron. CDG is to focus on virtual desktop infrastructure and server-based computing, and Sematron will focus on the satellite comms market.

Cloud Distribution will sell primarily into the virtualised and cloud-based IP infrastructure space. The distributor’s managing director Scott Dobson claimed Expand’s move to home in on areas of strength was a shrewd one.

“Expand has a very specific focus and beats the competition hands down in certain areas,” he said. “Working with smaller, focused players gives it more value, rather than a big distributor that also works with Cisco and Riverbed.”

Expand has recently seen distribution relationships with Vcomm and IQSys ­ both of which were bought by bigger companies ­ come to an end. The vendor’s vice president of corporate sales and marketing Adam Davison claimed IQSys’ acquisition by SCH Distribution had been a deciding factor in the relationship’s demise.

“We were getting more focused and did not want to be aligned with distribution that also had a reseller arm,” he said. “We have tooled up our partners in areas we can win. If you look at a vendor like Riverbed, it still goes to market claiming it can fix all problems.”

Davison claimed about 12 of Expand’s 40-strong UK reseller base are fully committed to the vendor. He aims to double that number.

Davison refused to comment on rumours that Expand is in talks to be acquired by rival Riverbed, but he added: “We are certainly moving and shaking in the market and doing a lot of things right.”