Harris throws weight behind VCW

The chairman of distributor Voice Comms Warehouse (VCW) is bullishly aiming to increase turnover 10-fold at the firm in the coming year.

Mike Harris, who left BT in January as a result of the carrier’s 2005 acquisition of reseller TNS , told CRN that he expected VCW’s turnover to grow from about £360,000 in 2006 to between £3m and £4m this year, and £10m during 2008.

“I set up VCW about two years ago, but until March this year I was not actively involved in the business,” he said. “However, I am now in a better position to take a far more hands-on approach to the company.”

VCW, which Harris claimed works closely with about 30 VARs, is split into two subsidiaries: VCW Security, which focuses solely on Fortinet, and VCW Voice, which develops its own range of server-based IP telephony equipment. Harris, who chairs the umbrella company, said his priority is to expand the vendor portfolio and bring in more specialist staff.

“Storage and high-performance networking are two new markets we will look at over the next 12 months to see if we can bring in best-of-breed people to run each as a separate division,” he said.

Harris added that VCW was in a strong position to pursue an acquisition strategy.

“We would also be open to acquisitions of technology distribution businesses,” he said. “A lot of companies grow to £2m to £3m in turnover, but are not then able to find the cash to expand. I have the cash to do this.”

Phil Keeling, UK and Ireland country manager at Fortinet, said: “We took on VCW a year ago to work in the BT market, but it has since expanded out beyond that. This is great news, especially if VCW is taking on vendors that are complementary to Fortinet’s portfolio.”

VCW can spot the difference