Distributor equIP has launched a dedicated voice division to gain more traction in the booming voice over IP (VoIP) and IP telephony (IPT) markets.
The move comes just a few weeks after the distributor was sold by Matrix Group to Horizon Technology Group for £10.5m (CRN, 2 February). It will see the firm, which has traditionally been more security focused, target IP voice and data resellers.
Grahame Smee, managing director of equIP, told CRN the move was on the cards for some time.
“This has been in the planning for several months. It has nothing to do with our sale to Horizon, although it will help to maximise cross-sell opportunities,” he said.
Smee said the division has been launched on the back of equIP’s relationship with Siemens, where it already distributes its HiPath IP telephony (IPT) products. He added there are several new vendors in the pipeline.
“EquIP has been an IP-centric company from the beginning. We are doing this to maximise the opportunity for our channel partners,” he said.
The launch has been welcomed by the channel. Gary Duke, sales director at Lan2Lan, said: “VoIP and IPT are going to be big this year. Everyone we are talking to at a customer level is ready to get into this space.
“However, a lot of customers are loathe to lose their legacy systems and switch to IPT because of concerns about security.
“EquIP has been in the security space for some time and this will be a welcome add-on to its business. It makes us happy because it will help to bolster our technical skills.”
Chris Durnan, managing director of VAR Peapod, said: “If equIP is doing this with security in mind, then it is exactly what we are looking to do. As we partner with equIP in a number of areas, then it is something we are very interested in developing.”
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