Vendors Foundry Networks and Metrodata have both signed agreements with VAR Incurion, as former vendors of Spot Distribution continue to seek new channel partners.
Several vendors have been left short of channel coverage following the demise of Spot (CRN, 26 June). Last week, distributor Vcomm partnered with former Spot vendor Funkwerk Enterprise Communications (CRN, 21 August).
Both Metrodata and Foundry Networks have opted to sign direct reseller agreements to plug the void left by the distributor’s recent exit from the market.
Networking vendor Foundry has two other direct UK VAR agreements with Matrix Communications, now owned by Irish reseller Calyx (CRN, 22 May) and Pervasive Networks.
Metrodata’s signing of Incurion will run alongside its current VAR agreement with Hertfordshire-based Open Networks.
Alistair Brown, managing director of Incurion, said the reseller will maintain direct contact with both Metrodata and Foundry.
“We will take over the areas that Spot covered,” he said. “We will target the service provider market, in which we have 10 years operating experience. Spot added no value: it was just a box-shifter.”
Brown added that Incurion began working with Foundry three weeks ago and the relationship has already produced a large-scale contract win.
“Foundry is not like Cisco, which every man and his dog is working with,” he said. “Foundry has some interesting products and markets.”
Brown added that the Foundry and Metrodata portfolios complement each other, and so provide a more complete offering to end-users.
“Metrodata should be a hugely successful company,” he said. “It now has a new management team in place to reinvigorate the product.”
Clive Broom, sales and marketing director at Metrodata, said: “Incurion has experience in the telco and service provider market. We can now provide a better service to customers and expand in that market with this reseller outlet.
“We are established as a firm. However, we wanted to further expand our market share, with the reseller channel playing a very important part in this.”
Jean Pierre Steward, general manager at Metrodata VAR Open Networks, said he was unconcerned by the appointment of Incurion.
“[The Incurion signing] is more competition for us, but it is my understanding that Incurion will be more of a box-shifting partner,” he said. “We do mainly bespoke projects for the government and system integrators.”
Steward added that the Metrodata product has been well received in the market and is competitive both technically and on price.
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