Nortel is banking on its channel partners’ expertise to make a splash in the SME market after releasing a unified communications (UC) offering targeted at the mid-market.

The Business Communications Manager (BCM) 450 was unveiled earlier this month and is designed for use by up to 300 users. Nortel claimed the new addition could prove lucrative for VARs already trained on previous BCM products.

Amanda Giddins, Nortel’s EMEA distribution leader, claimed her company’s channel strategy could help it emerge as a leading vendor in the SME space. “The SME market is extremely fragmented and there is no clear leader in the UC telephony market,” she said.

“SME partners that are already familiar with our BCM portfolio can offer a more scalable solution into the mid-market with 100 per cent profit return for no extra investment.”

Andrew Shepperd, managing director of Nortel distributor Azlan, said: “The BCM 450 is an important release and it shows that all the networking vendors see a huge opportunity for growth in the SME space.”

Paul Burn, reseller systems manager for distributor Rocom said: “The BCM 450 is good, especially for VARs familiar with the BCM 50.”