NetApp and Cisco channels continue to come together

Consolidation in the NetApp and Cisco channels continues apace with the news that B2net has acquired Essant.

The move will boost Chesterfield-based NetApp Star partner B2net’s turnover to £50m, with managing director Jason Clark claiming Cisco Gold partner Essant’s methodology was “very similar” to its own.

“This was a logical move for us – Essant has excellent personnel, knowledge and services that will enhance and complement the B2net offering,” he said.

The move bears a striking resemblance to Cisco Gold partner ANS’s acquisition of NetApp Star partner Alpha earlier this month. ANS managing director Scott Fletcher agreed there was a parallel.

Fletcher argued that the rise of large datacentre projects featuring VMware, Cisco and NetApp technology was forcing storage and networking VARs to widen their array of skills.

“B2net is very strong in the NetApp space, but had no Cisco,” said Fletcher.

“They are playing catch-up, as you now need to have Cisco skills when working in the datacentre. This is the first step for them on a very long road.”

In a statement, Richard Dickinson, director of Essant – which has offices in Wakefield and London – said: “B2net has an outstanding reputation and has achieved a great deal over the past 10 years in the storage and virtualisation industry.

“This represents a great opportunity for our customers, to leverage the combined advanced skill sets across both companies, enabling us to deliver a coherent vision across network and datacentre environments.”

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• Topics
• Storage
• Security
• Mergers and Acquisitions