Snap targets SMEs with PC World deal

Quantum subsidiary starts selling its Snap 1000 server

Snap Appliances, a subsidiary of storage giant Quantum, has begun selling its Snap 1000 server through PC World in the UK.

The server, which is being sold in both 20Gb and 40Gb configurations, is aimed at small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and will be distributed to PC World solely by Ideal Hardware.

Graham Paterson, vice president of European operation at Snap, said that the company will train all PC World staff in selling the product.

"Although the 1000 server is a simple product, we do not want end users thinking it is just a sophisticated hard drive. We use the channel to deliver our higher-end products, but you cannot force value-add on everyone," he said.

"If a company has an internal IT department and doesn't need anything except to buy the server, they can walk in and simply get the product off the shelf. Resellers don't need that kind of customer, and we wanted to cover all sales angles," he added.

Andy Walsky, European marketing director at Snap, said: "We see this deal as complementing rather than competing with our existing channel."

Mike Collins, network attached storage product group manager at Ideal, said he believed the product is suitable for the SME small office/home office market because of its plug-and-play manageability.

"PC World taking the server shows that it is becoming a much more recognised and acceptable technology," he said. "The 1000 server is Linux-based, so it is flexible and simple. There is still a market for this with the more traditional business-to-business resellers."