Lancom pushes into UK with local offices
German networking vendor to recruit 50 "technically competent" VARs for UK business
German-based networking vendor Lancom wants to recruit 50 UK VARs in 2007 after opening its first local office in Reading.
The vendor has appointed Ian Holt, also owner of network consultancy T-Wow, as its first UK country manager in an attempt to replicate its success on the continent, where it has amassed 800 partners. The mid-market specialist currently has 10 active UK partners, including T-Wow.
Speaking to CRN, Holt said: “My business supplied Lancom equipment and I liked them so much I wanted to introduce them to the wider market.”
Holt said he was hunting for “technically competent” VARs working in the healthcare, education, local government and finance sectors.
“We want resellers serving branch offices,” he elaborated. “Our product portfolio is suited to distributed businesses because we can offer voice, data and wireless in a single box.”
To eradicate conflict of interest with prospective VARs, Holt said T-Wow would now focus on consultancy and would sever all ties with Lancom. Holt will also no longer be involved in the day-to-day running of the business.
Lancom has also expanded its distribution network to three, with the appointment of Techstore UK and Arc Technologies, to help it reach its VAR recruitment goal. Techstore and Arc join wireless distributor Now Wireless.
“We’re looking for four or five distributors in the UK,” said Holt, who added that the vendor boasts partnerships with Ingram Micro, Tech Data and Actebis in Germany.
Brian Jackson, managing director of Now Wireless, seemed unconcerned by Lancom’s decision to widen its distribution network: “Lancom fits into so many market segments that having just one distributor would be crazy,” he said.