Riverstone set to climb vertical ladder
Vendor recruiting resellers to push into vertical markets
Metro Ethernet vendor Riverstone Networks is recruiting resellers to push its line of products into vertical markets.
The firm currently deals through larger systems integrators such as Marconi and Telindus UK, and specialists such as Mitech that sell into the service provider market.
But Gary Holland, marketing manager at Riverstone in the UK, said the firm is looking for a wider vertical spread.
"We think there are opportunities out there for resellers that can sell to firms that need to shift large amounts of data reliably, in areas such as local government, academia, pharmaceutical and geophysics companies, and the finance industry," he said.
"There isn't a size limit on the sorts of resellers that can sign up. They have to be comfortable with the technology."
Riverstone has set a tough criteria for potential resellers, including a requirement that they offer local language helpdesks for first- and second- level support, and field engineers with same-day access to spares.
Training expertise is also necessary. Holland said Riverstone is a small firm, so resellers would also have to be able to provide after-sales service.
The firm stressed that prospective resellers need to have experience in service-provider or mission-critical networks.
Ian Keene, vice-president of analyst Gartner Group, said the high-speed Ethernet market offers opportunities outside the service provider space.
"There are good opportunities in storage and campus networks," he said. "The long-term opportunity is still in the service provide area, but at the moment it's a tough haul for vendors.
"Any company that can migrate to other areas of the market in the meantime is onto a good thing."