VARs endorse Novell link-up with Ingram

Novell has appointed Ingram Micro as its third distributor in the UK alongside Computer 2000 and Azlan.

Novell has appointed Ingram Micro as its third distributor in the UK alongside Computer 2000 and Azlan.

The networking vendor had been looking for a replacement for CHS after the distributor's UK operations collapsed last year.

Rob Furnival, channel sales manager at Novell UK, said the demise of CHS had given him "time to sit back and look at what Novell wants in a distribution partner." The company needed at least three distributors to service UK VARs, he said.

"Ingram is a strong and powerful distributor with plans for the future that closely fit with Novell's. We are expecting good penetration within the UK reseller community that Ingram services," Furnival added. "Of course, we are not expecting that to happen overnight."

Novell and Ingram already have a relationship in several other European regions.

Greg Finney, director of marketing at Ingram, said the distributor had always had a desire to work with Novell in the UK, and that the time was right as Ingram is looking to expand its networking and licensing divisions.

"Novell was definitely a target vendor and its products take Ingram up a gear into the high-end. Now that we have won Novell into the fold, we expect to be able to sign up similar vendors," said Finney.

Craig Harrison, technical consultant at Novell VAR Pentos Systems, said prices among distributors are "pretty much the same" but welcomed the appointment.

"Ingram is a distributor like any other and as money is tight, its appointment will help to widen choice and spread credit. It should also make it easier to get hold of stock and make the distributors more competitive on price and service," said Harrison.

Ingram's appointment does not threaten rival C2000, according to its general manager of networking, Andy Shepperd. He claimed Ingram is "a like-for-like" replacement for CHS and that Novell always intended to replace CHS.

Shepperd said: "Customers always vote with their feet, but I'm confident of the level of loyalty we have among VARs. We do not expect this to have a big impact on our Novell business."