C2000 in 'Dell-buster' deal

SME resellers offered chance to 'bash' direct sellers

The fightback against Dell's direct threat to the channel has begun, following a massive pan-European deal between distributor Computer 2000 (C2000) and Supermicro, the leading US manufacturer of white-box servers and motherboards.

The initial UK alliance, referred to as a 'Dell-buster' when it was agreed last week, has since been expanded to cover the rest of Europe.

Speaking to CRN from the contract signing in Geneva, Rob Epstein, general manager of C2000's components division, said: "The original deal we announced was just for the UK, but now we are signing off on a pan-European deal.

"Exactly which countries it will cover is not fixed yet. But from a UK perspective, this deal allows SME resellers back into the market and gives them a real chance to bash the direct guys, such as Dell."

Robbie Abreu, vice-president of sales at Supermicro, said: "Tech Data is our largest partner in the US and South America, so it is a natural progression to use it to increase our European presence. It has the marketing muscle that we lack.

"Right now, our European sales are 25 per cent of our total - roughly $50m - but we want this percentage to grow to 40 per cent."

Supermicro is already well-established in the US as a supplier of first-to-market systems and motherboards.

Abreu claimed that its offerings are ready for market between three and nine months before the big players. Competitive pricing will also be a key selling point for potential UK resellers.

Epstein said: "We have seen a really strong vendor opportunity to offer products that are first to market, especially from SME resellers.

"Dell has been slowly eating up more market share, mainly on price. Now those resellers can steal a lead, and with better prices, without sacrificing on quality or support.

"Typically, the distribution price point for the Supermicro system will be just two-thirds of the price of a top-spec equivalent from one of the big vendors."