Avaya distribution goes Westcon

Distributor to target some 25 new resellers with voice and data products

Avaya and Westcon UK have finally formalised a comprehensive distribution agreement that will see the distributor targeting about 25 new resellers.

Westcon and broadline distributor Ingram Micro were both in talks to distribute Avaya products earlier this year.

Richard Chilver, managing director of Westcon UK, said: "Clive [Sawkins, vice president of Avaya UK and Eire], and I have been talking about our selling MultiVantage for some time."

Chilver said the two companies had also informally co-operated on the deal between Extreme and Avaya.

Sawkins said: "This was not about just turning things on and selling. Both companies had to commit a huge amount of resource to this.

"From our point of view, opening up distribution has to bring incremental revenues."

Rachel Power, an analyst at Canalys, said: "It makes sense to have Westcon across Europe, particularly because it has so much experience in voice and data convergence.

"Ingram probably has access to more resellers than Westcon, and would bring more resellers to the picture."

David George, chief executive of rival Avaya distributor Crane, was relaxed about the news.

"Avaya has kept us informed about this," he said. "We have been an Avaya partner for eight or nine years and have an unmatched depth of skills and knowledge."

George was also unflustered about a potential deal between Ingram Micro and Avaya. "We are not afraid of competition. These products are not broadline, they need value add. It will take a long time to get the same skill sets as us," he said.

Avaya and Ingram are believed to be finalising their contracts. A channel insider said: "I expect the Westcon deal went through quicker because it already had a contract with Avaya [following its buy-out of Landis], and it would have been a case of adding new clauses. Ingram had to start from scratch with Avaya."