VIA lures resellers with high margins

Vendor offers 18 per cent on products and services

Vendor VIA Net.Works is seeking more resellers, offering margins of up to 18 per cent on its products and services.

The firm, which provides internet services to the small to medium sized enterprise market, launched its auto provisioning services to the channel last week. It has about 200 reseller partners, but hopes to have 300 by next year.

VIA is using its online auto provisioning system to attract the new partners, said Steve Cross, the firm's UK and Ireland sales director.

The service, called Partnerdesk, allows resellers to access a website where they can change or create from scratch a customer account without needing to contact VIA. The reseller is able to administer its own products and services online, which VIA claims reduces manpower costs and allows margins of up to 18 per cent.

"These kinds of reseller margins are unheard of in this arena," said Cross. "There is no manpower investment and this service is fully supported by our partner programme."

Rob Green, managing director of Century Computing, said the scheme has excellent benefits for resellers. "It is hassle-free, so it makes us more efficient," he said. "It is also available 24 hours a day and gives the customer just one port of call for support instead of four or five, which is just what they want."

Green added that VIA's reseller facilities showed obvious investment.

VIA currently operates a 60:40 channel ratio route to market, and hopes to operate a 50 per cent route by next year.