DataConnectivity founders move to web space

Neil Ledger and Ian Morris, the founders of Data Connectivity, have set up a distribution operation called EquIP that will specialise in load balancing, web caching and other performance optimising technologies.

Neil Ledger and Ian Morris, the founders of Data Connectivity, have set up a distribution operation called EquIP that will specialise in load balancing, web caching and other performance optimising technologies.

Ledger said he and Morris, while acting as commercial consultants after leaving Data Connectivity, both encountered a number of US internet technology vendors that could not find suitable distributors for their products in the UK. "That's when we saw our opportunity," he said.

The first two vendors signed up to EquIP are HydraWeb, a load balancing specialist, and CacheFlow, a manufacturer of caching appliances. Ledger said he hopes to establish a reputation for expertise in the this area, and is in discussion with a number of other vendors.

"No other UK distributor does this stuff properly," he said.

Mark Berry, sales manager at systems integrator Data Integration, which sells products from F5 and Packeteer, said EquIP has definitely found a real growth market. "If it does what it did at Data Connectivity and build up consultancy skills and installation engineers which it can offer to the channel, it will be very successful," he said.

Although many companies will outsource their server farms and web hosting to large data centres, which are unlikely to buy from the channel, Ledger claimed this is still a market that will grow quickly. According to Berry, even the companies that are putting together large data centres will turn to resellers for fulfilment, installation and management.

EquIP, which is privatelyfinanced, has offices just outside Basingstoke and employs six people.

The article was first published in 12 April issue of Computer Reseller News