Northamber Joins IBM To Pitch NCs at SMEs

Big Blue has enlisted the distributor?s help as it switches NCs over to the PC Company?s channels

IBM has teamed up with Northamber to bundle its network computer (NC) with PC servers to try to win over the small to medium enterprise market.

Previously, the NC was sold through the vendor?s midrange channel to corporates operating in a mainframe environment. IBM will now push the NC through PC Company channels, with Northamber supplying the bundle.

But the move has prompted channel players to accuse IBM of failing to read the market accurately. A representative of Ingram Micro said IBM had ?shot itself in the foot? and went on to say: ?This sort of bundle is so niche that hardly anyone can sell it. It?s not the sort of thing that will sell straight off the shelf. How many dealers will want to sell something that they?re unable to support??

An IBM representative said: ?It is highly unlikely that the NC will ever fully replace the PC, but in some cases it is a viable alternative. The NC is HTML based, which is fast becoming a business standard.?

He said IBM was talking to existing customers about bundling the NC with a PC server to provide low-cost computing systems. ?It?s a case of where you want the power and the control in your network. Smaller businesses don?t always appreciate how important fault-tolerance is. They buy a PC to run their business on, it falls over and they?re in trouble.?

While Northamber was not available to comment about the NC bundle, it is understood that the distributor is focusing on building up an NC strategy within its existing PC business model.

Earlier this month, Azlan was appointed as the first UK distributor of IBM?s NC products, which are due to ship at the end of March.

J IBM has enhanced its PC 365 Pentium Pro commercial desktop systems by adding three models to the range. They are available immediately at prices starting from #1,294.