Clarity sends SOS message

Sun partner hopes distributors will take its Small Office Server to market

Sun Channel Development Partner Clarity is developing a range of server appliances and will sign distributors to take them to market.

Clarity plans to introduce at least a dozen appliances over the year, ranging from the Small Office Server (SOS), a competitor to Microsoft's Small Business Server to a £50,000 'portal in a box'.

The firm is looking for at least two distributors, both broadline to ship the volume low-end products and specialist for the high-end kit.

Simon Welch, marketing manager at Clarity, said: "We have started to compile a list of distributors we will approach. We are still working with Sun to see how we sign up to a volume products agreement with it."

He added that Clarity is aiming to target the growing voice and data convergence market. It is likely the firm will appoint distributors from that sector.

But Manny Pinon, sales manager at converged distributor Norwood Adam, warned that complex data solutions do not necessarily sell well in the voice channel.

"To switch voice resellers onto data is a difficult thing," he said. "It needs to be something as straightforward as a managed virtual private network and saying to resellers, 'Here it is, fill your boots.'"

Christine Smith, product manager at security distributor Unipalm, said it was a strange route to take. "The SOS market is well serviced already.

It's rather like us building and selling a firewall. But Clarity does have a lot of experience in that market. It is very brave," she said.

Clarity has already signed up six resellers. Welch said SOS customers were attracted by the fact it was an alternative to Microsoft.

But Mark Herbert, business development director of managed server vendor Inty, said that Microsoft's offerings were still competitive.

"Sun has an immense fight on its hands if it is to take on Microsoft, especially when it comes to integration with Linux," he said.

"Linux is good, but it is not 'joined up'. Administrators need expertise to maintain user profiles."