VARs do well in CA's lead-generation game
Vendor invests in channel schemes to expand SME market share
Computer Associates (CA) is ploughing hard cash into increasing channel lead generation in the SME space, in a bid to increase its share of this lucrative sector.
The vendor sees SMEs as "the driving force for the next wave of IT investment", and as a result is investing £20m over the next two years in infrastructure, marketing, partner recruitment, products, training and other initiatives. It is also launching versions of its flagship products tailored for the SME sector.
Earlier this year CA created a new £16.5m pan-European telesales operation - the Customer Interaction Centre (CIC) - to focus on providing lead generation for VARs.
Tony Martin, UK country manager at CA, said the firm's latest drive will tie in with the work carried out by the CIC.
"The UK has a huge SME presence," he said.
"The whole knowledge process is important to SMEs - mainly what to buy and how to get support for the products. Obviously the best way for this is through the channel.
"We are also investing further in the CIC. We expect it to help leads for partners increase dramatically in the UK."
Lee Perkins, general manager for networking at distributor Computer 2000, said he felt positive about the news.
"CA has invested a lot of money in CIC already and opportunities are likely to arise in the SME sector as a result.
"This is great for all parties - the business is fulfilled through resellers, we are given the opportunity to get incremental business and CA is able to improve its profile in the SME space. In the past it has been largely seen as an enterprise vendor.
"We are already seeing improvement in customer breadth. The message is definitely getting out there," he said.
Separately, CA has appointed a new channel and SME manager for the UK and Ireland. Richard Bradley joins CA from Cisco and will work to ensure the firm achieves its desired 50/50 split between direct and indirect sales.