SWsoft takes on CDG as its first UK distributor
Virtualisation vendor aims to entice resellers from Citrix with new alliance
Virtualisation and automation vendor SWsoft has launched its opening attack on the UK market with the appointment of its first UK distributor, CDG.
The vendor said it will work with CDG to entice resellers from rival Citrix, as well as VARs with a storage background.
According to analyst IDC, the global virtualisation market will be worth $15bn by 2009.
Colin Wright, director of enterprise sales at SWsoft, told CRN that it will choose its channel partners very carefully.
“The SME sector is critical to us, but the enterprise is important too,” he said. “Sales in both markets will be very much driven by our channel partners.”
The vendor currently has 10 channel partners signed up in the UK and Wright added that the firm plans to recruit an additional 30 resellers by December.
Allan Tyrell, UK country manager at CDG, said: “There is huge potential for virtualisation. It’s nice to see a vendor that isn’t pushing accreditation straight away, but rather focusing on helping channel partners develop sales.”
Damien Harold, sales director at VAR AMS, told CRN that SWsoft’s UK operation is relatively small, but claimed it has potential.
“SWsoft is committed to the channel as its route to market and so it needs a distribution chain to support that,” he said. “CDG seems like a good fit.”
SWsoft also expects to appoint a second UK distributor in the next two weeks.
Wright declined to disclose the name of the firm but said: “The distributor will be a substantial one that plays in the services market. It’s a very well known distributor.”
SWsoft’s flagship software, Virtuozzo, is designed to enable businesses to virtualise their operating systems, to increase server efficiency and reduce hardware costs.
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