Norwood Adam holds key to VAR services

Distributor steps up outsourced network services model for resellers

Distributor Norwood Adam is attempting to upgrade its technical services offering (Nats) to a professional services operation, following the employment of a new technical services head.

The company will increase its workforce from the current 12 up to about 20 as it strives to provide an outsourced network services model to its resellers.

"Services are more important than ever, and business is won and lost on them," said Manny Pinon, sales and marketing director at the specialist networking distributor.

"Before, we offered emergency services around the clock, but now we are stepping it up to offer this as an outsourced model.

"Some of our key partners are asking us to do more so we decided to move our technical services to the next level. We now offer engineers to support network roll-outs, or have them permanently on site, and provide hosted services and consultancy."

The distributor is providing full network replication with off-site support. He added that all of these services are white label, which resellers can self-brand.

The company is offering these services on Alcatel, RAD, F5 and Foundry products, with BT also under consideration, Pinon said.

Eddie Coombes joins the company as head of technical services, following the departure of Ian Gilby, who joined competitor equIP. Nats recorded revenues of £614,000 last year, but Coombes will help take the service to the next level, according to Pinon.

The first development sees the division offer a managed security service aimed at SMEs as well as corporate branch offices.

Mark O'Hara, managing director of networking reseller Hydra, said resellers should provide their own services. "Customers buy services from resellers because they trust them, so VARs should provide it," he said.

"Resellers do not have to build a full services operation but can build gradually by adding an engineer whenever they win a contract."