EMC gives Clariion call with Ideal pact

Ideal Hardware has signed a deal with storage giant EMC to become the only distributor to deliver EMC's Clariion range across Northern Europe.

Ideal Hardware has signed a deal with storage giant EMC to become the only distributor to deliver EMC's Clariion range across Northern Europe.

Ideal will work with sister companies Bell Microproducts Europe and Rouke Data to distribute the range from July.

It hopes the move will support its push into both Europe and the enterprise storage market, claimed Simon Stokes, European franchise manager for EMC at Ideal.

Stokes added that the deal will bring advantages to both existing and new EMC resellers.

"We have a lot of complementary products, some that are EMC and others from different vendors such as Brocade or Veritas, that work with the EMC range. These, along with other services and integration, can all be part of a reseller's value-add to create extra margin," he said.

EMC was "not historically a channel company", Stokes admitted. But he said: "EMC has always had a clearly defined channel policy with Clariion. EMC defines its Clariion business as 10 per cent of its overall operation, and in a $9bn (£6.4bn) company, that's a lot of business."

EMC has two major product ranges: Symmetrix, sold direct, and Clariion, sold through the channel.

Tim Wilson, business manager for the enterprise storage division at reseller SCC, said the deal will create opportunities for EMC.

"It is predominantly a high-end company, but for its mid-range Clariion offering, it needs the channel to promote it," he said.

"Some businesses will be wary of EMC because of the history, but I think it will just take time for relationships to evolve."

Ideal intends to have 28 staff on the EMC range by the end of the year, Stokes added.