Block has eyes on Cisco Gold status

Ambitious VAR aims to bypass Silver level and go for Gold as growth continues apace

Jonathan Pickering: Block has seized on every new technology launch from Cisco which has helped its grow

Cisco Premier Partner Block Solutions is anticipating 40 per cent growth for its financial year (FY) 2010 and is gunning for Cisco Gold status.

The London-based VAR, which specialises in the healthcare sector, launched in February 2006 and posted a turnover of £750,000 for its first financial year. Its last figures for the FY2009 showed turnover of £4.25m. Its Q1 2010 performance showed an 81 per cent year-on-year growth compared with Q1 2009.

Jon Pickering, managing director of Block, said: “We are a Cisco-focused business and have seized on every emerging technology Cisco has announced, which has driven growth.

“We are very much consultancy- and technology-led, and strive to be a trusted adviser to our customers. We also want to become a Cisco Gold partner by the end of the year.”

However, Pickering said the firm is branching out to work with other vendors, including NetApp, Microsoft and WMware, and is looking at other verticals such as education. “We are not stretching our sales and technology teams, and are looking at new verticals and recruiting accordingly.”

Bernadette Wightman, director of UK and Ireland channels at Cisco, said: “Block is viewed as a new breed of innovative partner, with strong technical capability around Cisco’s emerging technology propositions.”