Magirus launches DC Traction

Distributor to help select group of resellers get to grips with Cisco's new UCS and Nexus technology

Denise Bryant: Customers are increasingly looking for partners able to deliver a complete solution

Magirus is aiming to fast-track 40-50 of its UK partners on Cisco’s new datacentre technology through its DC Traction initiative.

Part-funded by Cisco, DC Traction is an enablement programme designed to bring storage or virtualisation specialist VARs up to speed on Cisco’s Nexus switches and UCS C-Series servers.

DC Traction includes free-of-charge certification around Cisco’s entry-level datacentre technology, business planning, pre- and post-sales support and marketing and lead-generation support.

Magirus UK managing director Denise Bryant argued that storage and virtualisation specialists that do not extend their expertise risk being frozen out of the new breed of converged datacentre deals.

“With convergence taking place in datacentres, customers are increasingly looking for partners able to deliver a complete solution as opposed to only one or two components,” said Bryant. “Until now there has been no way to de-risk what for many will be a natural progression for their virtualisation or storage business.”

Magirus claimed the lower end of the Cisco commercial datacentre market was worth £110m a year in the UK and growing at seven per cent annually, yet also claimed it is one that is “under-represented” by channel partners.

Bryant stressed that the programme should be taken as part of Magirus' overall VMware, Cisco and EMC (VCE) strategy, following the recent launch of its Vbundles packages.

DC Traction’s launch comes eight months after Magirus was named as Cisco’s first speciality data centre distributor in Europe.