Networks First claims convergence top-spot
Firm hints at telephony acquisitions to come
Networks First claims it is now the top provider of convergence services to the UK channel after gobbling up IP telephony support specialist Access Network Services (ANS).
The firm, which provides data networking support services, has also mooted further acquisitions in the telephony space as it looks to double annual sales to £20m.
Peter Titmus, managing director at Networks First, said: “ANS brings us skills in non-Cisco IP telephony platforms such as Mitel, as well as in Juniper and Aruba, which our partners have also been asking for.”
Titmus claimed 90 per cent of Networks First’s revenues stem from its 50 channel partners, handing it a key differentiator over larger rivals such as Phoenix IT.
“Phoenix has been buying end user-focused businesses and this has played into our hands,” he argued.
However, Stuart Muirhead, business development director at Phoenix IT, said: “We’re now a £250m business so Networks First’s scale and capabilities are limited compared to ours. Nowadays there are no organisations without both end-user and channel models.”
Michelle Woolrich, UK services operations manager at Westcon Group, which currently works with both Networks First and ANS said: “Networks First gives resellers the opportunity to deliver professional services through an outsourced model without putting a competitor into their end-user base.”