Gateway defends recruitment plan

Vendor wants 1,000 UK resellers to help it pocket 10 per cent server market share

King: Our recruitment goal is quite focused

Acer-owned vendor Gateway has rebuffed claims that its plans to recruit more than 1,000 UK resellers could have a malign effect on its channel.

At the launch of its new line of servers last month, the vendor announced it plans to sign 1,000 Reg­istered resellers to its Bus­iness-In-Action programme.

Gateway said the recruitment campaign is part of its overall aim to have a 10 per cent share of the global server market by 2011.

In a one-to-one with CRN, the vendor denied its recruitment target would cause its channel to become oversaturated, and said it was modest compared to its rivals’.

John King, SME server and storage business development manager at Gateway, said: “Some market players have in excess of 3,000 partners per country – our recruitment goal is not that large and is quite focused.”

Gateway will provide its resellers with deal registration and help them differentiate themselves in the market, said King, to prevent new signings “fighting each other” for the same business.

Clive Longbottom, service director at Quocirca, said Gateway has “a mountain to climb” in convincing partners its recruitment target will not harm their business.

“A thousand channel partners is overkill,” said Long­bottom. “Even at SME level, it means they will pressurise Gateway for cut-throat deals.”