Centia readies Thinstall for European push

Distributor to flex DNS Arrow's continental muscle to drive demand for Thinstall's virtualisation products

Application virtualisation vendor Thinstall is plotting to increase its market share and is capitalising on its strengthening relationship with distribution partner Centia.
Centia, along with sister company AKS, was acquired by DNS Arrow last month as part of the distribution behemoth’s ambitious virtualisation strategy. The firm is helping Thinstall gain more traction in both the UK and the wider European market.
Later this week, Centia staff will move into DNS Arrow’s premises as part of the integration process and the firm is planning to launch Thinstall products across 21 European territories already populated by Arrow.
Yuri Pasea, chairman of Centia, told CRN: “Virtualisation has revitalised the IT industry, and there is a huge margin to be made by the channel, especially around consultancy services.
“Centia will continue to operate as a siloed operation of DNS Arrow for the time being,” Pasea added. “At some point we fully intend to integrate into the company, however, this will be a slow process rather than a quick-fire move. There is a lot of
consolidation going on in the distribution space ­ if you are in virtualisation now, then you are in and one of the only ways to gain entry is by making acquisitions, which is what Arrow did with us.”
Peter Jensen, vice president of business development at Thinstall, said: “We are the last of the independent application virtualisation vendors left now Softricity has been acquired by Microsoft and Altiris by Symantec.
“We don’t need a lot of resellers, but we are still looking for partners that specialise in certain areas to help generate demand.
The company operates a three-tier channel programme in the UK, with partners divided into Gold, Platinum and Thinstall Consulting Partner levels.
“Application virtualisation is a growth market in both the enterprise and SME space and the market is nowhere near saturation point,” Jensen said. “In Centia we have the right distribution partner with the necessary expertise and knowledge to help us grow our reseller base.”
DNS Arrow completes Centia acquisition