Magirus revs up UCS push
Distributor signs up first VARs for Cisco
Bryant: We will be looking to grow our security portfolio
Distributor Magirus is banking on its configuring expertise to fuel more success with recent vendor signing Cisco, and has hinted it may sign more security vendors.
The Germany-based firm became Cisco’s first western European distribution appointment in seven years in February. The partnership’s primary focus is on Cisco’s UCS server technology, but Magirus has access to the vendor’s full portfolio.
The distributor recently announced it is melding sales teams focused on virtualisation, storage and networking technologies into one datacentre team.
Former virtualisation sales manager Mel Wilks will head the team as datacentre sales director.
Magirus UK and Ireland managing director Denise Bryant said: “The solutions our partners sell are a combination of storage and virtualised servers. It makes sense to have one team as there is always a risk something may slip between the cracks.
“We will also be looking to grow our security portfolio, but are not taking on any vendors that do not play in the datacentre space.”
ANS Group and MTI Europe were recently Magirus’s first UCS reseller signings and Bryant claimed three more would be signed imminently.
“One of them is completely new to Magirus,” she said, adding that the company’s logistics centre in Strasbourg had allowed it to gain an accreditation to configure Cisco B-Series servers to order.
Cisco formed the Virtual Computing Environment (VCE) coalition with VMware and EMC last year. Aad Dekkers, chief marketing officer at MTI Europe, said Magirus’s expertise in the brands had been a key selling point. “Magirus has plans for the VCE – and we are exactly the same,” he said.