Crane picks up converged platform

Distributor looks to attract data resellers

Intel has announced a deal with Crane Telecommunications to distribute its converged communications platform to small to medium sized enterprise, corporate IT and telephony resellers.

The application-ready platform allows resellers to consolidate telephony and business communications - such as unified messaging and speech dialler solutions - from multiple vendors into one system. Intel launched the platform in the UK at last month's Networks Telecom show in Birmingham.

Crane traditionally specialises in voice networking products, but is widening its market because of the continuing overlap of data and voice applications. The distributor is now looking to add data resellers to its 250 voice partners, explained Tracy Jackson, group director at Crane.

"We are looking for over 100 new resellers from data and voice backgrounds. As a distributor we see it as our responsibility to provide the training and support to resellers," he said. "Between ourselves and Intel we are identifying data resellers we want to partner with; we will train and take on board those that want to cross over to converged technology."

Experience of telephony as well as data is an advantage for resellers looking to deal in converged equipment, according to Joe Carlucci, technical manager at 3Com. The firm has sold its NBX convergence product in the UK for 18 months, and believes it is successful because the company was selective with its channel.

"It is important for resellers to have a mix of telephony and data skills, because they need to explain to users why and how they can use the systems," he said.

The Intel platform is based on Dialogic CT Media server software which manages and co-ordinates telephony applications. It will be available from the third quarter of this year.