Accton makes pitch for small network business

Accton Technology has set up Sohobasic, a separate business unit aimed at providing small office users with low-cost network systems.

Sohobasic will initially provide network adapters, hubs, switches, ISDN routers and print servers.

The unit is being launched simultaneously in the UK, the US and Taiwan and it will be launched in Japan once the packaging is ready.

Matthias Jezek, European business development manager at Accton, claimed the system could be bought off the shelf and installed in five minutes by the user. He said it provided a low-cost networking system for small offices as it offered a plug and play option for networks and required minimal support.

But Jezek conceded that the ISDN router ? which is due out in September ? would require more support, which the firm would provide by phone.

Westcoast has gained the distribution rights for the system for the first 12 months on an exclusive basis.

Mail-order operations Action Computers and Software Warehouse were the first resellers to sign up to sell the product, and the vendor is expected to announce more deals within the next few weeks.

Jezek said the company saw most growth from the superstore market and that he was hoping to recruit more retailers in that area.