Westcoast signs IWB deal with Virtual Ink
Distributor bolsters its AV portfolio
Westcoast has strengthened its audiovisual (AV) portfolio by partnering with Virtual Ink to distribute its mimio range of interactive whiteboard (IWB) technology.
The mimio range centres around technology that can transform a traditional dry whiteboard into an interactive one.
Andy Dow, commercial director at Westcoast, said: “We’ve been moving into the AV space for about four years, but it’s expanding rapidly now as the technology is becoming more widely accepted.
“Mimio will take any board on a wall and give users the interactivity that an IWB can at a fraction of the cost,” Dow claimed. “We will be aiming it at both the education and corporate markets.”
He added that the product has an extra appeal because it does not have to be sold by a specialist AV reseller.
“Anyone selling in the commercial space could sell it because it is so simple,” he said.
Geoff Jackman, general manager of Virtual Ink, told CRN: “Mimio is a retro-fit solution, similar to Luidia’s eBeam product. Between us and Luidia we have the retro-fit market all to ourselves. However, we view the IWB manufacturers, such as Smart and Promethean, as our main competitors.”
Westcoast will now sit alongside Virtual Ink’s other UK distributor, Sahara.
“Until now we’ve had an informal channel programme, but we are in the process of changing it to include tiers,” Jackman said.
“I believe the landscape for AV products in general is changing; more IT resellers are moving into AV. Westcoast has the expertise and marketing resources to help us recruit IT resellers to sell mimio.”