Rabbetts targets UK market with StorPoint
Former Source boss completes MBO of GlassHouse infrastructure and product business
Channel veteran Jason Rabbetts has completed a management buy-out (MBO) of the infrastructure and product business from GlassHouse and will launch the stand-alone company within the next six weeks.
Rabbetts was formerly managing director of specialist VAR Source Consulting. Source was then sold to GlassHouse back in 2004. He has now completed the MBO of the hardware, software and infrastructure business of GlassHouse and will launch his new firm, StorPoint, in the UK within weeks.
Rabbetts told CRN that there were four main reasons for the MBO.
“GlassHouse wanted to concentrate on its services business and the other side of the business was still very healthy,” he said. “We looked at the UK market in terms of storage specialists and realised that everyone we used to compete with as Source has been acquired, so there is little competition left. Second, the end-user is now educated about storage; with compliance laws and a maturing market, customers know they need data storage devices.
“There is also market maturity. While some products are also maturing there are a lot of immature products out there that hold good margin. Also there is a lot of expertise out there, so we don’t have to build it.”
Rabbetts said StorPoint intends to employ deployment experts, project managers and infrastructure architects, which will directly face the customer. “We will subcontract out core skills in commoditised markets,” he added.
Ian Smith, chief executive of XploiTE, a storage VAR that has recently changed its name from Fujin and is aiming to become a £100m storage VAR, said: “Jason and Richard have a great track record with their tier-one customers. They will walk straight back into those accounts, so I am sure they will be successful.”