Upgrade Options is first on the Kace

Dell certifies its first UK partner for newly acquired systems management technology

Dell has unveiled its first Certified Kace partner in the UK, six months after it acquired the systems management vendor.

Upgrade Options, a Dell partner of two years' standing, has become the first UK reseller to be accredited on the Dell Kace programme. The Surrey-based VAR will now benefit from higher margins, sales and technical training, deal registration and increased marketing support.

The Dell Kace offering has been given an added boost by the promotion of Seann Gardiner to EMEA regional sales director. Gardiner, who previously held a role in the division's global alliances and channel team, will head up Dell Kace's customer, sales and channel programmes across the region.

He claimed Upgrade Options will be "the first of many new partners in the UK".

"With the huge interest in Windows 7 migration projects and rollouts of new desktop systems to support, we foresee a strong demand for systems management solutions over the next few years," added Gardiner.

John Kelly, chief operating officer at Upgrade Options, claimed his firm is "keen to capitalise on the systems management market in 2011".

"When we first looked at the Dell Kace systems management appliances, we could see an immediate fit with the kinds of customers we sell to and the problems that they are facing on a day-to-day basis," he explained.