Tandberg distributors prepare assault
TDAzlan and Comstor gear up for video push
Cisco distributors TDAzlan and Comstor are shaping up to take the vendor's Tandberg kit to market as Avnet is excised from the video player's distribution line-up.
Cisco acquired Tandberg for $3.3bn (£2.1bn) in April 2010 and the videoconferencing player's existing distributor and reseller contracts will be switched to new Cisco agreements at the end of this month.
TDAzlan, which already serves as a Cisco distributor, and Avnet, which does not, were Tandberg's UK distribution partners when the buyout took place. As revealed last week, Cisco has chosen to keep TDAzlan in place and end its brief relationship with Avnet, with Cisco distributor Comstor also given access to Tandberg technology.
Ian French, strategic development director at TDAzlan, said: "I always thought Avnet would struggle to justify itself. We have invested very heavily in [the video] space. This is about where Cisco is going with its whole investment, which is increasingly towards collaboration."
Tandberg's new distribution allies indicated Cisco hopes to add 20 to 25 UK partners to the video vendor's stable of about 40.
Tony Nevill (pictured), general manager at Comstor UK, claimed most of his 10 top-level Cisco engineers had strong voice skills, which would stand them in good stead.
The distributor will also look to add technical expertise, said Nevill, and is working to provide training, design and support services for Tandberg technology. Demonstration equipment will be installed at Comstor's six sites across Europe.
Avnet, meanwhile, has brushed off its expulsion. Keith Robinson, EMEA PBG leader at Avnet Technology Solutions, said: "We are very pleased with the opportunities we have to support UC partners via our relationship with Avaya."
Dominique Vanhamme, head of European distribution and resellers, worldwide channels at Cisco, saluted Comstor's achievement.
"We congratulate Comstor on their investments to become a TelePresence Video Specialised Distributor (TVSD) in Europe," he said. "This is part of an intense relationship that has seen Comstor embracing Cisco technologies across a number of architectures and market adjacencies.
"At Cisco we see video as a key technology for our specialised partners. As such, Comstor have had to meet a rigorous set of criteria around Telepresence and video and we're happy to announce that, from 1 February, they will be working with us to distribute the enhanced Cisco and Tandberg portfolio across Europe."