Avnet rings the changes
The distributor's sales chief, Laura Harman, discusses the impact of the Bell merger and the top priorities for 2011
The Bell acquisition was by no means the only thing to talk about at Avnet last year. The Bracknell-based distributor, a long-term Nortel partner, agreed an Avaya contract in August. Later the same month, Avnet was also one of the chosen pair to land an Oracle distribution deal, following a lengthy and hotly contested tender.
Last year was also a notable one for Laura Harman, who was promoted from a role as networking and security division boss to become the company's joint UK sales director in April. Harman now oversees Avnet's sales of Microsoft, storage, unified communications (UC), wireless mobility and networking, and security technologies.
ChannelWeb caught up with the sales chief to discuss the impact of a landmark year and find out what the future holds for the distributor.
CRN: How has the Bell buyout changed Avnet's sales model? What have been the benefits?
Laura Harman: What we have done in the UK is combine the best of both the Bell and Avnet sales models. Suppliers now have access to a generalist sales team of 60 people who are fully supported by specialist business units. This model gives partners a single point of contact from where they can gain full access to and visibility of the entire Avnet portfolio, while having the support of specialist resources.
What has the deal brought in terms of big vendor partnerships?
Avnet has added Microsoft, HP, Netapp and HDS as well as further strengthening its offerings in the areas of security, integrated solutions and services. For me, this means I have gained responsibility for a significant supplier in Microsoft. We have a commercial and OEM contract, and we are part of the VAD programme, which allows distributors to specialise in certain areas. We currently hold a systems management VAD contract and are focused on attaining the UC VAD contract.
How is the partnership with Avaya shaping up? How tough is it to be competing with the incumbents?
There is real growth potential in the partnership, and we have invested a lot of money in having one of the best teams in the industry. We have 20 dedicated people, which sets us apart from the incumbents. It is something we are really focused on getting a good return from.
Will you be targeting new or existing Avaya resellers?
Naturally, there tends to be a bit of share shift, but our focus is on net new growth. Our background is on the data side, and we had majority market share with Nortel. Our aim is to cross-fertilise existing voice and data channels, and increment traditional sales with collaboration and visual communications solutions. We want to be the go-to distributor for innovative Avaya partners.
Will you be looking to add vendors this year? What areas of Avnet's portfolio will you be looking to strengthen?
Absolutely. Avnet continually reviews its portfolio, looking to add suppliers that will strengthen and complement our existing propositions. In my area, we are specifically looking at datacentre infrastructure and UC, both of which are huge growth areas.
Has Avnet worked out where it fits in terms of cloud computing?
Cloud definitely presents a key area of opportunity for Avnet, and at an EMEA level we are currently piloting a number of programmes. We are in the early stages, though, as this is still an immature technology. From a UK perspective, we have a dedicated team looking at the requirements of our partners, and at a tactical level we have already transacted cloud offerings focused around Microsoft, storage and archiving with a number of partners.
Does Avnet consider itself a true value-added distributor yet?
Added value - through finance, marketing, technical and sales skills - is a fundamental part of our offering and has been for a number of years. We
are now at the next level of distribution whereby we are playing a key part in a partner's business development by helping them take integrated solutions to end users.
How do you think that vendor consolidation affects distributors?
I think that this depends on what type of distributor you are, but the outcome for a distributor will usually go one of two ways. For Avnet, generally - with our scale and scope - vendor consolidation has presented a great opportunity. Take, for example, EMC's acquisition of Isilon.