SDG links arms with Huawei
Distributor has bold plans for the networking market as its latest vendor partnership aims to challenge incumbent players
Huawei has signed a distribution deal with SDG, CRN can exclusively reveal.
The deal will cover the UK, Netherlands and France, and is the Chinese vendor’s second UK appointment after Micro-P.
As a result, SDG will recruit a network of channel partners to sell Huawei’s range of networking and videoconferencing products, and provide a challenge to incumbent players such as Cisco, Juniper and HP.
Speaking to CRN, Paul Eccleston, EMEA managing director of SDG (pictured), said: “This is something we have been working on with Huawei for quite some time and it will roll out simultaneously across all three countries. We are building a highly value-added channel and are looking for VARs to fulfil their customers’ needs with Huawei.”
He said the distributor will invite a small number of partners to join the programme with a focus on developing the "right channel".
Eccleston stressed that Huawei also works with some very specialist distribution partners for selected technologies, but its main strategy will concentrate on SDG and Micro-P.
When asked if the vendor faces an uphill struggle to win channel hearts and minds due to its fierce competition, he replied: “Huawei already has a huge brand presence and has seen significant acceptance of its technology already. The company is growing at a phenomenal rate.
“The market has been pretty much dominated by one player for a long time,” he added. “Although Juniper and HP have done a great job, Huawei will represent a choice for the market and that is a good thing for everybody.
“There is always a requirement for investment and it is a challenge building a business case for them in the current climate. But we see this as a significant addition to the market and a high-value-add proposition.”
SDG will offer training, support and enablement to its reseller partners, he said, adding: “We will keep investing ahead of the curve to grow the business as fast as we can.”
Dominique Vanhamme, vice president of European channels at Huawei, said in a statement: “The partnership with SDG fits within Huawei’s strategy to further build up its position in the UK and European enterprise market. SDG is well established as a leading ICT distributor, and its strong service and solution offerings enable its reseller partners to meet the needs of enterprise customers. We believe this relationship will build value to Huawei and accelerate the growth of our enterprise business in the UK and Europe.”