Juniper UK channel boss opens up on distribution rejig

New-look line-up brings knowledge, reach and growth, says Darryl Brick, while channel programme rolls out in UK with 20-plus Elite partners on board

Juniper's UK channel boss has claimed the vendor's recent distribution review and channel programme shake-up has left it primed for "aggressive growth".

As revealed by ChannelWeb, Juniper downsized from five to three UK distributors last month, following a rigorous two-month review process. Only the five incumbents were invited to tender, with Arrow, Avnet and Westcon remaining in play, and Azlan and Computerlinks missing out.

Juniper's UK and Ireland partner director Darryl Brick claimed late last year that he wanted to focus more resources on fewer of the vendor's most strategic or top-performing partners. He told ChannelWeb that the distribution shake-up was another embodiment of that approach.

"For the past year or so we have had five distributors, who were all doing quite well. But we had to look at which would best suit our needs going forward," he said. "We wanted better inventory management capabilities, we wanted to look for incremental investment and we needed distributors that had financial muscle. We conducted a very robust process in the UK."

The channel boss indicated that the prevailing trio had "satisfied aspirations and requirements for knowledge, reach and growth, with a global remit and financial stability".

Brick (pictured) claimed his firm is working closely with resellers affected by the parting of the ways with Azlan and Computerlinks, but that a formalised migration programme had not been considered necessary. He added the vendor "does not expect too much attrition".

"We have spoken personally with most of the affected partners on a one-to-one basis," he said. "We have consulted with many partners and have done things to minimise their risk. We have had little or no issues to deal with."

Juniper's first global channel scheme - dubbed Partner Advantage - is being rolled out across the world this year. The programme came into effect on 1 July in the UK, and Brick claimed it is already fully operational, with about "20 to 25" VARs occupying the top-level Elite tier.

"Partners are already attracting benefits in terms of rebates, partner account management and marketing investment," he added. "We are still on track with the execution of our strategy. We have aggressive growth aspirations, and are hiring more people and investing more marketing dollars."

Laura Harman, sales director of Avnet Technology Solutions UK, said: "[Our focus on Juniper], combined with our ability to build integrated datacentre solutions, our success in working with system integrators, and the introduction of our SolutionsPath methodology to enable Juniper resellers and create new opportunities, have been key to strengthening our long-standing relationship with Juniper."