Imerja reaps benefits of services push

It's time the channel stopped pushing tin, claims expanding security VAR

Security VAR Imerja is pushing deeper into managed services after breaking the £5m turnover barrier.

The Bolton-based outfit grew turnover for the 12 months to 31 July from £4.6m to £5.4m, drawing half of its sales from professional and managed services. Its vendor partners include Check Point, Juniper, Extreme Networks, Websense, Lifesize and Good Technology.

Managing director Ian Jackson (pictured) said developing its M4-branded multi-year contractual services business is the firm's priority for the year ahead.

"Products are important to us but our strategic focus is developing our long-term annuity businesses," he said.

"As an organisation, this will give us more longevity and it is a more profitable side to the business. It also means we have more flexibility in delivering our products as we are wrapping them up as a service and offering them back to customers on an opex-only basis."

As an example, Jackson said Imerja is 18 months into the delivery of a telemedicine support service contract designed to save a group of hospitals £7m over its five-year term.

The service, which allows clinicians to perform a remote diagnosis of suspected stroke patients, is based around high-definition videoconferencing kit from Polycom, but is delivered by Imerja with a 10-minute service-level agreement.

"If there is a problem, the clinician has someone to ring and it can be resolved," Jackson said. "It's an example of what I think more and more customers are requesting."

Imerja draws the bulk of its revenue from mid-sized firms with 1,000 to 5,000 employees, with a focus on the healthcare, government and retail sectors. It is targeting just over £6m turnover for its current financial year.

"Our infrastructure is capable of delivering much more than it currently is as we have invested significantly in our operation centres and datacentres," he said.

"As a channel, we have to get away from just trying to sell a piece of hardware or software to customers and deliver it as a service."