EMC has its eye on Azlan

Storage giant expected to appoint third UK distributor to bolster its SMB business

Azlan has confirmed it is playing a part in an EMC distribution review, but denied that a deal is imminent.

The storage giant is set to add a third distributor to its UK line-up alongside Avnet and Arrow to bolster its SMB presence, but Azlan claimed that it could be weeks before anything is decided.

Azlan's director Nigel Dunn told CRN that change was afoot in EMC's distribution line-up, but that nothing had been confirmed.

"EMC is looking at its distie landscape and we understand that Azlan is a part of that review," he said.

"We have not heard anything; no decisions have been made as yet. If there were to be a change, [EMC's] other distributors would clearly be the first to know before anyone else. We have other suppliers to think of too."

EMC currently works with Arrow ECS and Avnet in the UK, both of which declined to comment when asked by CRN how they might be affected by the vendor's review process.

EMC also played down any move and declined to comment on "rumour and speculation".

EMC reseller MTI's marketing director Richard Flanders said he had heard that EMC and Azlan would be working together to bolster the vendor's position in the SMB space, and that the move would be good news for VARs.

"Any extra resource at distributor level is worthwhile and we hope to see Azlan come up to speed as soon as possible," he added.