Zynstra eyes growth as Ingram signed as UK distributor

Hybrid cloud start-up to work with distie titan to appoint select band of SMB resellers

Ambitious cloud start-up Zynstra hopes to significantly expand its UK channel footprint after signing Ingram Micro as a distribution partner in this country.

The distribution heavyweight has been appointed to sell the Bath-based vendor's O365Connect appliance, a hybrid cloud offering developed in conjunction with Microsoft and HP. The technology aims to integrate with the software giant's Office 365 suite, allowing users to comprehensively manage their data, backup, and print services.

O365Connect aims to give firms the best of both the on-premise and public cloud worlds, allowing them to migrate cloudwards in a measured and tailored way. Zynstra chief executive Nick East claimed the technology is a perfect fit for the SMB market.

"We are focused on the SMB IT space, and we believe that the right future for [this product is] the channel," he said. "Our view is that in the small-to-medium-business space, they need somebody to help them make those choices [about cloud technology]."

East explained that, initially, his firm and its new distributor will be "very deliberately selecting a small subset" of partners with which to work. The new partnership may also be expanded geographically in time, he claimed.

"At this stage we are focused on the UK," explained East. "In the future we will want to look [further afield]."

Ingram joins cloud infrastructure provider Easynet in Zynstra's UK distribution line-up.

Zynstra was founded in 2011 by a gang of top executives from Cramer Systems, a telecommunications operations support system specialist sold to Amdocs for $425m (£259m) in 2006. East claimed he has ambitious plans for the team's new venture.

"What we are excited about is that we have a global opportunity," he added. "We have a seasoned team that has been through this growth stage."