Unify: We can never go back to direct sales
Comms vendor formerly known as Siemens claims only nine countries will still dabble in direct sales by end of its current fiscal year
Comms vendor Unify says it has turned its back on its direct-selling heritage for good after transitioning 54 countries to a channel-led sales model.
The vendor, whose global partner summit in Florida last week was attended by more than 200 partners from 50 countries, added that it expects to transact 45 per cent of business through the channel within two years.
On taking over as its global channel head last April, former Westcon director Jon Pritchard admitted that Unify – formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications – was not known for being channel centric.
A year on, Pritchard (pictured) said by the end of Unify's current fiscal year, just nine countries will remain using a combination of channel and direct sales for the vendor.
“We can’t go back – our future depends on the success of our partners and we are committed to working with them to stay ahead of the changes facing the technology market today to achieve real growth and success," Pritchard said.
Pritchard is not the only former executive of distributor Westcon in the upper echelons of Unify's management, with former Westcon CEO Dean Douglas having been appointed as chief executive in 2013. And they are now joined by a third ex-Westcon big hitter in the form of Simon Minett, who takes the role of senior vice president of global partner management.
Unify, which last year halved its workforce, now claims to work with more than 2,000 partners globally.
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