HP and Dell to resell Microsoft Surface

Microsoft adds vendor duo to its growing roster of Surface resellers amid commercial push

Microsoft has added HP and Dell to its line-up of Surface resellers as part of an enterprise push for its tablets.

The software vendor this week unveiled its Surface Enterprise Initiative, which it claims is aimed at "bringing greater mobility and productivity to organisations with the power of Windows 10". The programme's flagship component is an expansion of Microsoft's partnership with Dell.

The Texan PC vendor will shortly begin selling the Surface via its direct sales operation in the US and Canada. The partnership will then be expanded in 2016 into the 28 other markets – mostly in Europe – in which Microsoft has a commercial channel for the Surface.

Microsoft claims the unison is "the first in a series of collaborations" geared around Windows 10 devices. The vendor specified that, in the coming months, it will also "leverage our long-standing relationships with HP, Accenture, and Avanade". Details of these partnerships were conspicuous by their absence, although Microsoft outlined that it is seeking collaborations that will bring together "Windows 10 devices, industry-specific apps and solutions, and unmated sales, services, and support".

This week's announcements are the latest developments in a route-to-market strategy that has often been characterised by complexity and controversy. Microsoft limited the Surface purely to direct sales for much of its first year on release. When VARs were finally given the green light to sell the device in 2013, only a handful of partners were awarded the necessary Authorised Device Reseller (ADR) status.

But this year has brought a much more significant widening of the channel, with Microsoft intending to swell global Surface reseller numbers from about 150 to more than 4,500. The UK is one country that has seen a big expansion in the partner ranks, with an additional 41 VARs added to an existing roster of just 14.

HP and Dell's new status as Surface resellers will further complicate matters, with both vendors – and their channel partners – continuing to sell their own Windows 10 client devices.

Many see the timing of Microsoft's announcement of a concerted enterprise drive as significant – with arch-rival Apple widely expected to unveil a business-focused edition of the iPad later today.