Matrix42 appoints UK country boss as it eyes fast growth

James Johnson joins workspace management player as UK country manager

Workspace management vendor Matrix42 has appointed James Johnson as its new UK country manager as it targets expansion of its UK customer base.

The enterprise-focused German vendor was named after the science fiction film The Matrix and the answer to everything in the novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It delivers a range of workspace services including device management and device support and counts BMW among its customers.

Johnson told CRN that his arrival has coincided with an injection of investment in the UK which has been boosted by 60 per cent from the previous year.

"The UK looks for compliancy, accreditation and track record. That's what we have achieved; the business is now ready with the investment," he said.

Johnson, who has 19 years' experience in the IT industry, joins Matrix42 from service provider OryxAlign and prior to that founded South African software services firm Orange Street Software.

He said he decided to join Matrix42 because of the ingenuity of the company.

"I really see the product as a fantastic piece of technology. It's really visionary and an excellent piece for the market. There aren't many competitive products I have come across."

Johnson said he is targeting over the next 12 months recognition from Gartner as a Leader in the Ability to Execute quadrant, increased corporate awareness and to reach 30,000 seats in the UK.

Matrix42 has 15 UK partners, including Kelway and XMA, and runs a single-tier channel model. Johnson said he is not looking to increase this number of partners.

"The key is to enable the existing channel. We want to educate, improve and provide the channel with the leads," he said.

The firm, which has been operating in the UK for the last five years, currently has three staff at its London office.

Johnson said he is looking to add another four UK personnel over the next year with additions to sales, pre-sales, business development and technical positions.

He added that the company has a resource of 150 European technical staff who provide support from country to country.