Northamber set to build specialist education team

Northamber's director of strategy, Alex Phillips, explains how the firm's solutions strategy will prove a winning formula in the education space

Northamber is investing heavily in the education space and is to create a dedicated solutions team for the sector, after signing a competitor to Smart and Promethean.

The firm has recently partnered with Genee World, which is keen to use Northamber's expertise to grab market share in the education space. The vendor manufactures interactive software, touch screens, visualisers and response systems aimed at teaching, training and presentations in the sector..

Phillips said that finding an alternative to the bigger brands was a significant move. "Smart is going through some changes by moving closer to Westcon, and Genee World is a top player in that space," he said. "We now have access to the whole Genee World portfolio and will basically be able to offer a classroom-in-a-box. Only Northamber can offer the combination of specialist education brands together with the convenience of access to the other products required for a complete education solution."

Genee World joins a line-up of products, services and channel support from Northamber's Solutions team, including security solutions from iboss, WatchGuard and Webroot, that the distributor claims will allow educators to comply with ever-increasing security threats and legislation requirements.

Steve Parker, marketing manager at Genee World, said: "Genee has worked hard to develop a comprehensive education offering that includes both software and hardware. Our market share has grown year on year over the past four years, and 2016 is the perfect time for us to take the next step and partner with a strong, supportive distribution partner.

"Northamber have great vision and we are confident they will provide the perfect platform to grow."

Phillips explained that the company has already established its Northamber Solutions Division and is investing in growing the education sub-team further.

"We are completely channel focused; we won't compete with resellers by selling directly to their customers. However, we are investing heavily in helping our resellers to drive demand and increase sales," he said.