Left Hand Networks to transacting business with 600 resellers in Ireland,” he says, “servicing them from
its vendor list in 2007. our UK operation with an inside sales team and field presence in Ireland.”
While recognising that Late last year Steljes, the specialist technology provider and sole distributor
the number of different of SMART Board interactive whiteboards in the UK and Ireland, changed its
avenues/suppliers that Irish distribution model. Previously sub-distributed through Fusion Technology,
corporates can source SMART Technologies and Steljes are took a more direct channel approach and
their products from has investing heavily in the Irish market to ensure a broader, more competitive
increased significantly, reach. The Irish team is still recruiting new resellers with an understanding and
Data Solutions managing interest in the Irish education market.
director Michael O’Hara Mark Bird, Group Sales & Business Development Director said: “We have
is confident that the been impressed by the opportunity the Irish market presents. From our
distribution market will research we believe that Ireland is now ready for and in need of significant
do well in 2008. Much of investment in technology in education.”
this growth, he predicts,
will come on the back of virtualisation.
If demand rises at the rate he expects, Data Solutions is well placed to T
he distribution market may have been pretty subdued in 2007, but the
same could not be said for the PC business. HP’s success in reaching pole
capitalise. “Since Citrix acquired XenSource last August our virtualisation position in the consumer notebook segment was overshadowed by iQon
practice has grown phenomenally. Citrix is releasing its Xen Desktop product going to the wall and, of course, by Dell’s link up with Tesco as part of its new
suite, which covers desktop virtualisation and we have also become the approach to the channel.
distributor for Marathon Technologies (a high availability solution for mission Dell’s announcement just a few days before Christmas that it would make
critical applications built on Xen Server Hypervisor). We have signed up storage its notebook and desktop computers available through Tesco outlets in Ireland
virtualisation vendor DataCore and with the acquisition of Surf Control last
year by Websense, we are now also a Websense distributor.”
“Small business is still buying - the key is to find the
John Nesbitt (previous page) , sales manager for telecoms equipment
right channels for those not buying through retail.”
distributor Nimans Ireland, said the company has boosted its sales force in
Martin Cullen, HP Ireland
Ireland having entered the Republic of Ireland market for the first time in
2005. “We continue to work with many of the world’s leading manufacturers,
including Panasonic, Plantronics, NEC, Avaya, GN Jabra, Valcom, Siemens and was not exactly the present many in the channel were hoping for.
Ericsson,” he says. Given Tesco’s considerable experience in supply chain management, the
Elsewhere, Ingram Micro is looking for a slice of the Irish action by first sales figures for the XPS and Inspiron products adorning the shelves
extending its distribution partnership with Cisco to cover Ireland. The of one of Ireland’s most popular retailers are eagerly awaited. However, the
company has commenced sales and marketing activity in Ireland, including a company is keeping mum on what it expects to achieve.
series of breakfast briefings and SMB ‘accreditation boot camps’ and has plans A spokesperson for Dell says, “Selling laptops and desktops through
for unified communications technology workshops during the second quarter retail partners is another way for Dell to connect with customers it has not
of 2008. necessarily reached in the past.” She refused to comment on how much
Bhavesh Patel (above), commercial director, Ingram Micro UK would not business the company expects to do with Tesco or whether it was concerned
confirm exactly what kind of resources the company has in Ireland in terms that Tesco’s returns policy would see large numbers of machines being
of people or comment on how much business it hopes to secure. “We are returned within 12 months.
24 29 feb 2008
It0804 - 22-25_sme_ireland.indd 24 27/02/2008 10:28:22
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