Westcon’s New Lync and HP Suites

There is a growing focus on supplying substantial value-add by distribution companies, such as Westcon Group Inc., in vital industries of the IT world. Westcon has expanded relationships with two major IT vendors; they offer partner communities prearranged services from Microsoft Lync as well as the entirety of Hewlett-Packard’s Security Intelligence and Risk Management (SIRM) portfolio.

With the new HP SIRM platform, partners now have access to extended security controls that enterprises in the modern era need to perpetuate safe and secure corporate environments. Weston seeks to maintain and improve high levels of specialization and commitment in their existing business relationships. This relationship has developed from Westcon's relationship with HP's ArcSight products; and Westcon is now also a prime distributor of HP's Fortify and TippingPoint products, allowing partners within the channel to specialize in HP-centered security.

The plan for security products is also variable depending on the product and the partner; it combines a mix of partner recruitment and seeks to serve already existing partners.

Bill Corbin of Westcon (in an interview with Channelnomics) states, "Our technicians will be trained across the portfolio of products so we can provide training [through applications] for our partners... We’ve also had training [on the HP suite] in the LEAP center... We’re helping the channel solve their most difficult challenges.” Westcon's training program aides partners to understand ROI in targeted C-level executives for critical sales by providing "executive relevance" training, and offering help to the channel is a continuous theme.

Westcon's Lync announcement marks out ease-of-deployment as a key feature. For example, a Polycom solution has been developed around Lync which includes handsets, headsets, video conferencing technology and USB devices. With their new hardware catalog, Lync ecosystem has pre-packaged communication devices awaiting responses from partners to attach and deploy. This North American service mirrors one from the EMEA region, augmenting, as Corbin says, “a simpler and more efficient way” to unify communications in the enterprise. Polycom, AudioCodes, Acme Packet and Jabra will be featured hardware “inaugural bundles” that can go to market, and the Westcon bundles for Microsoft are available immediately.

With this fresh solution on the package's offering, in particular the shrink-wrapped UC solution meant to streamline the deployment process, Corbin is confident of the solution package's enablement. “We're listening to our VAR partners... We’re bringing relevant, state-of-the-art solutions that are backed by industries leaders. We’re wrapping programs and certifications around that to help [partners] adopt them and create new revenue streams [for the future].”

In addition to the new and markedly improved deployment process, Westcon provides a security base like no other, and Lync is gathering momentum. Security is still key, and Westcon persists in recruiting new VAR partners. (CY) Link