Avnet and Sybase - which announced an Australian distribution agreement this week - have told partners that their partnership will carry on as expected, despite SAP's acquisition of Sybase yesterday.
Gavin Lawless general manager for Avnet Technology Solutions told CRN that from both an Avnet and Sybase point of view, "nothing changes".
"We are focused on Sybase, we're focused on doing the job," he said. "We've been speaking about it for a long time."
Ian White, Mobility Business Unit executive at Avnet, said Avnet would not get distracted by the acquisition.
"With acquisitions, what we don't want to do is get distracted. We need to focus on the game plan that we had discussed before this acquisition.
"And while we are executing on that we'll build a plan to determine what we can add," he said.
Dereck Daymond, managing director for Sybase Australia and New Zealand, said the companies have been in discussion for "nine months" - pointing to the existing strengths and a possible global deal.
"It's not a unique relationship," he said. "Avnet is the distie in India and is looking to expand in the region and else where in the world."
He said the SAP deal will add "a lot more validity to the Sybase argument for partners and makes their job easier".
SAP has confirmed that Sybase will remain a standalone business and operate independently of the German software giant.
Lawless said the distributor's focus remains with Sybase, while opportunities with SAP could emerge.
"We will not automatically become an SAP partner there's no question," he said.
"Over time, clearly while the two organisations will run separately they obviously want to get as much complimentary sales opportunity as they can. Does that mean there's a space for us in that go to market? Hopefully, certainly, but not automatically."
Stay tuned for the full interview where we discuss partner reactions, how the merger will benefit partners, and Avnet's plans for Sybase channel go-to-market strategy.
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