Bumper sales to Catholic schools for wireless integrator

Invotec has been named Netgear's managed wireless integrator of the year 2013.

The specialist IT support company is based in Melbourne, where it has a strong pedigree in the education sector.

The win comes off the back of its strong showing in the Catholic and Independent schools markets. Invotec said it continues to report strong sales of advanced IT solutions to these customers.

Invotec owner Anthony Fisher said it had been working with Netgear for nine years, adding that the vendor was a supplier of choice, particularly in private schools system.

Fisher told CRN: "We were well aware of Netgear's position the Catholic and Independent Schools systems from a switching point of view and a storage point of view, and we wanted to align with a vendor that we knew was well respected within that space.

"We wanted to deal with products that would sell themselves, particularly early on."

He said that while the Netgear gear isn't necessarily the cheapest, it fits within the budget constraints of the schools, "and half the battle is won".

"Products are robust, support is always outstanding, and that support has been there from day dot.

"The great thing about the relationship we have built with Netgear is that they have become actively involved in the entire sales process with us and the entire support process.

"They will visit clients with us and talk about their needs. We can call in tech support if there are grey areas that we need to address and they work through a process with us to identify the solution."

Brad Little, vice president and managing director, Netgear ANZ, said: "The education sector has been an early adopter of technology and knows how to utilise it to get the best out of curriculums.

"We are continuing to see schools, universities and colleges build strong networks that support current IT trends such as mobility," added Little.

"By offering access to innovative online tools, they are able to advance interactive learning and provide a strong set of skills for when they enter the workforce."