Avaya seeks Distribution Central for new channel push

The program focuses on fuelling market penetration for the company's Unified Communications and Contact Centre technologies.

As part of the new initiative, it is continuing to grow its existing relationships with its BusinessPartner community including NSC, GlobalConnect Australia and Comlinx; the System Integrators - IBM and HP, and Service Providers - Verizon Business, BT, Optus and Telstra.

According to Andy Hurt, regional director, Channels for Avaya South Pacific the company has orchestrated 'many positive organisational changes' in the past 18 months since becoming a private organisation.

This includes the consolidation of its technology portfolio into two main areas - Unified Communications and Contact Centre solutions.

"We are excited about embracing the new global channel-centric initiative in Australia, which is aimed at fuelling market penetration for the entire range of our Unified Communications and Contact Centre technologies," said Hurt.

"We are adopting a two-tier distribution model with the appointment of a new distributor, Distribution Central, and an expanded relationship with Avnet.

"Our goal is to deliver the best Unified Communications and Contact Centre technologies to enterprises, and our channel business partners will help us meet - and ideally exceed - that goal."

 Hurt claims that according to its new leadership team, IT isn't providing nearly as much benefit as it would like at the moment, so Avaya will be one of the few companies that increases its investment in IT over the next couple of years to improve its own processes.

"By re-engineering the company it will make it easier for our partners and ultimately, our customers, to do business with us," he said.

Distribution Central marketing director, Nick Verykios (pictured), said the partnership is in line with the launch it is doing next week of a Unity System Business Unit, its fifth in total.

He said the company has been in discussions with Avaya and a number of other vendors in the UC space for some time.

"The purpose of the Unity Systems Business Unit is to take away a lot of the costs associated with emerging and advanced technologies in the UC space. In a modern contemporary way Avaya is one of the many products we will be launching in this space," he said.

The Unit will be headed up by national sales manager, Steve Jones and national technology manager Steve Diebe.  

For an indepth Q&A with Andy Hurt, regional director, Channels for Avaya South Pacific read CRN issue 262 available on 16^th February.