Distie pushes Aussie desktop-as-a-service

Australian company TPC Distribution is tapping telco and photocopier dealers to begin building a channel for a home-grown desktop-as-a-service.

The distie, established a year ago, has recently starting signing resellers for a white labelled Citrix desktop-as-a-service Access360. At least six have signed so far, including Konica Minolta and Toshiba dealers, a Commander dealer and independent telco resellers, according to the company.

Photocopier and telco dealers are looking to branch out into IT reselling, said TPC Distribution managing director Mark Durkin.

"It allows a copier dealer or a comms dealer to almost instantaneously become an IT reseller," he told CRN. "In the case of comms dealers, they understand products rely on a robust connection. It's an obvious play for them."

Durkin is also hoping the service will appeal to copier dealers who might be facing shrinking revenues.

"[It's] a perfect synergy... People aren't printing as much as they once were, and the revenues are shrinking. They have a wonderful customer base but they are looking for a new revenues stream that is going to sustain their business for a long term," he said.

"A lot of businesses we've been talking to that are copier dealers are saying they are moving into document management workflows, which is all electronic media. That feeds to a cloud play."

TPC Distribution is owned by parent company The Profit Cube, a self-described "sales and profit" business whose website lists the use of the Tsunami marketing process and a sales coaching system from Queensland-based SalesXtra. The company also lists "secret sales team" seminars on its site.

The Profit Cube has a recruitment and training arm, including a commercial equipment finance business that partners with the likes of copier and telco dealers, director Deon Haar said.

Haar said the "first port of call" was to go to existing customers, the "vast majority" of which are dealers or resellers, as well as taking the service beyond The Profit Cube's customers.

"The timing was good. It aligned with what our existing client base was telling us in the copier and comms space," Haar told CRN.

"There were a number of those companies starting to go through the purchase of IT companies so they could bundle together a cloud services offering alongside their telco or print offering.

Access360 is the product of Brisbane company Amaze360, which was established in 2009 and also lists Citrix consulting services.

"The platform is already built; the model is already tried and tested. We are now taking it to the market at large through the reseller channel," said Durkin.

Durkin said the service is hosted with Equinix, NextDC, Fujitsu and other data centres. He said the service comes with "clear service guarantees" and data sovereignty.