Hitachi expands NZ operations

In an attempt to expand its share of the New Zealand storage market, Hitachi has opened an office in Wellington and appointed Jim Hopper as dedicated channel sales manager for NZ.

The announcement comes weeks after Hitachi's decision to close its CE division decision to close due to global restructuring.

The vendor claimed the actions are part of Hitachi’s greater aim of addressing the growing demand for storage hardware and software in the region.

“We expect continued success in 2008 as our storage solutions become more and more relevant to New Zealand businesses,” said Brent Wilkinson, New Zealand country manager, Hitachi Data Systems.

Hitachi first sought to expand in New Zealand in February 2006. Wilkinson claimed that since then the vendor has been capitalising on the growth of the storage market in the country. The opening of an office in Wellington will allow Hitachi to service local customers and generate new business opportunities across a number of key industries including education, government and telecommunications.

“As we expand our operations, we look forward to further cementing Hitachi Data Systems as a leader in the New Zealand storage market,” said Wilkinson.

The addition of Jim Hooper to the A/NZ team is another strategic move by Hitachi to further penetrate the New Zealand market. He has 28 years experience in the IT industry and prior to his recent appointment, he held the role of general manager – New Zealand for SAS. Together with Wilkinson, Hooper will work toward improving Hitachi’s business growth, strengthening existing partnerships and facilitating new opportunities through the channel.

“This is an exciting time to join the company as New Zealand businesses increasingly turn to Hitachi to manage and protect their data,” said Hooper. “My goal for 2008 is to continue growing Hitachi’s business by focusing on the strong channel model that has helped the company achieve such fantastic results in a relatively short period of time.”