IBM to roll out SystemSeller program

IBM has outlined launch plans for a channel initiative designed to grab server and storage market share from rivals Dell and HP.

Big Blue said it would roll out its new SystemSeller program on Tuesday in the US, with a local spokesperson confirming an Australian channel launch in May.

"It will be spearheaded by IBM eServer xSeries and some low end storage, soon followed by IBM TotalStorage, IBM eServer pSeries and OpenPower," she said.

More details on the local launch would be available in early May, she added.

Frank Vitagliano, vice president of worldwide global distribution channels at IBM, formally announced the SystemSeller initiative at Ingram Micro's VentureTech conference in the US.

"We are going to have very, very aggressive pricing," he said. "We are going to be right on the competition with these models."

IBM previewed the SystemSeller program at its PartnerWorld conference in February.

The preconfigured SystemSeller SKUs aimed to provide 10 points of margin up front, with a two percent back-end rebate on any of the SystemSeller products sold by partners, Vitagliano said.

It remained to be seen how much of that 10-point margin would be passed on to customers as resellers competed for business with one another and with Dell and HP.

Preconfigured eServer and TotalStorage offerings were expected to cover 20 to 30 models, including IBM xSeries servers and BladeCenters, IBM OpenPower Linux systems and IBM TotalStorage disk and tape products.

Vitagliano said IBM planned to aggressively market SystemSeller to resellers and end users.

The initiative was also designed to cut the number of special-bid pricing scenarios that often slowed VARs when they tried to close deals quickly in a frantic, competitive environment, he claimed.

Vitagliano also announced free technical training for 100 US partners and free briefings on IBM server and Lenovo strategy for 120 VentureTech customers at a US briefing centre. It was not known if a similar offer would be made in Australia.