Nexon splits off channel business

Voice and data integrator Nexon Asia-Pacific is on a channel partner drive, splitting out its indirect business under the Zircon brand.

Last year, the acquisitive Nexon purchased the local Zircon business and now intends to use that brand to recruit vertical market-focused channel partners to sell Nexon's range of data services including broadband, WAN facilities and professional services.

Over the past six months, Nexon has called for more channel partners to sell its wares to shift its focus away from mainly direct sales.

In July, it was seeking integrators and ISPs to shift its private virtual LAN package.

The new Zircon is running a channel partner program dubbed 'Boost' which entitles partners to training and support, provisioning, billing and sales tools.

The Zircon purchase saw Nexon acquire a data centre in Botany, Sydney which it subsequently closed and rolled into its operation in the Sydney CBD.

Kosta Doukas, national channel manager for Zircon, said the company was after vertical market channel players with experience in areas such as security, retail, medical, IT & telephony consultants and media.

Doukas said Nexon had a team of technical staff that can support the channel business and be a 'virtual sales' team for Zircon partners.

He said that Zircon would focus 100 percent on channels as opposed to running a hybrid direct/indirect model. Nexon acquired 60 customers from the Zircon acquisition and picked up two new ones this week, which Doukas declined to name.

Zircon channel partners could also take advantage of Nexon's agreements with major voice and data vendors such as Alcatel.

Zircon - formerly PSINet Australia - was a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Telecoms Group (NTG).