Sektor ends distribution partnership with HPE Aruba

Specialist distributor Sektor has taken the decision to terminate its partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise's networking brand, Aruba.

The distributor wanted to consolidate its line card of vendors across its four countries, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Thailand.

"HPE Aruba was only represented in Australia and New Zealand, so we just decided to concentrate on the brands we represent across the four countries," Sektor general manager Cameron Arnold told CRN.

Sektor's remaining wireless networking brands are Aerohive, Extreme Networks and Zebra, which acquired Brocade's networking business earlier this year.

Arnold called it an "amicable" split. "The guys at HPE and Aruba have been great to work with. For us it is about consistency."

The move will make Sektor more efficient and provide a greater level of scale and relevance with its vendors, Arnold added.

The decision means that Anthony Alleyn, an HPE specialist who joined Sektor from Avnet last June, has finished up with the distributor.

Sektor will continue to transact business until the end of Aruba's financial year on 31 October, after which it will refer resellers back to HPE.

Aruba continues to be supported by four distributors, Ingram Micro, Dicker Data, Arrow ECS and Lynx Technologies.

An HPE spokesperson said: "We have confidence in our current distribution partners and there are no immediate plans to replace Sektor with another distributor in the ANZ market."

Sektor was handed the Aruba portfolio in February 2016 as part of a major shake-up of HPE's distribution roster, which saw Synnex, Avnet and Westcon dropped and Arrow ECS appointed.