Westcon To Help Small Disadvantaged Business Partners Tap Federal Dollars

Westcon Group on Wednesday said it will offer qualified small disadvantaged business (SDB) partners special credit options, as well as technical support and training, through its ConvergencePoint SMB program.

The move is designed to help SDB partners tap into federal IT dollars being left on the table, Westcon said. Last year, the federal government set aside $14.3 billion for SBDs, and much of that was not spent, according to the Tarrytown, N.Y.-based distributor.

Through ConvergencePoint SMB, and in tandem with Nortel Networks' SDB Prime program, Westcon aims to help SDB partners take advantage of the unused funds.

"Each month, we offer training at Nortel's federal office to benefit SDB partners," Stuart Schwartzreich, director of federal programs at Westcon Group, said in a statement. "These regular courses are available to all of our government-oriented VARs, and the goal is simple: to help our customers assess areas of IT opportunity in the government market and to help them identify tactics to set themselves apart when presenting solutions."

Westcon is also offering its government VARs Nortel Government Solutions Professional Services. The program provides planning, design, management, security, integration and installation services, as well as maintenance assistance.

"The addition of Nortel Government Solutions Professional Services is an important new strategic component to Westcon's Federal Edge Program, as well as Nortel's SDB Prime program," Bill O'Neill, vice president of Nortel Government Solutions, said in a statement. "This program provides our federal reseller partners with the capability to deliver lucrative services offerings they might not otherwise had the ability to provide."

One customer has already seen results from Westcon's programs.

"Westcon's expertise and credit support helped us win business from a well-known government end user, the Michigan Army National Guard," said Bill Bowmer, president of Aero-Tech, a service disabled/veteran-owned SDB and partner of Westcon and Nortel Government Solutions based in Imlay City, Mi., in a statement.

"Without Westcon's flexible financing options and engineering support and Nortel's Government Solutions Professional Services offerings, this could not have happened," he said.

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