Sun Hot On Tech Data

For the second time in four months, Tech Data has been authorized to sell additional Sun products. This week at its TechSelect conference in Chicago, the Clearwater, Fla.-based distributor plans to announce it will carry Sun's Java Enterprise System (JES) suite of Java infrastructure software, including directory, identity management and application server products.

Tech Data signed a deal with Sun in July 2003 to sell low-end servers and storage and was upgraded to sell four-way SPARC servers last March.

"Before this agreement, we predominately were selling foundation packages. The JES suite of products allows us to round out our product line card and also to offer to resellers a full solution from one manufacturer," said Pete Peterson, vice president of product marketing, software and systems at Tech Data.

The JES products are available only through a closed distribution model to Tech Data's Authorized Volume Resellers (AVRs), its higher-end tier of Sun customers that qualify as Sun iForce partners. GE Access and Arrow Electronics' MOCA division also sell the JES software.

"We've been actively recruiting AVRs the last six months, and as we ramp up the volume, it makes sense to have these guys selling the full solution with JES," Peterson said.

Radix Gear, a Sun Registered Volume Reseller with Tech Data, only buys Sun products when customers request them, but the Alpharetta, Ga.-based solution provider wants to become an AVR now that Tech Data carries JES, said Chris Cassidy, president of Radix Gear.

"I love the product. I love the way the stuff integrates with Unix and Linux. I know there's good margin. It's an exciting arena, and we plan to get more involved in Sun," Cassidy said.

Sun authorized Tech Data to sell the JES suite because there has been minimal customer overlap between Tech Data and Sun's two midrange distributors, GE Access and MOCA, executives said.

The latter two distributors have seen year-over-year growth of more than 20 percent with Sun, and Sun increased its channel mix of total sales to 54 percent for the fiscal year ended June 30 from 40 percent last fiscal year, executives said.

"They are looking more to partners to say, 'We need you guys to deliver this for us, to make this happen for us,' " said Joe Burke, vice president and general manager of enterprise computing solutions at Arrow Electronics' North American Computer Products group, Englewood, Colo.

Greg Stroud, the new vice president of iForce partner sales at Sun, said the software company plans to continue ramping its partner efforts under his administration as he replaces Gary Grimes as channel chief, a transition that is happening over the next several months. Making sure the channel has strong support in the field under a new sales engagement strategy is of the utmost importance, he said.

"I believe if we have clarity around the [partner] reach, we will develop relationships that bring in revenue, which means new business for the partner community and new business for Sun," Stroud said.

Sun enterprise iForce partners, likewise, said business is picking up.

"June truly felt like old times," said Rob Wolfe, president of AvcomEast, a Silver Spring, Md.-based solution provider. "There's clearly been a surge in the last quarter."

ELIZABETH MONTALBANO contributed to this article.