New Networking Unit Grows As Tech Data Signs Force10
The move, unveiled at Tech Data's annual Networking Summit meeting, comes just four months after the distributor reorganized its networking division to separate its Cisco business from that of its other networking vendors.
John O'Shea, vice president of network product marketing at Tech Data, said Force10 has a full networking offering for customers ranging from small businesses to enterprises, making it a good fit for customers and partners looking for an alternative to Cisco.
"My job is to offer partners good, viable solutions," O'Shea said. Force10 has put together a good channel program."
Tech Data's Networking Summit, held on the beach near the company's Clearwater, Fla., headquarters, has brought together about 60 solution providers interested in learning more about networking solutions and less about specific products, O'Shea said.
Those solutions were developed and expanded in part as a result of Tech Data's networking division split, O'Shea said.
"We can now focus more on solutions within our team, like HD videoconferencing, which requires more bandwidth than [does] traditional videoconference, and megapixel IP video security, also known as HD IP video surveillance," he said.
The February reorg put all of Tech Data's Cisco-related business into its new Cisco Solutions Group under Chuck Bartlett, who was named vice president of the group. All other networking-related vendors and solutions were placed into the newly created Networking Product Marketing division under O'Shea.
The Networking Product Marketing division brings products from vendors such as Avocent, Enterasys, Extreme Networks, Hewlett-Packard ProCurve, Nortel, SonicWall and 3Com, as well as solutions for the telephony, video security, and wireless markets, to Tech Data's solution providers.
"A lot of our partners in the networking business are enjoying getting more focus on them from us," O'Shea said. "And Chuck Bartlett, who in the past handled all networking, now focuses exclusively on Cisco. So everyone is happy."