GovernmentVAR of the Week: Emtec Federal

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Emtec seems to have found that delicate balance between properly drilling down into a specific market while still profiting well from all segments of government. Its trick? Dedicating the necessary amount of resources to succeed in each.

To do so, up until this month goverment business was divided in two: Emtec handled the state and local government business, while the federal business fell in the hands of wholly owned subsidiary Westwood Computer. But to more closely identify the subsidiary with the parent organization, Westwood Computer was renamed Emtec Federal this month -- though the company assures customers and partners alike that it's business as usual.

"[We] wanted to identify the two companies more closely as a whole. However, our approach to the market, our contracts, all our existing relationships will remain the same as when we were known as Westwood," says David Singer (left), vice president of marketing at Emtec Federal. "Our culture and business model will be the same as it's been for the last 42 years, mostly because the company model has led to a great deal of successful relationships."

Success indeed.

Last fiscal year, Westwood secured a very large, one-time sale in the federal market that augmented revenue as much as 15 percent. This fiscal year, Emtec Federal on its own matched those revenues. The solution provider won a portion of the Army ADMC2 10-year contract plus a five-year Bureau of Prisons Award, and touts major blanket purchase agreements with the Air Force, departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and Commerce, as well as indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts with the Army Small Computer Program and the National Institutes of Health ECS III.

Recognizing high demand for combined products and services, Emtec Federal expanded its technical team into what is now known as the Emtec Federal Technical Consulting Organization. The offering focuses on technology practice areas such as enterprise architecture, data management and storage, data center infrastructure, and consulting and integration services.

"We do whatever we can to make it easier for agencies to buy from us, including accommodating whatever pressures they are under in order to make the purchase work," Singer says. "We will do special handling and provide customized services to streamline logistics. Agencies are very appreciative of that flexibility. We're looking forward to the new opportunities."