Fight Back '09: Spring fever

Spring is in the air and the channel is abuzz with reports of new growth this week. Partnerships have dominated the headlines and this week is all about the promise and possibilities of new unions.

Leading the first wave of growth were communications vendor Motorola and Alloy Computer Products, with their partnership signalling the launch of Motorola’s new Total Enterprise Access and Mobility Voice-over-Wireless-LAN, or TEAM VoWLAN, range of products.

New Zealand managing director for Motorola, Vince Chiappanzzo, said Alloy’s was picked as a distributor for its specialised skillset and knowledge in this field.

According to Chiappanzzo, Motorola will look to recruit additional partners to move forwards after taking the solution to Alloy’s existing partner base.

Another fertile development was Japan-based integrator and solution provider, NTT Data’s acquisition of SAP specialist, Extend Technologies.

According to Extend’s managing director, Max White, the move creates opportunities for both parties which will result in hiring additional staff as the company benefits from the SAP company’s global scope.

NetSuite also confirmed the market’s promise as it hunts for partners after the closure of its lead distributor, NetReturn. NetSuite managing director of Asia-Pacific, Chris Schafer said the creation of a new Australian office and direct sales force shows the company has confidence in the Australian market.

“It just shows that NetSuite itself is investing in this region. We plan on being here forever. It’s a phenomenal marketplace, we love doing work down in Australia and New Zealand and I think, if anything, it’s going to be good for everyone” he said.

Meanwhile, Melbourne-based independent software vendor (ISV), Open Windows Contracts, planted seeds for future growth when it won a contract from RMIT University worth around $100,000.

Open Windows Contracts CEO, Adam McInnes, said the development was a landmark that will encourage other universities to change their systems. “There are a lot of universities we are talking to which are waiting to see what comes of the implementation at RMIT” he said. “We know they all need contract management.”

Open Windows Contracts reported strong growth of 20 per cent to June 30. McInnes attributed it to government contracts and the negative economy motivating many companies to boost efficiency and cut costs. The channel has already begun to bear the fruit of movement during winter with the Australian PC market rising 11.3 per cent over Q1, according to analyst firm, Gartner.

Gartner research analyst, Eileen He, said the quarter-on-quarter results were due to a decline in desktops and general improvements in the economy and growth of notebooks.

That’s the good news this week, but remembers to mark Fight Back ’09 on your calendar as good news blooms in the channel this and every week.

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