Dell has joined Microsoft's select group of Large Account Resellers (LAR) and become an Enterprise Software Advisor for Australia.

Microsoft director of small and mid-market solutions and partner group, Paul Voges, said Dell already had LAR status in several countries. The local appointment was part of plans to drive volume licensing sales.

"This is a natural evolution of our relationship with Dell ... the question had been when," he said. "We want to grow overall in this market space - we see a great opportunity around volume licensing agreements, particularly in the SME market, where Dell has a strong business. There was a natural synergy between us."

Dell will now be able to offer customers Enterprise and Select volume licence agreements. The PC giant's appointment brings Microsoft's Australian LAR count to 10. Other partners on the list are Dimension Data, Data#3, Corporate Express, Insight Enterprises, Kaz, HP, Computelec, Simply International Group and Comstra. Voges said there was no intention to grow the list further.

"We have been consistent with our LAR numbers over the last four or five years, and we look at this on a case-by-case basis," Voges said.

He did, however, point out Commander's decision to leave the volume licensing market had also opened up space on the list.

Dell is only the second vendor to become a Microsoft LAR alongside HP, but Voges ruled out bringing on more.

"We have three different types of LARs - systems integrators, those more on the large services side, such as Insight, which has a services component but is different to someone like DiData, then Dell and HP," Voges said. "It came down to where our relationship with Dell is. There's an opportunity in the Australian business and we decided this was a good decision."

In a statement, Dell sales general manager, Bernie Kelly, said having the ability to provide company-wide software licensing agreements would streamline its customer offerings.