SMB Converged Networks

• Selling voice and data convergence to SMB
• Head to head: Voice versus data
• A question of application
• How do you demonstrate value?
• Is brand important?

Is brand important?

As with all technology, there are plenty of choices for resellers when it comes to which converged network brands they offer to customers. So how important is the badge on the box?

MCR director of telecoms services, Michael Salama, said he would not risk the reputation of his company by putting a product in front of a customer unless he could put hand on heart and tell them he was able to maintain it for a long time.

But in a world where the products of leading brands are built in the same Chinese factories as unbranded boxes, Triforce director, Abbas Aly, questioned how important brand really is.

Nortel business manager at LAN Systems, Mic Henderson, said support was key. "It's not about how fast something is when it's going; it's about how fast you can get it back up when it isn't working. Stuff breaks down," he said.

For Total Computer Technology director, Robert Brown, the importance of brand varies according to the size of customer. "In the SOHO market it's about the price of the product rather than what happens if it fails. At mid-range it's about disaster recovery," he said. "Some clients are not interested in maintenance but others won't buy product without it.

"There are times when you have to quit while you are ahead and just take the product sale. There is no point arguing but when the customer gets burned you go back in and offer maintenance."