Tech Data Corp. sees opportunity in helping manufacturers, software publishers, and IT resellers capitalize on the growing demand for unified communications and network security solutions.
At its 2009 Vendor Partner Summit in Orlando, Tech Data announced the formation of two new specialized business units: a Unified Communications unit and a Network Security unit.
Unified Communications
Unified communications represents a seamless integration of voice, data, messaging, mobility, and video over a converged network. According to John O’Shea, Tech Data vice president of networking product marketing, it “delivers new operational efficiencies for end users of all sizes.”
Tech Data’s Unified Communications SBU will encompass a broad array of communications products, including PBX and IP PBX switches, SIP trunking, IP fax, and hosted PBX solutions. High-definition video conferencing, peer-to-peer collaboration suites, and on-premise software, and managed services will also be a part of the unit. Vendors partnering with the Unified Communications SBU include 3Com, Cisco, HP ProCurve, LifeSize, Nortel and Polycom.
Network Security
According to O’Shea the network is becoming “more exposed than ever” with the explosive growth of wireless, mobile devices, and demands for access all the time from anywhere. “That creates an array of security issues,” O’Shea says, “especially for key vertical markets implementing these technologies like government, education and healthcare that need to protect sensitive information.”
The Network Security SBU’s team of professionals will be familiar with the latest security practices and solutions. Tech Data says it aims to help resellers implement network protection strategies that include intrusion prevention, encryption, wireless access control, VPN and SSL VPN, firewall, gateway anti-virus, Web content filtering, e-mail spam filtering, and messaging security.
The Network Security SBU will support network security appliances from vendors like Fortinet, SECNAP, SonicWALL, and WatchGuard, as well as solutions from security vendors like McAfee, Symantec, and Trend Micro. The Network Security SBU will begin supporting resellers by year’s end.
The Unified Communications and Network Security SBUs are part of Tech Data’s networking product marketing division, which supports the channel strategies of dozens of industry leading manufacturers. The division’s product offering includes bridges, gateways, routers, switches, security appliances and network management devices, as well as infrastructure hardware, components and accessories.
